Notre Dame’s Meruelo Family Center for Career Development partnered with Visa to launch the Visa Fintech Foundations Program this spring.
After the first iteration of the program was offered this spring, the program will again be offered in the coming fall. The program will be available to juniors via an application process.
“The University of Notre Dame has a strong alumni base at Visa and is a core school for our campus recruiting initiatives,” Kelly Mahon Tullier, vice chair, chief people and corporate affairs officer at Visa, shared.
The Visa Fintech Foundations Program is a six-week program that gives students the opportunity to get expert insights on the fintech industry. Through this program, students have the opportunity to learn how technology is transforming the finance field while exploring the career paths aligned with a fintech education.
“We wanted to pilot something new on campus outside of traditional info sessions and branding events,” Tullier said.
The University has a wide network of employers who they engage with every year to discuss their specific interests.
“When talking with Visa, we realized that there is no fintech major or minor at the University, which is the space Visa operates in,” Ryan Willerton, associate vice president for career and professional development at the center, said.
The mutual interest between the University and Visa led to the establishment of the partnership.
“It took 48 hours to get more than 40 students interested and replying. This is definitely a space where there is a lot of student interest,” Willerton said.
Willerton explained that, throughout the program, Visa experts shared their perspectives during in-person sessions. The recruitment team flew to campus every week to provide a number of presentations and one-on-one consultations. Notre Dame alumni also guest spoke during some of these sessions, allowing students to identify potential career opportunities in fintech.
“This program was intended to be more than a one-time interaction with Visa and instead a chance to learn from Visa leaders every week over six weeks to immerse [students] in a learning experience that would help their candidacy in the fintech industry [and] to encourage them to explore opportunities at Visa,” Tullier said.
The program focused on a variety of topics, including financial sustainability, digital currencies, current trends and insights into the recruitment process. The program promoted career development through career exploration opportunities and sessions focused on mainstream fintech technologies and the skills key to specific fintech positions. Additionally, the course highlighted specific career growth opportunities at Visa.
“I was drawn to this program because of the digital transformation that has been occurring throughout business industries,” BBA student Mushfiq Milan said.
The program was a pilot for Visa, to which Notre Dame was the first university that Visa partnered with for this program.
“It was highly successful this past year, so they are coming back again next fall,” director of employer and regional engagement Laura Bellis said.
Visa plans to expand the program to other colleges and universities in the coming years.
“[We] hope to continue to build out this program, refining it each year and trying to hit the mark on what is most compelling to students,“ Willerton said.
