[This article by Amber Perry, with photo of Hannah Hunt and Matthew Brown by Darnell Wilburn, first appeared on the Kennesaw State University website, republished with permission

Equipped with robust internship experiences, the leaders of the Kennesaw State University Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) are full steam ahead into their careers after they graduate this week with Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance degrees.

SMIF CEO Matthew Brown and his second-in-command, COO Hannah Hunt, have landed jobs with competitive companies. Brown is headed to Colony Bank in Savannah, Georgia, for a two-year rotational analyst program that will allow him to see all sides of the banking operation. Hunt, meanwhile, will join JPMorgan Chase & Co. in its Atlanta office as an analyst.

Govind Hariharan, professor of economics, finance and quantitative analysis in the Coles College of Business and SMIF board chair, said both have excelled in the student organization, which provides real-time, hands-on experience in portfolio management and investing. SMIF, a limited liability company, consists of about 75 students across all levels, beginning with junior and senior analysts, who draft and present equity reports on which company stocks to buy.

Since SMIF’s start in 2010, student members have been able to grow the initial $100,000 investment from Henssler Financial to just under $500,000.

“Matt is one of the calmest leaders I’ve encountered,” Hariharan said. “He excelled as a managing director, and is very efficient in getting things done. Overall, everybody just absolutely loves him.”

Before accepting the offer at Colony Bank, Brown had internships with Henssler Financial and Monarch Private Capital. He is also the former president of the KSU Interfraternity Council, the governing body of the 13 men’s social fraternities on campus, an experience that helped him land the CEO role at SMIF but also served as an entry point to engage with the diverse student population at KSU.

Brown saw his arrival at KSU as an opportunity to turn his life around, following a high school career he took less seriously, and to get involved where he could. While his original plan was to transfer after improving his GPA, Kennesaw State grew on him.

“I fell in love with Kennesaw State and met an incredible group of people,” Brown said. “Joining SMIF and joining the fraternity changed my life completely. It motivated me to do better.”

Hunt has juggled several roles in SMIF. In addition to COO, she serves as the human resources director, interviewing, hiring, and managing performance, and contributes as vice president of marketing. Since joining SMIF over two years ago, she has helped almost double the number of members and increase the organization’s social media presence.

“Hannah is fantastic,” Hariharan said. “She has been a significant contributor to the growth of the fund and the performance of its members, and she has a tremendous personality. She’s about the most cheerful person that you can come across.”

Hunt has also been an active member of the KSU Student Government Association as a senator for the senior class.

Before accepting the offer at JPMorgan Chase & Co., she worked as a summer fellow for the company her sophomore year, spending two months in Houston and New York City, and continued to intern at other companies, including Alpha Creek Accounting and another round at JPMorgan. A mentor she found through SMIF, who had interned at JPMorgan, guided her through the internship application process.

“I think it’s really important to find a mentor, especially at a university as large as KSU, when you’re a little bit of a baby and haven’t necessarily branched out into social opportunities yet,” Hunt said.

Hailing from the small town of Toccoa, Georgia, Hunt said KSU offered an affordable, diverse college experience, and her involvement in SMIF has connected her with invaluable resources, such as grant programs through the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. Since graduating high school a year early, she has footed most of the bill to attend KSU, with some help from family.

“It is such a blessing that I could get a quality education at an affordable price point,” Hunt said. “KSU has been the most rewarding experience I could have asked for. I didn’t know what to expect, but I got more than I could have ever dreamed of — I have a job coming out of school. I have no debt.”

Now, Hunt plans to purchase land to build a home.

“I’m very, very thankful for everything that KSU and SMIF has offered me,” she said.