Andrew Yogei

Accounting major and soon-to-be J.P. Morgan markets analyst

Andrew Yogei, a senior majoring in accounting, knows exactly where he’ll be after graduation, and he’s pretty excited about it. He’ll be starting a full-time job at J.P. Morgan on Wall Street.

Well, they call it “Wall Street,” Yogei said, but really it’s Midtown Manhattan, and it’s a place he’s already familiar with. Last summer Yogei landed an extremely competitive internship with J.P. Morgan, a global leader in financial services.

“I thank God for the opportunity,” said Yogei, who was born in Liberia and grew up in Plymouth, Minn. “I took a shot in the dark. I threw in an application for the internship and said, ‘God can have it,’ and it worked out my way.”

The internship experience was invaluable, he said. He got firsthand experience helping with the financials of a merger between two hospital systems. He also had an up-close view of an extremely volatile time on the trading floor as the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates.

“Last summer was the craziest,” Yogei said with a laugh. “Volatili ty creates opportunity. The markets came alive.”

While a student at Minnesota State Mankato, Yogei played Mav erick football and recently won the Fred Statz Character Award, given to the player who demonstrates high character. He partic ipated in the College of Business Student Executive Team (SET) to do what he does best: network with as many students, faculty and business professionals as possible to absorb knowledge and build opportunities.

Steven Johnson, DBA, associate professor of accounting, first encounters with Yogei, Dr. Johnson was struck by his personality. “I can't say enough good things about Andrew,” Dr. Johnson said. “Andrew is special in so many ways. Not only is he a great student, he's a great individual. He's an excellent listener, a superb communicator, caring, and has an infectious laugh and sense of humor.”

Yogei took a second class from Dr. Johnson in person and was a joy to have in the classroom, he said. “He's always engaged, respectful of other students, and asks great questions,” he added. Reflecting on his college career, Yogei said he enjoyed learning from so many different people from different walks of life.

“College is to help you think beyond what your normal thinking capacity is. I like to learn from a lot of different people. You can learn from everyone – from the person next to you – and you can add a piece of them to you,” said Yogei, who is also a mentor

While “Wall Street” is the current focus, the ultimate goal for Yogei will likely take him elsewhere. He wants to achieve senior-level management at a Fortune 500 company, and he wants to start his own agribusiness, taking after his maternal grandfa-

Dr. Johnson isn’t surprised at all that Yogei’s career is already off

“He will excel at whatever he chooses to do, and I'm excited to watch him continue to make such a positive impact on the world,” he said. “He deserves all the happiness and success he