By Ashlee Larrison
GCU News Bureau
Most students in their freshman year of college just want to figure out how they will navigate the next four years.
Few can say they maintained an honors-level GPA, interned, were employed as a student worker, served as an Honors College Advisory Board member for JPMorgan Chase and attended Ferrari networking events.
It's a juggling act not many can handle, but Honors College and Colangelo College of Business freshman Noah Viso finds a way.
The finance and economics major always has been interested in learning, no matter the subject. So it's no surprise that, in college, he has taken advantage of nearly every opportunity afforded to him through the Honors College and makes sure he’s creating his own opportunities.
“I love the school. I love what it stands for. So, naturally, a lot of the things it puts on -- events, networking opportunities -- I know what the faculty want students to do and how they want to grow, and I align myself with that,” Viso said. “I understand and appreciate the value of getting involved and what it will mean for my future self.”
Viso is employed as a student worker for the CCOB. He interns for Prophet Insight, which is owned by another Honors alum, at the Canyon Ventures Center.
And, as an aspiring hedge fund manager, he makes professional connections to ensure he doesn’t miss his moment.
“I always think to myself and remind myself that a lot of people have gotten to where they were and say, ‘Oh I was just at the right place at the right time.' But they won’t mention that they were in a lot of places,” he said. “I like to be in a lot of places so that when that right time comes, I’m right there.”
When Viso wanted to become a doctor, he requested interviews with physicians and visited local hospitals. When he wanted to experience other fields, he attended networking events for different companies.
“You have to come toward opportunities and what you like with the thought that ‘I can fail and that’s OK,’” he said. “I could walk into one of these high-rise corporations in Scottsdale and make a fool of myself and the worst they’re going to say is, ‘OK please leave.’ … But even then, I’ve gotten so much experience from that. So never be afraid of taking a leap; the more places you are, the better.
“You never know how far you’re going to go, but you’ll never go anywhere if you don’t try.”
When he developed his interest in hedge funds, he connected with the Hedge Fund Association, an international association of hedge fund managers and analysts, and says he talks to them daily.
How does he manage all the different events, school, work on top of hobbies and friends?
He says he just makes it work.
“How things fit in? I mean, I like to play piano -- I love playing piano. I do art. It’s not very good, but I like it. So those things just find their way in there,” he said. “I mean, I could even try to push it aside or push it off, but they’ll always get in there and they help my productivity and focus anyway. So I just always focus on the professional, the personal development and all those things, and then everything else easily falls into place afterward.”
Viso was recently acknowledged at the Honors College’s etiquette dinner for his involvement in the PAC Professional Development Program, receiving the first-place award. He says that what brought him to Grand Canyon University isn’t just that University’s colors happen to be his favorite. He knew what it would mean for his future.
“I really like the idea of all the opportunities on campus,” he said. “They (the Honors College) do an exceptional job at getting companies on campus. Even if I wasn’t out there doing things, I’d still have a pretty good connection to the outside world just because of how many corporate executives, even, they bring onto campus.
“I was very impressed by it, I’m still very impressed by it.”
Contact Ashlee Larrison at (602) 639-8488 or [email protected]
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