In Turn, Intern

by Jordan Chapman

In about three years, Ivaylo Ninov ’08 went from graduating with a B.S. in Finance from Adelphi to becoming the chief financial officer of a company in New York City.

Some believe that kind of advancement lives on the same plain of possibility as winning the lottery—but it doesn’t. Mr. Ninov started down his path by being hired as an intern in 2007 and is now featured as one of Adelphi’s inaugural 10 Under 10.

Students won’t find success by sitting in their dorm rooms. As a senior, Mr. Ninov made his way to Adelphi’s inaugural Careers in Finance Count On Alumni for Career Help (COACH) event, a resource that allows students the ability to network with alumni who can be simply a resource or transform into regular mentors. As members of the program, individuals can share information about their career path, meet others in the field and gain insight into various professions.

As Mr. Ninov explained, there were three companies present that he was interested in: Alliance Bernstein, Merrill Lynch and Parkmont Capital.

As it happens, alumnus Peter Amari ’73, then-president of Parkmont Capital, was the most receptive to Mr. Ninov’s story and goals in finance. The rest is history; he soon found himself working closely with Mr. Amari and Safeguard Realty Management.

“Résumés were encouraged and they called me back,” he said. “Internships are essential. They allow you to see if what you want to do is something that you like.”

Mr. Ninov openly admits that without this internship he is unsure where his road would have led him. “It’s my favorite story,” he said, explaining that though he never thought he’d work in high-end real estate, it fits his strengths; another discovery internships can produce.

In his current job, Mr. Ninov said that two such strengths are keeping an open mind and knowing that there is value in figuring out how to solve problems.

“This is a very diverse job. Every minute, you’re doing something different,” he said.