Hokies on Wall Street event spotlights student learning amid economic uncertainty
The annual event bridged classroom concepts with real-world economic shifts.
Amid economic uncertainty, Virginia Tech alumni and industry experts joined together in New York City to share insights on adapting in finance and the classroom.
Hosted on April 24 by the Department of Finance, Insurance, and Business Law in the Pamplin College of Business, the Hokies on Wall Street event is part of the Distinguished Wells Fargo Speaker Series and served as a capstone experience for Pamplin students following their company visits in New York. The event’s center piece was a panel session titled, “\Trade Policy, Inflation and the Global Economy: What is Next?
Among the panelists were Sophie DeWaal '13, founder of Arya Tea Bar, member of the Virginia Tech Bond and Securities Investing by Students (BASIS) Advisory Board, and former member of the Finance Advisory Board; David Mericle, chief U.S. economist at Goldman Sachs; Dan Rodriguez, professor of practice in the college’s Department of Finance, Insurance, and Business Law and former hedge fund chief risk officer; and Scott Wolle '91, chief investment officer at Invesco Solutions and current member of the Finance Advisory Board. The panel was moderated by Brian Sullivan '93, an anchor at CNBC and current member of the Finance Advisory Board.
Each of the panelists brought unique perspectives to a discussion on the U.S. economy and offered optimistic outlooks for its future.
DeWaal said as an entrepreneur, “the U.S. still has the most efficient system for allocating human energy — and that’s why I’m pushing forward.” She emphasized uncertainty in current economic conditions but remains confident in U.S. capitalism and consumer trends driving innovation.
Mericle pointed to wide uncertainty in economic forecasts, citing tariffs as one example. “If you can just evade the tariffs by rerouting goods through other countries, the impact may be less, but it’s still a big question,” he said. He also predicted lower U.S. economic growth as a result of tariffs.
With the economic outlook pointing to skepticism, Wolle discussed how investors are adapting portfolios in response to market volatility and policy uncertainty. “If you have more of a supply shock, where you don’t have as many goods coming in, prices are going to go up at the same time economic activity is going down — that’s a much tougher equation for the Fed,” Wolle said. “You need to expand the span of how you defend your portfolio. You can’t rely on 10-year treasuries alone anymore.”
While tariffs and other factors discussed during the panel are creating uncertainty among the economy and forcing adaptability in the workforce, they are providing a unique learning opportunity for student discussions in Virginia Tech classrooms. Rodriguez said market activity drove student engagement in his finance classes.
“This is a great experience for the students. … All this exciting activity happening out of Washington and in the markets,” he said. “The first 10 minutes of class are just, ‘What’s happening in the market and why?’"
Perspectives varied among all four panelists, yet they all agreed on one thing: Navigating uncertainty requires adaptability, informed thinking, and a willingness to engage with change.
Held in Invesco’s Manhattan office, the event drew Hokies working across banking, tech, and finance. Hokies on Wall Street serves as the college’s signature annual networking event for students and alumni in New York City. As a capstone to their corporate site visits, students from the Department of Finance’s experiential learning programs, SEED and BASIS, along with members of Females in Finance, Collegiate Women in Business, the Investment Banking Group, and students from the Department of Accounting and Information Systems, actively engaged with panelists and alumni throughout the evening.
View the event gallery and panel recap.