The National Futures Association is partnering with the Greenwood Project, a non-profit organization that introduces high achieving minority students from Chicago to careers in the financial industry, by providing internships to its students.
NFA offers paid internships in its futures compliance, swaps compliance and market regulation departments, providing work and training on topics including derivatives, internal controls and cybersecurity.
"A few years ago, we delivered a presentation on NFA's role as a self-regulatory organization for the derivatives industry to several Greenwood students. These individuals were professional and inquisitive. Immediately after the presentation, NFA reached out to Bevon Joseph, the Greenwood Project's co-founder, to explore partnership opportunities," said Anthony Lighthall, senior human resources generalist at NFA.
Through the partnership, NFA now provides regular educational programs to Greenwood students about the association and its regulation responsibilities in the financial industry. It also hired two Greenwood students as paid interns last year. Both have been taken on as NFA full-time employees, Lighthall said.
One of those interns was Brian Miller Jr, a senior at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign who is majoring in agricultural consumer economics with a concentration in finance and agri-business.
"The internship has taught me how to properly analyze bank statements, complete cash modules, and has given me hands-on experience with firms from the UK to Canada. It was a great experience. Employees were very friendly and didn’t mind helping if there was ever an issue. Once I graduate this spring, I will be working full time as a compliance examiner with NFA," Miller said.
"Our experience with the Greenwood Project has been exceptional," Lighthall added. "These students are professional, prepared and eager to work in the financial industry. NFA strongly encourages financial services firms to partner with this amazing organization."
If you are interested in working with the Greenwood Project and would like more information on how to get involved, please contact Diane Rand at Diane.Rand@greenwoodproject.org
