“Reaching Your Dream” series tells stories of Northwestern alums who found their dream careers thanks to Chicago Field Studies (CFS), an academic internship program that matches over 500 students every year with over 250 employer partners. CFS participants receive guidance on choosing internships based on their passions and values, navigating applying and interviewing, and succeeding in the professional world. While interning, students process their experiences in weekly CFS seminars, where they reflect on the place of work in their lives and the role of their industry in society.
By Nina Wieda
Cody Gronewold is graduating from Northwestern in June 2021 and starting his dream job: a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs Chicago office. He secured the position after interning at Goldman Sachs through Northwestern’s Chicago Field Studies program. This opportunity perfectly matches Cody’s drive and ambition. Yet, growing up on a farm in rural Nebraska, Cody didn’t even know that this career was an option.
Cody on his parents’ farm.
When Cody Gronewold was in elementary school, he received a shotgun as a birthday gift. So did his twin brother. Later that year, the twins joined their father on their first hunting trip. An early start to a hunting career was not unusual for rural Nebraska, about an hour away from Lincoln. All relatives and neighbors hunted and fished. By high school, Cody had hunted deer, coyote, and bobcats. With his dad, he even flew to California to hunt bear. Field dressing their catch taught Cody a lot about animal biology. When he took anatomy in high school, it made a lot of sense and spiked his interest in studying medicine.
As far back as he can remember, Cody helped his parents on their farm. 3,000 hogs and 1,000 acres of farmland required a lot of attention. Farm work occupied his entire summers and whatever time he had left after playing sports during the academic year. Few of his friends or neighbors thought of the world outside Nebraska. His high school college counselor highlighted local community colleges and the University of Nebraska, where most of his friends went. Quite a few joined the Marines. Cody wanted to go to the best school that he could reach.
No one else from Cody’s high school has gone to Northwestern. “In high school, I visited Northwestern for a football game and knew I wanted to come here,” says Cody. When explaining Northwestern to his friends and neighbors, he kept saying that Northwestern is not only a big ten school, but also one of academic excellence. A suburb of Chicago seemed like a very distant and unfamiliar place.
At Northwestern, Cody found that he couldn’t combine early-morning football practice with pre-med science sequences. “I found myself gravitating more and more towards economics,” says Cody. He learned that internship experience was crucial to succeed in the business field, but football practice made it difficult to intern in the summer. His teammates told him about Chicago Field Studies (CFS) – an academic internship program that would help him secure an internship during the academic year and learn about the industry through an accompanying seminar.
Cody Gronewold
Before applying for CFS, Cody may have heard the name “Goldman Sachs,” but had not known much about it. As Goldman Sachs is one of CFS partners, Cody included it in the list of companies with whom he’d like to interview. Goldman had the earliest deadline, and their interview invitation arrived first. When heading over to the interview, Cody habitually put on his cowboy boots. They looked dressy; Cody often wore them with his suit and didn’t think it was a big deal. At Goldman, in a glass skyscraper overlooking the Chicago river, his cowboy boots got quite a few curious looks. A few months later, Cody was taking the Metra every morning and navigating Chicago’s busy downtown as a new Goldman Sachs intern. A few months later, he became one of the very few non-summer interns to receive a return offer.
“To high school students, I say, “Try anything and everything that you can,” says Cody. “A lot of people call me for advice on how to get a job at Goldman. Some tell me that Goldman had been their dream since middle school. It wasn’t my story at all. I was open to options and just came across the opportunity on Chicago Field Studies employer partner list. After two weeks, I knew I wanted to work there after college. I loved the people; I can relate to their drive.” Cody is starting at Goldman Sachs in the summer. Until then, he is helping other students reach their professional dreams: Cody serves as a student consultant with Chicago Field Studies.
I’m sure the new Goldman Sachs analyst Cody Gronewold will still find some time to get out of town and do some fishing, as he does almost every Friday now. He showed me pictures; some Wisconsin lakes are great for Northern pike.