Green Bull puts students on track for investment banking success

For students seeking careers in investment banking, the clock starts ticking freshman year.

“Most people are signed with internship offers by second semester sophomore year, so training for the recruitment process has to start even earlier than that," says Sophie Casto (BSM ’26), a finance major who plans to work in investment banking. “That’s where Green Bull comes in.”

Casto is president of the Green Bull Investment Banking Group, Freeman's student organization for undergraduates interested in pursuing investment banking careers. Originally founded as a general finance club for students interested in Wall Street, the group has evolved over the last several years into something more focused: a student-led, faculty-supervised investment banking development program that addresses a critical gap in the recruiting timeline.

The challenge is straightforward: To land a job in investment banking, students typically need to complete an internship with a firm. To secure that internship, they must interview as sophomores, before they’ve been exposed to much of the material they need to know.

“That’s not a flaw in the Tulane model; it’s a flaw in the investment banking recruitment model,” says Mara Baumgarten Force, professor of practice in finance and faculty advisor to Green Bull. “Green Bull fills that gap and helps students get through that recruiting process and position themselves for success.”

Under the supervision of Force, an 18-year veteran of J.P. Morgan, Green Bull upperclassmen teach freshmen and sophomores the technical skills they’ll need to know for their interviews, things like discounted cash flows, valuation methodologies and LBO models. They also help the underclassmen prepare for common behavioral questions about leadership, teamwork and ethical decision-making.

Membership in Green Bull is competitive and limited to just 20 students per year. When students join, they’re paired with both upperclassmen and alumni mentors, offering them another critical resource to help prepare for their interviews. 

“I think the mentorship aspect is the crux of the learning,” says Green Bull member Devon Singh (BSM ’28). “I'm interested in working somewhere in Chicago or New York, and I got paired with a mentor who lives in Chicago, so meeting her in person and getting to do technical and behavioral prep with her has been really beneficial to me.”

In 2021, Steve Jarmel (BSM ’93), founder and partner with Periscope Equity, made a gift to establish the Freeman Investment Banking Initiative Fund, which supports investment banking education and career preparation at Freeman. Among the initiatives supported by fund is Green Bull’s annual trip to New York. Each fall, sophomores travel to the city to visit investment banking firms, network with alumni and industry professionals, and take part in one-on-one meetings with investment bankers. Last year, 22 students made the trek, visiting banks including Baird, Cain Brothers, Goldman Sachs, Jefferies, J.P. Morgan, Macquarie and Moelis.

“The point of the trip is to see investment banks firsthand, meet with people and form connections,” says Holly Hillman (BSM ’28), one of last fall’s participants. “Having this opportunity is one of the best things about Green Bull, because coming from New Orleans, we don't usually have the opportunity to meet with banks in person."

For Singh, the informal meetings proved particularly valuable.

“I really enjoyed the coffee chat aspect,” he says. “A couple of people who I’d previously talked with over the phone asked if I could meet with them for coffee while I was in New York. I thought that was a really great opportunity to connect with people and build a relationship, because that's what can be crucial when it comes to trying to secure that internship.”

As far as securing those internships, Green Bull’s numbers speak for themselves. This year, 91% of sophomores have received investment banking internship offers for summer 2027, and 93% of seniors who did an investment banking internship in summer 2025 got a return offer.

Casto, for example, received a full-time job offer from Moelis after completing her internship in August. She plans to join the firm as an investment banking analyst following her graduation in May.

“I think investment banking is a really cool path,” she says. “It opens up a lot of doors, and I really like how collaborative and fast-paced of an environment it is. It’s very high pressure, but it also offers you the reward of learning so much in just two years.”

And while Casto earned her job offer though hard work and exceptional abilities, she says it also reflects the growing recognition Freeman students are gaining on Wall Street.

“We’re starting to build a lot of traction,” she says. “The people have always been here, but the opportunities haven’t. Now with Green Bull, we’re starting to see both of those come through, and it's really great to see.”