Summer Spotlight: Diana Cheung (MSF’21)

Each year, Georgetown McDonough students spend their summers working with corporate, nonprofit, and government organizations, volunteering, and pursuing their passions. While summer 2020 presented never-before-seen challenges, McDonough students rose above and made the most of an unprecedented summer.

Tell us about your summer.

This summer I had the opportunity to dive deep into the ESG (environmental, social, governance) investment space and research its potential for Dowling & Yahnke Wealth Advisors. Our team spoke with many experts in the field, including principals and advisors at wealth management firms, mutual fund vendors, analysts at ESG rating firms, and experts in ESG and impact investing. We learned about the history and prevalence of this nuanced form of investing. 

How did your summer experience relate to your professional or personal interests or aspirations?

It was an eye-opening experience to learn about the untapped potential in ESG investing, not only as an aspiring financial planner and wealth manager, but as an investor myself. Prior to this project, I was not aware of ESG investing and how investing can positively impact our environment and society by consciously focusing on mutual funds or companies that integrate such factors into their business practices. I hope to educate more people about the implications of investing and how their values can be incorporated through a more conscious approach. 

How did you find this experience? 

The experience was part of the MSF Program’s Summer Clinic offerings.

What was the most interesting or impactful thing you worked on?

The most impactful part was presenting to our clients Dowling & Yahnke and receiving great feedback and enthusiasm from their senior leadership team.

How was your experience adjusted because of coronavirus?

The weekly team sessions and our presentation was all virtual via Zoom, but it still went very smoothly thanks to Tom Stowell and the whole career management team. 

Any advice for other students?

Do what scares you, otherwise you won’t grow. It’s okay to reach out for help and you’d be surprised to know that many people are willing to lend a helping hand.