Tuck Bridge Stories: Pierce King

Pierce King is a 2013 graduate of Bowdoin College where he majored in Government and Legal Studies and minored in English. He attended Tuck Bridge in 2013. He currently works as a Senior Investment Associate at Cambridge Associates. This is his Bridge story:

What are your primary responsibilities in your current position?
My primary responsibilities include constructing and managing diversified portfolios for our institutional clients through asset allocation and manager selection. As part of this process, I serve as a thought partner for my Investment Directors when constructing our quarterly client discussion materials and assessing managers in our respective client portfolios. In addition to these core responsibilities, over the past year I have become increasingly involved with our firm’s impact investing efforts, particularly as they relate to researching investment opportunities in the private investment space.

Why did you choose to attend Bridge?
Towards the end of my undergrad experience at Bowdoin, I became interested in pursuing a career in business and began looking for a program that would offer a financial curriculum to complement my liberal arts background. My decision to apply and ultimately attend Bridge was driven by the opportunity to learn these fundamental skills from the Tuck faculty in a unique, career focused setting.

How did Bridge help you in your job search?
First and foremost, Bridge helped me understand the business landscape and the career options I had within it. I knew I was interested in business, but I was not quite sure where to concentrate my effort. Bridge not only provided this guidance, but also a framework for critical aspects of the job search, such as networking and interviewing. When the time came for me to interview at Cambridge Associates, Bridge helped connect me with alumni who were working at the firm, which gave me the confidence and edge I needed to succeed.

What most surprised you about Bridge?
What most surprised me about my Bridge experience was how much I learned in the relatively short time I was on campus. From the classes to the lunch panels and study groups, Bridge’s immersive and multifaceted approach is designed for you to learn from its wealth of resources at all hours of the day.

Do you have a favorite memory from Bridge?
It might sound odd, but my favorite memory from Bridge was the night before the stock valuation pitch. My study group had just spent the final week of the program working tirelessly on our project, but we were still struggling with one critical element of the presentation. Rather than becoming frustrated in a stressful situation, my team came together and worked through the difficulty late into the night. We solved our problem and ended up delivering a great final presentation. I think this anecdote epitomizes the quality and character of the students that Bridge attracts: determined, collaborative, and engaged.

Describe your Bridge experience in one word or phrase.
Transformative.