Benny Althaus might be known as an ace on the tennis court for DU, but he’s banking on a new career as a financial analyst in New York.
In August, Althaus will begin his professional career at Macquarie Capital Inc., a full-service investment bank. He graduates on June 6.
“I am really excited, but also nervous because of the current economic situation,” says Althaus. “I just like to be challenged, and that is one of the reasons I decided to go to New York.”
Althaus, a finance major from Saarbrucken, Germany, with 3.94 GPA, recently received a post-graduate scholarship award from the Sun Belt Conference. As a recipient of this award, Althaus will receive a check for $2,000 he can use if he decides to pursue another degree.
Althaus joined the DU tennis team in 2006. “What I really liked about it is that you are busy all the time and never get bored,” says Althaus. “I had so many different experiences on and off the tennis court.”
Although he is not pursuing a career in tennis, the sport has helped him prepare for the future.
“I think the tennis really helped me be disciplined as well as organized and structured in a way that I am ready to take on the challenges in the real world,” Althaus says.
“It’s not the sport so much but the people around me that helped shape the person that I am right now, with a lot of emphasis on my coaches and teammates,” he says.
For more information or to watch streaming video of DU’s commencement ceremony, please visit DU’s commencement Web site.