This alumni feature highlights BSB ’00 graduate, Lisa Micka. Lisa is a Chicago native, who attended the University of Illinois in Chicago (UIC) for her first two years of college. After exploring UIC, she decided it was not the right fit for her and went to work full-time in finance at a local brokerage firm while taking night classes at DePaul. Graduating in 2000 with a major in finance, Lisa was the first person in her family to attain a college degree. During her time at DePaul, Lisa valued the well-rounded course offerings and felt her experience was enhanced by all of the professors who were able to share real-world experiences in the classroom.
Lisa spent the first twenty-three years of her career at Wintrust Wealth Management, where she accepted a full-time role while working towards her BS in Finance. Lisa attributes her success of working full-time while simultaneously earning her degree due in part to the array of evening class offerings at DePaul’s Loop Campus. In hindsight, she is thankful for the mentors who supported her professional growth and advancement early on. After making the decision two years ago to take her career to the next level, Lisa joined Altair Advisers, a firm she describes as a unicorn within the wealth management industry. Lisa’s mid-career transition was driven by her desire to provide more robust wealth planning as part of a collaborative and nimble team. In this new role, Lisa’s years of experience give her the perspective to help clients achieve purpose and clarity for their accumulated wealth. In her words, “serving in the private wealth area of financial services requires a commitment to continuous learning, resilience and optimism”. Lisa is often reminded that these key tenants have been instrumental to her success in an ever-changing environment. Lisa shared, “another way to succeed in wealth management is to prepare yourself to grow and change through intellectual curiosity”. Lisa not only helps others through her work, but also through giving back to her community. Carrying on the Vincentian mission, Lisa volunteers as a board member for Rainbows for All Children and the Chicago Estate Planning Council. She is also active in the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils.
If Lisa had the opportunity to give her 20-year-old self and current finance students advice, she would say, “ actively seek out opportunities to learn from great mentors and optimize course selection to achieve a well-rounded education” . She also encourages students to study abroad or take internships out of the country to expand their knowledge and experiences beyond life in the United States. Lastly, she advises students to try and get an understanding early on, not only about the finance industry, but ancillary disciplines like accounting and law to expand knowledge and build a foundation for success.
Thank you, Lisa, for sharing your story with us!
By Mackenzie Larsen