May 06, 2015
A new skill set
Peter Rantis '16 is headed to San Francisco to learn investment banking from the ground up.
Finance major and transfer student Peter Rantis ’16 will expand his skill set this summer in an internship at the Cowen Group in San Francisco.
As a summer analyst, Rantis will learn investment banking from the ground up at the financial services powerhouse. “I will be learning from the brightest individuals in the field,” he said.
In the first week, Rantis will train at Cowen’s corporate office in New York City then head west to San Francisco for nine weeks immersed in investment banking.
“From there, I hope to build my skill set to launch my career,” Rantis said about why he pursued the prestigious internship. “I don’t only want to be degree-ready. I want to to be career-ready. That’s very important to me.”
His finance professors and two members of the College’s board of trustees networked to help Rantis land an interview with Cowen. They even prepared him for two preliminary telephone interviews and an intense all-day interview with the Cowen team in San Francisco.
The Lake Zurich resident transferred to Lake Forest after four years studying to be a physician at another college. “I thought that’s what I wanted, but realized investment banking is my true passion,” he said.
Rantis is glad he made the switch to Lake Forest College. “We have a great finance program at Lake Forest where the professors are looking out for their students,” Rantis said. “I’m getting great guidance to launch my career.”
