From Students to Mentors

The Bauer College Cougar Investment Fund (CIF) is an experiential learning opportunity for MBA and MS finance students to apply what they’ve learned to hands-on work.

The program only accepts up to 18 students a year. Of approximately 6,000 university-based student run-investment funds in the United States, CIF is of a limited few that invests money from individual investors rather than university endowment funds.

Students not only put theory into practice, but they also have the added element of the pressure that comes with managing other people’s money.

At the start of the fall semester, students are split into smaller teams of four, with each group mentored by two Senior Portfolio Managers (SPMs), who are all returning CIF alumni.

This year, two friends from the same CIF team, Bauer alumni Awan Ali (MBA ‘25) and Abels Koshy (MBA ‘25), returned not as students but as mentors.

Awan Ali (left) and Abels Koshy (right)

Awan Ali (left) and Abels Koshy (right)

“I was really happy when (Professor (Tom) George, (who teaches the securities analysis course that manages CIF) asked me to come back,” Ali said. “I know it's a time commitment, but I know the impact my SPM had on me, so I hope I can do that for another student.”

As SPMs, Ali and Koshy said that they work together to help manage students’ expectations, keep them on top of their deadlines and tell them what the investors are looking for. Ali remembered that when he started CIF, he said the first semester was like trying to drink water out of a fire hose.

Students are confronted with a lot of assignments from the beginning and most of it all new to them. One of the benefits of having a mentor in the beginning is having someone students can bounce questions off from, Ali said.

“I do feel in a way I’m giving back with what I learned last year,” Koshy said. “I’m helping ease the tensions of someone who was in my shoes a year ago.”

Both alumni are not so far removed from their time as CIF students. They both continue to recall the lessons learned through the Fund at their full-time positions, Ali at WeldFit and Koshy at FINRA. They both shared a deep appreciation for George, who supported them academically and made himself readily available for all his students’ needs.

Not only do they remember the lessons learned in class, but they also remember what their SPMs did that made a lasting impact on their education that they hope to emulate to the new class of students.

One of the strengths Koshy said he wants to bring to their team is good communication.

“Something that really benefited me as a student was the connectivity,” Koshy said. “Whenever they have questions, they can ask us on WhatsApp and have them answered... I just want them to know we’re here if they need us.”

Something that Ali said he hopes to bring to the student experience is a big picture sense of perspective on everything that they can accomplish in CIF.

“The amount of time and effort that you put in is what you’ll get out of it,” Ali said. “As the year goes on, it does get a lot easier, provided you have a good base.”

The support that they will provide as SPMs to their group of students is one of guidance. Ali said that in their role they help lay down a foundational knowledge, but that these students are already miles ahead from where they started.

Ali and Koshy both described their experience in CIF as one that was challenging but rewarding. Neither of them had prior experience in finance before starting their master's education at Bauer, but as the semester progressed, so did their skills. Things that were once difficult became easier over time.

Ali said that CIF helped in giving him insight into how money markets work and how to manage funds, and cites George as being a helpful guide to him on his journey.

Before starting at Bauer, Ali worked as an RN for several years before making the decision to return to school.

He said that the switch was challenging, but he always felt more of a pull towards business. Even when he worked in medicine, he always ended up taking on more managerial roles, he said.

Koshy completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Houston and earned a bachelor's degree from the Cullen College of Engineering. Post-graduation he worked for an oil and gas consulting firm in Houston for three years before he decided to return to his alma mater to get his masters.

Because they started their business degree journey in the same place academically, Koshy said that it was easy to work together with Ali as an SPM and as students.

“Awan and I get along really well, just for the fact that we started this together,” Koshy said. “We both did our master’s in business together. I think the fact that we reciprocate off each other in that way makes the process easier.”

“We each have different strengths...so we can kind of ping pong off each other,” Ali said. “We’re truly working together to establish expectations for the people within our group.”