Today was the start of my last week with the CalPERS Investment Office. Woohoo! Don't get me wrong, I have loved my time here but there's something about that little place called Ithaca that has me - dare I say it? - homesick! When I first arrived in Sacramento almost 11 weeks ago, I thought the summer would never end but fortunately I was given some awesome projects to work on and in my free time explored Northern California a little. As a SoCal girl, I have to admit I am biased but now have a new appreciation for my homestate.
I think I'm jumping ahead of myself here. Perhaps I should give you a little intro as to whose blog it is you're reading. I'm a blogger neophyte so forgive me if I don't know the rules. My name is Adrienne Rose Martinez and I am a 28 year old Chicana from Baldwin Park, CA. I followed my brother to Cornell the first time around after high school and decided to return for my MBA. The five years between the roundtrip, I was working in the Los Angeles area in education and the nonprofit sector but felt the itch to go back to school when I wanted to pursue other passions. I'm an official "career switcher" entering the investment management industry.
You know already that I have spent my summer with the largest U.S. public pension fund but you don't know what I've been doing. I was hired by the Asset Allocation and Risk Management group, along with the Supplemental Income Plans unit to conduct some competitve research on a fund strategy called target date retirement funds (a.k.a. age-based or lifecycle funds). CalPERS will be launching its own branded lineup of these funds next year. Using those great networking skills practice often in business school, I also managed to swing a project with the Alternative Investment Management (AIM) unit where I was evaluating private placement memorandums. With the help of my awesome mentor, I got to meet with the senior portfolio managers and other senior investment staff for each of the asset classes at CalPERS. I even got to meet with el jefe himself - Russell Read, Chief Investment Officer, the man who controls close to $250 billion (depending on the markets).
Looking back on my summer and first year MBA experience, I can hardly believe how much I have grown. I know, it's kinda cliche, but completely true! It is amazing how much I have pushed myself mentally, physically, and emotionally to get to this point. Somehow, despite the unknowns that lie ahead - whose going to hire me? what part of the world will I be living in? - I have never felt so in control of my life and future.
Well, I think I've done enough blogging for for today. Don't miss me too much if you don't hear from me next week...I'll be on a beach in Cancun or climbing the pyramids of Chichen Itza. I know, I know. You're thinking, "Who does this chick think she is? She just landed this gig and taking a vacation already?!" I've got to rest up for round II! Check back here the first week of school - August 27th.
Cheers!
