Lonnie Baylor Jr., Driehaus College of Business
Degree: Bachelor of Science in Business in Finance
Hometown: Chicago, IL
What inspired you to pursue finance?
My curiosity and interest in business inspired me to pursue finance. I figured if I was going to school, funded by the military, I would study something that was interesting to me. I looked at the things I was interested in or caught my attention, and they all led back to business and finance. Even some of my favorite movies, The Wolf of Wall Street and Margin Call, tie back to these subjects. When I was looking at programs, finance made the most sense. I was reading and checking the markets before I came to school here. Now, I understand more of what I’m reading.
How do you connect with the DePaul community outside of the classroom?
The two places that standout the most are the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center and the Office of Veteran Affairs. I spend a lot of time in the CEC, studying or hanging out. Until recently, I worked as a student assistant at the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center where I got the opportunity to be around founders, entrepreneurship related events and even attend an entrepreneurship conference in Calgary, Canada.
The Veteran's office is also amazing, and they have good staff. I connected with a lot of those guys right away, and we even hung out outside of school. That was an important part of my journey here. When you’re a military veteran coming to school, you’re a bit older than the other students, and the transition can be tough. Having other people who understand what you’re going through plays a bigger role than I even realized it would. I’m grateful for them.
What is your favorite memory at DePaul?
I attended a DePaul men’s basketball game, and they honored me as a military veteran. My family attended the game as well and around halftime they put pictures of me up on the prompter and gave me a shoutout. They also gave me a basketball that all the players signed. I love basketball, and it showed just how much community I have here. I really felt appreciated and acknowledged, so that is definitely my favorite memory here so far. DePaul won the game, too! That was the cherry on top.
What advice would you give to incoming students?
Find a community, get a routine down and know what you want as soon as possible, which helps to have conversations and look for jobs. When I arrived as a transfer student, I probably went to more events than anybody in DePaul history. I was just trying to do as many different things as possible because I didn’t know what I liked. Trying things can help you find your community and interests as soon as possible.
Finding a routine and having discipline are also important for the 10-week system, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself. I guarantee that however bad you think you’re doing, you’re doing better than you think. Take it one day at a time, live in the moment, and embrace it.
What are you doing next?
Entrepreneurship really stood out to me during my time here. I’m a very independent person, so the fact that a person can work for themselves and build themselves up drew me toward entrepreneurship. I’ll be pursuing my MBA with a focus on venture capital this fall here at DePaul. I love talking to people who are passionate about their own businesses. I love seeing people face adversity and still persevere. That’s why I want to work in venture capital and invest in new companies once I graduate. For now, I want to build experience and relationships, but hopefully one day I can start and run my own venture capital firm.