Evan Yannuzzi

Current Position: Financial Services Professional Intern at Broad Street Financial

Notre Dame Green Bond class of 2020 graduate Evan Yannuzzi came to GMercyU after being recruited for the Men’s Lacrosse program. While playing lacrosse at the collegiate level was appealing to Evan, he was sold on GMercyU because of its academics.

The selling point for me was the business program and what really stood out to me was that all of the professors have worked in their field. They have real-world experience and often taught from their perspective and not just what they read in a book.

As a recruit for Men’s Lacrosse, Evan had the opportunity to experience campus for an overnight visit.

“My first experience was an overnight. I stayed with one of the players from the team and felt like I was in the right place and that this school would be a great fit for me,” Evan said.

Experience at GMercyU

“My favorite part about GMercyU is the professors. They make coming to class fun, rather than just sitting in class getting a lecture. It’s more project-based with in-class participation more than anything else. Classes like this have made me more confident in my public speaking abilities,” Evan said.

When Evan first started his educational journey at GMercyU, he was a Management major. After taking an introduction course to Marketing, he knew he wanted to change majors.

“I really enjoyed learning about advertising and how marketing has changed so much in the last ten years and will continue to change each year,” Evan said. “I also enjoy how versatile my degree is. This summer, I learned that if you aren’t able to market your business or yourself, you won’t be successful.”

Evan loved his experience in GMercyU’s Marketing program. He’s described his experience as “positive” and shared he’s happy with his choice in switching majors.

My favorite class is 'Professional Selling.' With the industry I will be working in, if you can sell yourself and your services, it doesn’t matter how good you are at what you do. Marketing is the most important part for a business.

For Evan, Professor Melissa Dennis has stood out the most during his time in the program.

“She has a lot of experience in sales, from selling memberships at the gym to managing a team of sales for Disney. I also really enjoy the way she runs her classes. It’s more project-based and interactive than class I’ve had in the past,” Evan said.

Outside of the classroom, Evan was involved in the Investment Club and Golf Club. He was also a member of the Men’s Lacrosse program for two years.

Real-World Experience

During summer 2024, Evan was offered the opportunity to serve as a Financial Services Professional Intern at Broad Street Financial. He began his experience with industry training, in which he met with experiences advisors to go over different products that MassMutual offers. These meetings also covered client retention and ensuring that advisors provide relevant and accurate information to clients. He then joined one of the managing partners for meeting with clients to see first-hand how advisors service their clients by providing personalized plans for how to invest.

“My main responsibilities were taking notes for advisors on what Broad Street will do for the client and how we will do it. I also did a lot of behind the scenes work like filling out FactFinders, Investment FactFinders, and doing needs analyses to see what current clients may get value out of,” Evan said.

In August 2024, Evan was given the “Most Valuable Intern Award” for his hard work and dedication. Evan’s fellow interns voted for him because of his personal and professional growth and for his significant contributions throughout the summer.

To Evan, being named “Most Valuable Intern” means a lot for his professional integrity.

It means that I put in more work, stepped up, and put myself out there. With the way the industry works, it’s all on you as an individual. You work at your own speed and you don’t exactly answer to anyone. When I learned this, I would always offer my help to anyone and pick up extra work whenever possible. I also found myself stepping up more and taking charge when working with my fellow interns. I wanted to make a name for myself in this company from day one.

Evan was offered an internship extension for the duration of 2024.

After graduating from GMercyU in December 2024, Evan plans to work at MassMutual in financial planning in Charleston, South Carolina.