Sacred Heart Graduate Follows Dream from Haiti to Wall Street

Sephorah Alouidor lands prestigious banking analyst position after summer internship

Growing up in Haiti, Sephorah Alouidor quickly realized her country’s political and economic instability would never allow her to grow and succeed. To accomplish her goals, she needed greater opportunities and a better education. She found it at Sacred Heart University.

Alouidor graduated from SHU in May with a bachelor’s degree in both business and finance. One month later, she began her coveted Wall Street job as a corporate banking analyst for Citigroup investment bank.

Alouidor’s aunt, Marie-Reine Byron ’21, had pursued her graduate studies at Sacred Heart and spoke highly of the University. “She’s the one who told me I had to check out Sacred Heart,” Alouidor said. “I came to an open house in 2017, and the campus was so beautiful, and the people were so nice, I fell in love with it the first day. I knew this was where I wanted to be.”

Initially, Alouidor feared her financial situation would keep her from her dream. “But my financial school adviser at SHU, Stuart Holmes, told me not to worry about that part. He said he would do everything he could so I could afford to stay at Sacred Heart,” she said.

Leaving Haiti was scary, because despite her country’s troubles, it was home, where family and friends surrounded her. “I knew I was going to be by myself—without my parents, without my friends, immersed in another culture and speaking a foreign language. It was going to be hard, so I needed to be in a place where I felt that sense of home.”

Sacred Heart gave her that sense of home, with its welcoming professors, staff and students. “I’m also Christian, and I wanted an environment that would allow me to grow spiritually. Sacred Heart caught my attention with that,” she said. “I felt seen at Sacred Heart. I felt as though people understood my story.”

To feel even more connected to her new community, Alouidor auditioned for the SHU Dance Ensemble. “I’m passionate about dance,” she said, though she didn’t stop there. Joining various clubs was the key to getting to know her fellow Pioneers, so in addition to the Dance Ensemble, she joined the Black Student Union and the Multicultural Council Club. “This is what helped me connect to people,” said Alouidor.

Isolation during the pandemic was difficult for Alouidor, but she got through it with the help of her friends and others, including Jennifer Trudeau-Tham, economics & finance department chair. “She knew I was alone in the U.S., and she kept reaching out to me to make sure I was okay. These professors aren’t just here to teach you; they genuinely care about their students.”

After taking her first finance class, Alouidor discovered a new passion, which led to her double major in business economics and finance. “Every time I took a new business class, my professors challenged me, and I knew this was the direction I wanted to take.”

A workshop titled “How to Land a Job on Wall Street” solidified her goal to do exactly that, and she used the lessons from the workshop as a roadmap to her dream job. She worked closely with Sheila Lillis, associate director of career placement, and finance professor Bridget Lyons, her adviser at SHU, to develop interview skills and create her résumé.

When Alouidor had her first Wall Street job interview, Lillis called to offer encouragement. “She said, ‘Sephorah, you’re a star.’ She told me I was smart and she knew I could do it. That was the best experience ever—just knowing she was supporting me. I went into the interview feeling confident in myself. Right after the interview, professor Lyons texted me to ask how it went. That meant everything to me.”

Alouidor received offers from investment banks J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley, as well as Citigroup. She began working as a corporate banking summer analyst for Citigroup in June. “It was all Sacred Heart,” she said, adding that Lillis and Lyons saw her potential and made her see it, too.

Lyons has nothing but admiration for Alouidor. “I met Sephorah early on and was immediately impressed with her potential and her background,” said Lyons. “She participated in a professional development program aimed at students interested in investment banking and was on her way. I have had the pleasure of serving as her adviser, mentor and professor. She is a dream student—incredibly talented and motivated. Her work was always top of the class.”

Khawaja Mamun, associate dean of the School of Computer Science & Engineering and associate professor of economics, echoed the sentiment. “Every year, I receive that one exceptional student who is born to stand out,” Mamun said. “Sephorah was that student this year. She is brilliant and also has a charming personality. More than that, she has the determination to be someone exceptional in life. I am sure she will go far in her career and keep making us proud for years to come.”

“Sephorah is an extraordinary young woman,” Trudeau said. “Her achievements in the classroom—dual degrees in economics and finance, recognitions as the gold medal winner in finance and the 2021 Dean’s Prize winner at the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology’sAcademic Festival, and the accomplishment of securing a position at Citigroup—are impressive in their own right.

“However,” she said, “only when you realize that Sephorah accomplished these feats while living in a foreign country, separated from her support network during an extremely stressful time of uncertainty because of the pandemic, can you fully understand her triumph. She is a strong, resilient young woman who will certainly make her mark in the industry. I, for one, am excited to see where this fearless talent will go.”

Alouidor encourages all Pioneers to take every opportunity that comes their way and don’t shy away from asking for help. “I was scared coming in, but I’ve turned into the woman I dreamed I could be. Everyone at Sacred Heart wants you to succeed. They showed me there are no challenges I can’t overcome.”