By Kenneth Mullinax/ASU
An Alabama State University student who interned this summer in the corporate headquarters of one of the world's foremost private investment firms, Neuberger Berman, has received some exciting news.
Kayleigh Dunn, who is a junior Finance major enrolled in ASU's Dr. Percy J. Vaughn College of Business Administration (COBA), did so well working at the company’s Midtown Manhattan offices that she was offered the rare opportunity of a second internship for the summer of 2025.
"I was so excited to obtain an internship at such an important company that works for and advises some the world's most high-level corporations and individuals; and now, I am doubly excited, since they asked me to come back again in 2025," said Dunn, who is a native of Newnan, Ga. "To say that I was beyond happy working there is a great understatement. Not only is being associated with this blue-chip mega-firm good for my career, but on a personal note, its officers and experts that I worked with treated me with great respect, professionalism and kindness, just like I had grown up with them."
Dunn earned the expanded internship due to the firm’s positive assessment of the quality of her work. Next summer, she will be involved in Wealth Management, her desired area of focus after graduation,
Dunn's advisor and mentor at Alabama State University is COBA Professor Kim Smith, who teaches Management.
Dunn stated that Professor Smith deserves credit for encouraging her to succeed at such a level that she was offered the summer job in New York.
Professor Smith has nothing but good remarks for her student.
"Kayleigh Dunn is one of the most exceptional students at COBA. I first became acquainted with her when she took my mandatory management class when she was a freshman here at ASU just a few years ago and upon doing so, immediately impressed me with her intellectualism, maturity, outgoing personality and well-spoken demeanor," Smith stated. "She obviously also did the same thing in New York this summer and turned the heads of the officers at Neuberger Berman and landed a second internship with it, which makes her the recipient of a rare honor granted by such an important corporation to a college student."
Smith shared that Dunn also excels in extracurricular activities at ASU. The exemplary student serves as the president of the "Women in Finance" organization and is a member of several other clubs, all while maintaining her place on the Dean's List.
"Having such a good work record at Neuberger Berman will not only helped Dunn to do well in her career after graduation, but it has already had a great impact on Alabama State," stated Smith. "Because of Kayleigh's tenure and success there this summer, the officers at Neuberger Berman are now coming to campus in October to seek out more Hornet Nation students for possible internships in its New York office, which gives Alabama State students a huge leg-up over those attending other universities."
According to its website, Neuberger Berman was founded in 1939 to do one thing, which is to deliver compelling investment results for the company’s clients over the long term. This remains Neuberger Berman’s singular purpose today, driven by a culture rooted in deep fundamental research, the pursuit of investment insight and continuous innovation on behalf of clients, and facilitated by the free exchange of ideas across the organization. From offices in 39 cities across 30 countries, Neuberger Berman manages a range of equity, fixed income, private equity and hedge fund strategies on behalf of institutions, advisors and individual investors worldwide. With 753 investment professionals and 2,846 employees in total, Neuberger Berman has built a diverse team of individuals united in their commitment to client outcomes and investment excellence.