Paul Trussell

 May 2010

Paul Trussell, Alumus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Class of 2002

Paul Trussell grew up in Chicago's South Shore, where his mother taught for nearly 40 years at a local archdiocese grammar school. In sixth grade, he entered a Chicago-based academic enrichment program called High Jump, which eventually led to his enrollment at the Latin School of Chicago. There, he served as track captain and member of the basketball team, gospel choir, and philanthropy club. "I had to take two buses and a train to get there every day, but otherwise it was a great experience," he recalls.

After high school, thanks in part to mentorship and financial support from Chicago Scholars' future partner, College Bound, Paul joined the class of 2002 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Amidst his many activities-membership in the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, and stints as president of both NAACP Student Chapter and the Iota Phi Theta fraternity's UIUC chapter-he kept in contact with College Bound founders Lee Gordon and Gary Caplan. "I was active in returning phone calls and writing letters and giving updates," he says, "which led to a good relationship."

The guidance of a College Bound mentor helped Paul shape his plan for during and after college, but it was two summer internships facilitated by the organization during his first two years in college, with Mesirow Financial and Cole Taylor Bank respectively, that solidified his interest in finance. In his junior year, Paul took a position at Bank One, and upon graduating from UIUC with a major in finance and a minor in African-American studies he signed on full-time as a corporate credit analyst.

From left: Paul with his mentors and Board Members Gary Caplan (circa 2000), and in New York City with Lee Gordon (June 2010).

Paul moved back to Chicago after college and worked there for almost two years, also serving on the advisory boards of both High Jump and College Bound-for which he weighed in on new initiatives, promoted awareness among potential donors, and offered the benefit of his experience to current scholars-and finding time to be assistant coach to the Latin basketball team. In 2004, he moved to New York to work in J.P. Morgan's equity research department, where his team has been rated the second best on Wall Street for two years running.