Matthew Davis likes “high-intensity, fast-paced environments.” You wouldn’t be surprised to hear him say that if you knew that he signed up to be a bull rider for an amateur rodeo when he was in college — even though, by his own admission, “I had no experience and no real idea what I was doing.” (The ride lasted three seconds – not bad – before the bull threw him off.)

You also might not be surprised to learn that, given his proclivities, Matthew sought an even faster-paced environment than the one he was exposed to as a management consultant.“I wanted to drive larger-scale decision making than I had been,” he says. “I decided to pivot into investment banking and knew that the MBA would be the best way not only to gain a deeper knowledge of finance but also to parlay my experience into an associate role.”

At Vanderbilt, Matthew decided to focus even more specifically on investment banking for health care. Toward that end, he became involved with two student professional organizations, the Vanderbilt Business Health Association and the Finance Club. He credits his coach in the Leadership Development Program with helping him better align his professional and personal goals. And he credits the Career Management Center at Owen with helping him “navigate a hectic recruiting process” and land an investment banking internship with Wells Fargo in Charlotte.

“Not only has this program provided me with the skillset, connections and knowledge to open doors in my desired field,” Matthew says, “but Owen has also provided me with countless friendships that I’m sure will last years after our graduation.” An avid golfer, he particularly enjoys the regular golf outings with classmates, the group meetings at Mellow Mushroom (a pizza place across from campus) and school-sponsored Closing Bell get-togethers on Thursday nights.

“Everybody at Owen gets along so well,” he says, “that even after all of the group work is finished, we still hang out on the weekends and are always looking for ways to spend time together.”

Fun Fact: I rate Double Dogs near the Vanderbilt campus as the best spot in Nashville to watch a game. I was at both the Kick Six (Auburn field goal return vs. Alabama) and the Miracle in Jordan-Hare (4th and 18 Hail Mary against UGA).

“Everybody gets along so well that, even after all of the group work is finished, we are always looking for ways to spend time together.”