Matthias Argenyi �18: Financing Social Change
Photography by Hannah Cohen
Matthias Argenyi ’18 always felt a calling to work toward social change. His parents found a safe haven in the United States after leaving Soviet-occupied Hungary, which deeply influenced his career ambition: finding creative financial solutions for homelessness. At Whitman, Argenyi found resources to explore his interest in economics, including leading the Whitman Investment Club and landing his dream internship at Goldman Sachs. After Whitman, he became an Associate Director for a nonprofit that develops creative financing for socially impactful projects around the country. Now, he aims to make an even bigger impact by pursuing his MBA at Harvard Business School.
�I knew that a place like Whitman would be where I could explore topics in a nuanced and engaging manner … I came into Whitman eager to explore several areas that I thought might align with my long-term interests. The first-year curriculum was pivotal in helping me recognize how economics underpins so many aspects of our world.
�
Matthias� Pathway
2014 | Admitted to Whitman
as a recipient of the Alexander Jay Anderson Scholarship
2014 | Joined the Whitman Investment Company:
The club gives students real financial experience by allowing them to manage more than $1 million of the college’s endowment.
2016 | Met Whitman Trustee Marshal McReal �84,
Co-Founder and Principal of Garde Capital Inc., a Seattle-based investment management firm. McReal became a valuable mentor and resource.
2016 | Joined the Testostertones,
Whitman’s premier all-male a cappella group
2016 | Interned at Garde Capital Inc.
Thanks to professional guidance from McReal. Funded by a Whitman Internship Grant.
2016�2017 | Joined the Whitman Investment Club:
Argenyi served on the company’s Board of Trustees before becoming Chief Financial Officer in 2016 and CEO in 2017.
2017 | Interned at Goldman Sachs in Seattle
alongside Whitman alum Ben Reiber ’06
2017 | Studied Abroad in Granada, Spain
May 2018 | Graduated from Whitman
summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Mathematics
2018�2021 | Managed investment portfolios for Garde Capital Inc.
2021�2023 | Volunteered as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate:
Advocated on behalf of children in the foster system to ensure they found safe and permanent homes
2021�2023 | Joined Social Finance, working his way up to Associate Director.
Social Finance is a nonprofit that develops creative financing for social impact projects around the United States. While there, Argenyi helped expand the operations of Home for Good, Alaska’s largest permanent supportive housing program for people experiencing homelessness.
2022 | Became certified as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
2024 | Enrolled at Harvard Business School to pursue an MBA
�My Whitman degree provides such a strong foundation of knowledge and context that has helped me really thrive in a finance role. It’s helped outpace the merely technical skills that I might have gotten from a finance-only degree. That ultimately set me up to be a leader.
�
Upward Pathways. Our alumni’s diverse student experiences and career paths showcase the transformative power of a Whitman education. Find other Upward Pathways.
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Published on Sep 19, 2024