“Reaching Your Dreams” series tells stories of Northwestern alums of 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. Students navigate applying and interviewing and develop skills to succeed 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
Victor Rodriguez is a first-generation American and an incoming analyst at Blackstone, New York. An economics major, he has participated in the Chicago Field Studies (CFS) program three times in pursuit of identifying a career best fitted to his intellectual aspirations.
Victor grew up in Miami in the family of Venezuelan immigrants. His father arrived in the United States after narrowly escaping a kidnapping attempt in Venezuela, prompted by his fame as a successful stockbroker. He had to jump out of a moving car and left the country soon thereafter. Starting in the United States was tough with no English and no support system, but he found his way by building a Spanish-language financial education company that focused on teaching Hispanic Americans to trade stocks. Victor still reflects on his early memory of visiting the trading floor with his father, seeing candlestick charts on all the screens, and loving the energy of the place.
Neither of Victor’s parents graduated college, but they prioritized education for their children and sacrificed some of the family comforts to pay partial tuition for a private school after Victor qualified for a merit scholarship. In middle school, he noticed that most of his classmates’ parents worked as doctors or lawyers, and decided that he’d be a lawyer, too. “Doctor or lawyer – that’s what everybody wanted to be in South Florida. We didn’t know much about all the other jobs that I ended up learning about in college,” Victory reminisces. “I think a lot of people come into school thinking that they are going to do some of these formal roles. Then, they start realizing that there are so many other opportunities out there.”
Victor Rodriguez and his family
Not having gone through college in the US, Victor’s parents could not provide him with much guidance in the application process, but he found unexpected support elsewhere. Because of his high PSAT score, he qualified for the National Merit scholarship and a free Collegeboard tutor. From the tutor, Victor learned about the QuestBridge program that helps students from lower-income families navigate college applications, applied, and anxiously waited for results. On the day when the decision was scheduled to arrive, he was so nervous that he couldn’t stay in school. When he finally saw the email in his mailbox, he held his breath while opening it and reading that he was accepted at Northwestern. “It was the best day ever,” Victor smiles.
“I remember the early decision dinner hosted by alums, where one of the admissions people spoke to me about my life being forever different because of the QuestBridge program. My mom was in tears. She was so happy; she felt validated after years of sacrifices to put my education first.”
At Northwestern, Victor was impressed and a little overwhelmed by the number and range of opportunities. The pandemic arrived during his freshman year and introduced some unexpected challenges. Victor’s in-person interview for a summer internship with McKinsey was scheduled for March 13, 2020 – the day when Europe shut down because of Covid. Victor ended up interviewing over Zoom – which was the first time he used the software or even heard its name.
His sophomore-year internship with CFS allowed Victor to gain insight into his own strengths and helped him secure a competitive internship the following year. “Without a doubt in my mind, CFS enables Northwestern students to become attractive candidates for top firms. Our students are having a lot of success in consulting and finance recruitment thanks to opportunities and mentorship they receive through CFS.”
As a junior, Victor served as the VP of Diversity for the Investment Banking Club and worked extensively with three mentees. As a senior, he took on two endeavors focused on his roots: co-running a financial literacy start-up for the Hispanic population and serving as the President of the Northwestern Chapter of the Hispanic Finance Association. The start-up is a new take on the project that Victor’s father attempted when first arriving in the US. Working together with his father and his uncle, Victor is taking the start-up to a new level by drawing on what he learned at Northwestern and in his internships. “I want to give back to my community,” Victor explains. Under his presidency, the Northwestern Chapter of the Hispanic Finance Association became the largest in the country.
In Winter 23, Victor is participating in the Chicago Field Studies program for the third time. “For me, CFS is an opportunity to understand different professional communities and envision who I want to be. In college, you only have the experience of being a student; but you’ll only continue being a student for a few more years, and then, you’ll be a worker for the rest of your life. It’s important to have an opportunity to see what you are like as a worker before you commit to a career.” After Victor interned in consulting, he realized that he sought a more challenging intellectual environment and made adjustments to his plan. “I see my friends at other schools committing to a career without trying it out first and only realizing later that it’s not the right fit for them. That’s why CFS is so valuable: it allows you to experience things early on and pivot if necessary.”
“I want to be a part of a community that empowers me. I’ve realized that it’s important for me to be surrounded by people who think in ways I could never imagine; a community where I’m growing and becoming a better version of myself just by being there.” Victor found that community at Blackstone, where he is starting as an analyst this summer.
Victor Rodriguez with a group of colleagues at his internship with Blackstone as a Summer Analyst in the Real Estate Acquisitions Group.