Tyler Staggs-Burgess ’24 Invests in a Finance Career

When Tyler Staggs-Burgess ’24 was young, his sights were set on being an astronaut. But when he later learned about the stock market from a high school economics teacher, he headed to Bentley to explore his newfound interest and blaze his career path. Since then, he declared a major in Finance, built strong connections with the Pulsifer Career Development Center and completed JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Advancing Black Pathways Fellowship Program before landing a full-time role there. 

“I got to Bentley with a goal to become a portfolio manager, but I needed to set myself up with a career development plan to reach that end goal,” Staggs-Burgess says. In addition to joining the student-run Bentley Investment Group (BIG) to help manage a portion of the university’s endowment, he looked to people around him for support — including Claudette Blot, director of the Multicultural Center (MCC), who encouraged him to use resources through the university’s career development center.  

Staggs-Burgess wasted no time following that advice, starting with Wall Street Prep’s Student Passport, a comprehensive library of online courses designed to prepare students for technical interviews through foundational, core modeling and prep courses. He also met with MaryEllen Ryan, senior associate director of undergraduate career services, to refine his résumé and brainstorm about his internship search. “MaryEllen connected me with alumni and helped me set up interviews. We formed a great relationship; it was like I had her on speed dial all the time,” he jokes. 

On a more serious note, Staggs-Burgess admits that the process of securing an internship required a lot of effort and persistence on his part — meeting with Bentley alumni for informational interviews, finessing his interviews skills and applying to several firms — before landing a role at JPMorgan Chase & Co. for their Advancing Black Pathways Fellowship Program in summer 2022. He recalls, “That’s when everything started to take off for me.”   

LEVERAGING ASSETS 

As he set off for his summer fellowship, Staggs-Burgess says he felt ready. “I arrived at the internship with a strong foundation for the market, and technical and personal skills to succeed through the help of the Bentley Investment Group, the Bentley Trading Room and career services,” he says. “I spent so much time in the Trading Room, especially as a first-year student, learning industry software like Bloomberg and exploring any kind of asset class I was interested in.”

During junior year, he became a Trading Room analyst to help students learn the software like Bloomberg, FactSet and MorningStar. As president of Bentley Investment Group, he oversaw a group of 21 portfolio managers, 42 analysts and 100+ general body members. He also was the student organization’s portfolio manager, modeling companies to recommend investments. And while these technical lessons were valuable, Staggs-Burgess considers them one of many important tools he’s acquired.  

“Something I’ve really learned at Bentley is the importance of two-way relationships and finding mentors; I think if you utilize mentors, they will steer you the right way,” Staggs-Burgess says, specifically noting Bentley alumni like Joe Wickwire, MBA ’93, a portfolio manager at Fidelity, and Rich Thompson ’91, a former managing director at Fidelity Management and Research, who were guest speakers at BIG events and teach finance courses at Bentley. “A lot of my professors have worked in the finance industry, and it was so impactful to be able to talk to them about their professional experiences and ways that I could prepare for a career in finance and approach the markets in diverse ways.”

As part of the company’s Advancing Black Pathways Fellowship Program, the internship included opportunities to build teamwork, problem-solving and professional development skills through a tailored curriculum focused on financial services exposure and education. Following a successful summer, Staggs-Burgess was invited back for another internship the following year, this time as a global private bank summer analyst. 

“After completing my Fellowship, I returned for a summer internship to the Private Bank on the same team and then was given an opportunity to place full-time into Asset Management on the Equities desk,” Staggs-Burgess recalls. 

One of the first calls he made after accepting the offer was to Ryan. “I said to MaryEllen ‘We got it. I’m finally where I want to be.’ She held my hand through this entire process — but let me do what I needed to do.” 

That balance of guidance and independence is what Staggs-Burgess considers a sweet spot for success — and something he shares with other students, particularly in his role as a career colleague in the career development center.  

“My advice for students is to blaze their own path; do the work but seek out people who will point you to resources to help you get there,” says Staggs-Burgess, who has helped students with résumés, cover letters and interview tips — and says that giving back to people is something he enjoys. “I’ve been successful, but every decision I had to make, I had people who were supporting me. Create the right circle and run with the right people.”  

Staggs-Burgess shares that he’s met some of his closest friends working out at the gym in the Dana Center and through his involvement with Bentley Mankind Movement, a Multicultural Center affinity group for men of color on campus. “If you follow things that interest you, you'll meet the people who are right for you. I’m big on giving your energy and time to people who are going to make you better. Building your network and building equity with people is going to take you far — as long as you keep working hard.”