On January 8, 25 SAR seniors, dressed in their finest quarter-zips and sweaters, boarded a Hudson Yards-bound bus to HSBC’s US corporate headquarters. The students, led by their teacher, Ms. Gloria Schneider, headed to the banking conglomerate to apply the knowledge and skills learned in their AP Macroeconomics class to the real world of finance.
Upon entering the Hudson Yards’ newly renovated Spiral building, the students were greeted by the sleek design and fragrant smell permeating throughout the office. Occupying 300,000 square feet and spanning over five floors, the new headquarters was nothing short of magnificent, featuring an abundance of greenery, coffee shops, a wellness center and private call rooms with floor-to-ceiling panoramic city views. “The office in Hudson Yards was incredible, a collaborative oasis,” said one student.
After a brief tour of the office’s main floor, the students gathered in the conference room to hear from HSBC’s emerging talent manager, Ms. Debi Deutsch. Ms. Deutsch provided an overview of HSBC’s global presence and extensive involvement in various areas of finance as well as their hiring and training process for new recruits. Following her introduction, the students began a marathon-paced informative session with HSBC’s national sector head of retail and apparel, Mr. Eric Fisch. After learning about Mr. Fisch’s career in helping well-known brands attain financing and banking services, the students remained in their swivel chairs to hear from HSBC’s managing director of LatAm FX, Mr. Gary Stein. The students learned about trading currencies at a macro level, including shorting and going long a currency and handling large currency conversions for corporations.
After learning about the intricacies and broader markets of Mr. Fisch and Mr Stein’s careers, Mr. Fisch organized a panel of Jewish HSBC analysts to discuss their path into banking and being Jewish while working in the demanding global financial industry. Following the panel of Jewish analysts, the students were given a tour of HSBC’s trading floor and viewed the sweeping panoramic views of New York City from the Spiral’s ZO Clubhouse perched on the building’s 66th floor.
Students boarded the bus back to Riverdale with their newly received HSBC satchels, buzzing with excitement. “I was very impressed with the trip and how accommodating they were. They actually put effort into our class and taught us a lot,” exclaimed one student. Other students appreciated the insight into the wide range of options within the finance world. “I learned a lot about the banking industry and potential career opportunities within. What impressed me the most was the amount of opportunity to do so many different things within the bank—trading, lending, management,” another student added.
As the students begged their teacher for another trip, with a smile, Ms. Schneider said, “We’ll have to do another one.”
