Eugenia Carmona W'20
Email: eugeniacarmona@alumni.upenn.edu
What did you study at Penn, when did you graduate?
I just graduated in 2020 and studied Finance and Business Analytics.
What do you do now and where are you based?
I am based in New York City, working in investment banking focused on Latin America at JP Morgan.
What were you involved with as an undergraduate?
I was always in Wharton Women and am a big fan of the club. Additionally, I served as President of Penn Fashion Week for Wharton Retail, and I was part of Wharton Latino and the Student Board of the Institute of Contemporary Art. I wrote articles for Her Campus and started the Club for Venezuela VOCES, where we hosted talks and fundraised.
What was your favorite part of Penn/Wharton?
I loved my classes and extracurriculars, but what sticks with you is the people. Many of them are in NY and are both a good support network and helpful for networking.
What advice do you wish you had known when you were an undergraduate?
At Penn it is important to keep in mind that everything is a balance. With a lot going on on the social and professional levels, it is easy to get overwhelmed. I would recommend taking a step back and prioritizing.
So far, what has been the biggest challenge of your getting started in the industry?
The biggest challenge would be starting from home during the pandemic because it was hard not to have people around and miss that bonding. More generally, there is a lack of female leadership, with more women at analyst and associate levels and less at management and VP positions. It is difficult to stay motivated in the long-term when most women leave before they get to the senior level.
What advice do you have for our members as they begin exploring careers and internships?
Talk to as many people as you can and leverage every resource Penn offers with alumni, classes, career treks, panels, etc. to get as much exposure as you can to different industries. You can set up calls through QuakerNet or LinkedIn messages. You don't lose anything by trying!
What is a misconception you had about the workplace?
I felt pressure to do everything perfectly and was scared of asking questions, but it is better to ask than to do something poorly. When something is taking you too long, there is probably an easier way to do it that someone around you knows. If you see an issue or come to a conclusion that the person who instructed you did not see, it is good to bring it up politely and make good points. It is not the best to sit there and take instructions; sometimes, you have insights that others do not, so bring a little bit of innovation to problems and speak up.
How has being a woman affected your career trajectory, if it has?
Penn does a good job of balancing it out. I was involved in a lot of women's organizations and always felt there were opportunities to speak up in a fair playing field (though in finance classes at a higher level, the ratio changes and there are more men).
The workplace was a shock. I came into my internship my sophomore year as the youngest one and the only girl. I work with Latin America which is very male-dominated. Every single client we have is a man, and every Board of Directors and C-suites executive we work with are men.
What’s your favorite place you’ve ever been?
I did an exchange program in Hong Kong, and it is my favorite place in the world.
Anything else you want to share?
Take advantage of the many classes at Penn that allow you to travel, such as Wharton Industry Exploration. I went to Brazil, Spain, and San Francisco.