Margaret Meyo
Investment Banking Analyst
Morgan Stanley
What was your introduction to the Finance industry?
I grew up very much so in the shadow of New York City and Wall Street being from a small suburb in New Jersey and while neither of my parents were in finance, I had always had an interest in it.
My true introduction to what a career in finance looked like was when I went to Ohio State and studied Finance in undergrad. While this provided a helpful perspective, I would say in hindsight what I do on a day to day basis is much different than the seemingly one-dimensional finance I learned at school.
What really intrigued me about finance and what has kept me interested in it throughout my 2+ years at Morgan Stanley is that finance transfers money to those who need it from those who have the capacity to provide it; it ultimately fuels much of the innovation and transformation that happens around us today.
What type of impact are you hoping to make in the ACE community?
The ACE community as it stands is a group of extremely inspiring women and I am extremely grateful to be considered a part of it. What I am most excited to accomplish as part of the 2021 cohort is to grow the community of ACE to larger than our current reach. I would love to broaden our community to driven and intelligent women who are interested in learning more about the finance industry and who do not have a pre-determined path in accessing it.
Something I was extremely passionate about during my time at Ohio State was demystifying the industry of finance and advocating for more women pursuing such a demanding (and rewarding) career. I think ACE, given its platform and network, is the perfect opportunity to educate and encourage young women through our community events and fireside chats; the best way to show them what they are capable of is to lead by example and give them a window into what their success could look like.
When and why did women empowerment in finance start to become an important issue for you?
Women’s empowerment in finance became a larger issue for me when I was beginning the internship search process. There was a prestigious faculty-led preparation program for investment banking and I knew getting in would be the best way to learn about the industry. I was elated when I was accepted but quickly realized I was the only woman in the cohort of 25 men. I will never forget how close I was to throwing away my acceptance simply because I knew I would be different than the rest of the cohort. That is when I realized how critical it was for me to become an advocate for not only women’s empowerment but minority empowerment in the finance industry. After ‘graduating’ from the program, I started speaking at other women’s organizations to discuss the benefits of pursuing such a demanding career, knowing full well we have the talented and smart women at Ohio State that could succeed.
What inspires you and keeps you motivated?
Throughout my career, the reason I have gotten to where I am today is because there were motivated and successful women ahead of me that were willing to open the door and invest in me. What keeps me motivated is the desire to do the same for those that will succeed me in this industry. The best way, in my opinion, to achieve this is to create a platform to elevate myself and those around me because once you have experience and position, that is where the real change is enacted.
What are your interests and a fun fact about yourself?
Outside of work I am really passionate about being outside and being active! I love to exercise and run, hike and snowboard. I also love to bake and cook and have recently gotten very into homemade sourdough bread (hello quarantine!) and Half-Baked Harvest recipes. I was also born and raised and Ohio State fan and love to spend time with my family cheering on the Buckeyes! My fun fact is that I am a fraternal twin and we are quite opposite. Caroline lives in Chicago and works in advertising for sports and alcohol (very creative and fun compared to my Investment Banking career!).