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The Mission of Tufts Financial Group

Founded in 2005, the Tufts Financial Group (TFG) is the largest business club on campus, with more than 100 members. What makes TFG unique is that it combines pre-professional guidance with real investing experience, creating a space where students can develop skills, find mentors, and explore the many paths within finance.

One of its most impactful initiatives is the Diversity Accelerator Program (DAP), which aims to make finance more accessible and inclusive for students of all backgrounds. Through mentorship, alumni panels, and firm visits, DAP helps students understand recruiting and build the confidence to pursue opportunities in the industry.

My First Experience with DAP

My connection to DAP started during my freshman year. At the time, I was still figuring out what a career in finance looked like and whether someone like me could break into the industry.

Through the program, I had the opportunity to visit Wellington Management in Boston. Walking into a major asset management firm, hearing from professionals about their journeys, and seeing what the industry actually looked like gave me an entirely new perspective. Many of the people we met spoke about how mentorship and genuine curiosity helped them open doors in their careers. For me, it was the first moment where finance felt real and attainable, not just something I read about online.

Coming Full Circle

Fast forward to today, and I now serve as the Head of DAP. Many of the students in the program are freshmen and sophomores in the exact same position I was in a few years ago: curious, eager, but without a clear picture of what different roles in finance look like or how to break in. That's why my biggest goal this semester has been to create the kinds of opportunities that once changed my own trajectory.

Why Paying It Forward Matters

One of the most meaningful parts of leading DAP has been the one-on-one coffee chats I've had with freshmen and sophomores throughout the semester.

These conversations are often simple as we talk about their interests, what they're exploring, and what's feeling confusing or intimidating about finance. But I've found they can be genuinely pivotal. Sometimes a student just needs someone a few steps ahead of them to say: this is navigable, and here's how. In those conversations, I try to share the things that actually worked for me, how to approach networking without it feeling transactional, how to position yourself for internships earlier than you think, how to use resources like TFG, alumni connections, and firm visits to build real relationships in the industry. I also try to connect students directly to those resources: introducing them to upperclassmen who've gone through recruiting, pointing them toward alumni who've offered to stay in touch, and making sure they know the doors that are open to them.

No one I know succeeded alone. Every opportunity I've had, whether a firm visit, an internship, or a meaningful networking conversation, happened because someone took the time to offer guidance or open a door. That's what I try to do now, in whatever way I can, for the students coming up behind me.

Programs like DAP are about more than recruiting prep. They're about building community, mentorship, and confidence, and reminding students that they belong in these spaces. If my visit to Wellington Management helped me see what was possible, then my goal is to create that same moment for someone else.

Looking Ahead

Serving in this role has been both challenging and deeply fulfilling. The Tufts Financial Group continues to be a place where students learn, grow, and support one another, and through DAP, we hope to keep making finance more accessible and inclusive for the next generation.

For me, it comes down to something simple: helping the next student get their foot in the door, just like someone once helped me.