WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC) and American Investment Council (AIC) announced the second class of its new Paradigm Changers internship program for graduate and undergraduate students focused on introducing diverse women from non-traditional fields of study to alternative investment industries.

The internship program was created by NAIC and AIC to help create a pipeline of women of color for the industry. The competitive internship program, which includes placements at leading NAIC and American Investment Council (AIC) member firms, includes a class of 22 talented pre-MBA, graduate, and undergraduate students from a diverse cross-section of backgrounds, experiences, and majors.

“I am thrilled to welcome this exceptional group of young women who are at the start of their careers into our program and introduce them to the exciting world of private equity, hedge funds, and real-estate investing,”said NAIC Chief Operating Officer, Carmen Ortiz-McGhee. “We know that a diverse mix of experience, backgrounds and ideas generates stronger returns for firms, that’s why it is crucial that we, as an industry, shift the paradigm of how we recruit to be much more inclusive. The NAIC in partnership with the AIC is proud to lead the way and blaze a trail for the next generation of female leaders in alternative investments with this program,”said Ortiz-McGhee.

“The private equity industry is committed to improving diversity and making sure that more women have an opportunity to have a future in private equity. This class is impressive, and we’re excited to see their impact and their leadership,”said Drew Maloney, AIC President and CEO.

The Paradigm Changers program is made possible through key partnerships with the American Investment Council, The Robert Toigo Foundation, IMB Partners, Palladium Equity Partners and TPG, in addition to Pillars of Wall Street, which will provide educational and career development training to the Paradigm Changers cohort.

The 2022 Paradigm Changers interns include:

• April Schwartz – Wesleyan University, pursuing a B.A. in Government, Theater
• Annaliese Bronz – Baruch College CUNY, pursuing her B.S. in Business and Entrepreneurship
• Beverly Feng – University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School, pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Economics
• Bianca Navas – Carnegie Mellon University, pursuing her B.S. in Business Administration
• Christina Nguyen – University of Pennsylvania, pursuing her B.A. in Mathematical Economics with a Statistics minor
• Deborah Owolabi – Columbia University, pursuing her Master of Science in Civil Engineering
• Dingmi Gong – University of California at Berkeley, pursuing her Master in Business Administration
• Evelyn Cortez – University of Arizona, pursuing her B.S. in Business Administration
• Hayley Lee Burke – Wellesley College, pursuing a B.A. in Economics
• Juliet Ekoko – Howard University, pursuing her B.S. in Mathematics
• Margaret Guinto – Pace University, pursuing her Master of Science in Forensic Science
• Melissa Kong – University of California at Berkeley, pursuing her Master in Business Administration
• Mingjie Xiao – Washington University in St. Louis, pursuing her Master in Finance (Wealth & Asset management)
• Nikita Patil – Recent graduate of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, received her certificate in management development: Building a Managerial Mindset
• Nishi Montani – Fordham University, Pursuing her Master of Science in Global Finance
• Olivia Johnson – University of Chicago, pursuing her B.S. in Computation and Applied Mathematics
• Ximena Zhang – Bates College, pursuing her B.A. in Economics with a double minor in Digital & Computational Studies and Philosophy

Participating firms that will host a Paradigm Changers intern this summer include:

• ACON Investments
• Advent International
• American Investment Council
• Apollo Global Management
• Avance Investment Management
• Avante Capital Partners
• Avenue Growth Partners
• Brasa Capital Management
• Commonfund
• Corsair Capital
• GCM Grosvenor
• GeNnX360
• IMB Partners
• Lumos Capital
• Palladium
• Sixth Street
• The Riverside Company
• TPG