Alumni Step Up
Justin Hoskins '17 had a plan, what he needed was a chance. Thanks to invested Hartwick alumni, he got it. Three times over.
Business major and finance minor Justin Hoskins '17 graduated from Hartwick in three years. Some students choose this option to get a jump on graduate school or careers; for others it’s a matter of affordability. Hoskins says, “It wasn’t the plan; it was all I could afford.”
Ambitious and focused, Hoskins’ plan included securing two internships before he graduated. An opportunity at MaximGroup LLC investment bank in New York City looked promising. One problem: like so many first internships, it was unpaid. So he took a second job and landed a Hartwick scholarship for internship support endowed by alumni couple Bob Hanft '69 H'18 and Pat Russell Hanft '72.
“The Hanft Scholarship had a huge impact on my life,” says Hoskins. “I wouldn’t have been able to start my career in finance without it. Because of the Hanfts, I was not only working in a professional setting for the first time in my life, I was in the Chrysler Building in New York City. At Maxim I supported traders, now I am one!”
Back on campus for his second year, Hoskins applied the experience to his studies and earned the recommendation of his faculty for a fully funded Baker-Simpson Entrepreneurship Fellowship in San Francisco. “It was a unique opportunity to work in a public market with start-ups,” he says of that summer.“ I learned how to sell; how to research, analyze, and interpret data; and developed my analytical skills.” Hoskins gained much more than key work experience. “Simon became a great mentor to me,” he says, referring to Simon Baker’83 who created the rare Silicon Valley opportunity for Hartwick students with his friends Sharon and the late Barclay Simpson.
As graduation approached, Hoskins was more than ready. Again, all he needed was a chance. “President Drugovich spent a lot of time helping me grow and develop,” Hoskins recalls of his Hartwick years. She introduced him to Trustee Ed Droesch ’82 and the two “hit it off right away.” When Droesch offered an invitation to meet at his Goldman Sachs offices in Manhattan, Hoskins remembers thinking, “Wow!” Hoskins left the meeting cautiously optimistic about the possibility of joining Goldman Sachs. “It’s tough to get into investment banking,” he says. “But Ed soon called with what he said was a great opportunity for growth.” The job was in operations in Salt Lake City, supporting the trade desk. Though Hoskins knew nothing of operations or of Utah, “Ed told me to take it from there.” He did. Promoted twice since joining the firm four years ago, Hoskins is now working in the Chicago office “orchestrating transactions for hedge funds.” As for the future, of course he has a plan. “I’m going to build the skills to climb the ranks of Goldman Sachs or open my own investment shop,” Hoskins says. “I work very hard and I love what I do.”
