12,670 applications, 120 offers, 34 tech attendees.
Strategy and Empathy
On the first day of our spring week, we were thrown right into the deep end in terms of jargon and what goes on at JPMC. One of the first talks we had was hosted by Grace Peters, the Global Head of Investment Strategy at JP Morgan. She spoke with such elegance and demonstrated clear expertise in her domain. While she detailed the scope of her work, what really stuck with me was how she appreciated a hypothesis-driven approach - formulating theories about market movements, rigorously testing them against data, and then iteratively refining strategies. It's a great framework to navigate complexity, and one that I champion myself: do what you can, with what you have, an idea the Stoics believed.
However, there is tension. While data-driven analysis is undeniably essential, it is no secret that the world of finance is linked to human psychology, hopes, and fears. How can you reconcile a purely rational model with the emotion of a client facing significant loss? To me, it seems the solution is to marry analytical rigour with empathy. Having the emotional intelligence to understand a client's position, and offer them comfort and perspective, before deploying a structured, rational framework determining the best path forward. Managing assets is the job, sure, but guiding people through uncertainty is a large part too. Building trust amidst fear. The strategist head and the humanist heart, I believe, is central to impactful work within the field.
Making a difference
During the spring week, we had plenty of opportunities (pretty much everyday) to network and speak to plenty of individuals, from Software Engineers to Managing Directors and Vice Presidents. However, I had one conversation with a brilliant woman named Mariangela Remi, who works in Associative Payments. From the outset of our conversation, it was clear that a core value driving her was the desire for meaningful change. She wanted to be able to make a tangible difference, and so joined the United Nations to do exactly that, talking to individuals like Trump. A noble mission working on the global stage, yet, for her, she ultimately felt constrained by the sheer scale and bureaucracy, and found it difficult to witness the direct, tangible results of her efforts. Outcome felt quite a way away from action.
She sought somewhere else, and found her way to JP Morgan Chase. Now, the way I interpret this is that it wasn't a career change. Rather it was a recalibration of what "impact" meant to her. Within a financial powerhouse that partners with over 80% of Fortune 500 companies and has incredible technological capabilities, she found the resources and platform to contribute to technology solutions that directly touch millions of lives.
Making a difference doesn't have to be an endeavour that is monolithic. For me, for example, the ability to build and deploy systems that demonstrably improve user experiences or solve problems allows me to witness the immediate impact. It's not necessarily policy work, sure, but it's still significant.
Courage
Early on, they highlighted some of their core values. But it was courage that stood out. An interesting value that, really, I don't see often within corporations. Now, as someone who spends a fair bit of time thinking about philosophy and considers myself something of a virtue ethicist, I'm a bit of a glazer when I see virtues explicitly recognised. Within Aristotle's Ethics, courage is the golden mean between recklessness and cowardice.
The way I see it, at a firm like this, this virtue manifests in several critical, practical ways. Firstly, there's the undeniable need for intellectual courage. Imagine being a junior analyst, or even an intern, surrounded by decades of experience, and needing to voice a potentially unconventional idea or challenge something to a Managing Director or Vice President. It requires courage to trust in what you believe.
It also manifests itself collaboratively. What I mean by this can be explained by our "Spring Code" team challenges. Our group was undeniably most effective not when one person did everything, but when we cultivated an environment that allowed for collaboration, where everyone felt empowered to contribute ideas, no matter how seemingly 'out there' they may be. In fact, an idea one might see as 'wrong' or unconventional wasn't even the end of it. Often, it was the necessary spark that prompted a crucial connection or breakthrough for someone else in the group. It takes courage to speak up when unsure, of course. But that's where an environment that encourages these things thrives. Courage is the willingness to engage, to risk, to put ideas forward. It's a prerequisite for innovation and growth, because unless you ask, the answer is almost always no.
Vibes
Compared to the finance group, the tech cohort was quite small - 34 of us, but I preferred this. Conversations flowed easily, and ideas exchanged freely as we were together everyday, which naturally lowered barriers.
It was inevitable but I do have to do it - that hotel they put us in was damn nice. We stayed at the Landmark Pinnacle. Insane views, great amenities. I was lucky enough to be put in a huge one-bed apartment. The views over London were insane, especially at night. For these types of programmes, I can tell they really invest a boatload of money. Not to mention the constant food provided wasn't just sandwiches and "picky bits". It was actual food. During one of the networking events, they brought out the hors d'oeuvres and wine. Great night talking to people and a great experience for sure.
The Meat of the Week
Hackathon. The thing we had all been preparing for. All 34 of us. I should preface this by saying I thought it was completely over for me the moment I stepped into the office. If I had a pound for every time the answer to my question "what university do you study at" was "Warwick" or "UCL", honestly, I'd probably have enough to reimburse my train ticket back home, which is about 16 quid. I did feel like the odd one out, but honestly, when we actually talked to each other and got to know everyone, most of us were in the same position: first hackathon, feeling nervous, and so that imposter syndrome went away pretty quickly.
We had two charities come in and tell us about their organisation and problems they were facing, as well as what they were looking for. Our team opted for Plant Heritage, a charity dedicated to the crucial conservation of cultivated plants, safeguarding unique varieties from being lost to time. They needed a way to engage a broader, particularly younger, audience and inspire involvement in plant conservation. The majority of people that are interested in plants are, let's face it, of the older population. And with that, they won't be with us anymore soon. We need a new generation of people to take over and continue this initiative.
Realising the need for a truly engaging hook, we moved beyond just displaying lists of plants. We began with an interactive portal, starting with a "Find Your Flower!" personality quiz. The idea was to create an immediate, personal connection for visitors, linking aspects of their own character to a specific plant from the collections. This felt like a direct response to their desire to capture that "wow" moment and draw in those who might not initially consider themselves 'plant nerds'.
From this entry point, we developed the user journey. The **Landing Page** itself was redesigned to be visually inviting, featuring a clear call-to-action for the quiz alongside 'Heritage Highlights' cards that concisely communicated the charity's mission and impact. Once the user completed the quiz (which fetched questions dynamically from our Flask backend), they were presented with their **Results Page**. This showcased their matched flower with a striking image and name, followed by easily digestible "Fun Facts". Crucially, catering to different levels of interest, we included a "Stats for Nerds" section, neatly tucked away within an accordion built using the HeroUI (originally NextUI) library, presenting detailed botanical information in a clean format.
To fulfil Plant Heritage's goal of allowing users to "get lost" as if in a garden, the results page linked to an "Explore Collections" section. This wasn't just a random list; it intelligently filtered collections based on the genus of the user's matched flower. Presented as visually appealing cards – featuring the collection's representative plant, the holder's profile picture, name, and role (like 'Botanist' or 'Researcher') – users could delve deeper into related plants and discover the dedicated people behind them. We used Next.js with Tailwind CSS and HeroUI components to build a clean, responsive, and modern interface throughout.
Our team collaborated effectively, mirroring the environment I mentioned earlier where different ideas could spark solutions. We aimed not just to build features but to create an experience. One that addressed Plant Heritage's need to broaden their appeal, share knowledge more widely, and ultimately, further their vital conservation work by making the world of plant heritage accessible and genuinely captivating.
After pitching our idea to them, we were left with no notes! They believed we balanced what they wanted to see in their app perfectly. Each time we asked for questions, the room filled with silence. We had captured what they wanted all within a 24-hour time frame. Certainly a good feeling. What's better was being handed a Meta Quest 3 which I'll certainly be setting up and playing this weekend.
