Julia Seryakova

Background

About Julia Seryakova

I am an undergraduate student at ESSEC Business School in France, currently on exchange at the University of College London in the School of Management. I am quadrilingual and was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse regions of the world. This upbringing has greatly enriched my knowledge and appreciation of other cultures, and the spirit of multiculturalism guides me to explore the complexities of international business. I have developed this cultural competence during my university studies in Paris, a semester studying abroad in Singapore from January to April 2024, and now an exchange at UCL from September 2024 to May 2025. Through my summer internship as a Private Equity Analyst in Chicago and my role as an M&A Analyst at the ESSEC Club of Economics, I’ve advanced my financial literacy and business acumen across a plethora of industries—whether it be intrinsically with DCF models or relatively using trading comparables and multiples. But beyond the numbers, I recognize the human essence of finance – it’s about establishing robust relationships, interpreting client needs, and delivering valuable advisory services. In March 2024, I and several of my peers had the opportunity to represent ESSEC at the National Investment Banking Competition (NIBC Global) in Vancouver. Of the initial 510 teams who competed, we advanced to the semifinals and placed in the top 2% of all competitors (top 13 teams). We competed with renowned universities from around the world, and even some MBA teams. My journey is marked by a relentless pursuit of knowledge and growth. This drive propelled me to start taking college coursework at fifteen, graduate high school one year early, and move halfway across the world to study global business and finance.