A family leaves relatives and possessions behind in the Soviet Union and arrives in Portland with $750. Only the mother, a teacher of Russian, speaks English. But she and her husband, an electrical engineer, realize America holds the future for their children.

Nine years later, their eldest daughter graduated from the UO with an honors degree in business and headed for New York, accepting one of four Wall Street offers she received.

Meet Yulia Libov '00, an example of how hard work and perseverance can pay off.

Networking with C.J. Radford, '98, and the investment banking professionals helped her on her journey toward Wall Street. Once she targeted potential employers, she arose daily at 5:00 AM so she could be on the phone at 8:00 AM Eastern. When she got her first interview, she managed to visit three other companies on the same trip.

Afterwards, she went to Times Square to see if perchance a half-price Broadway seat was available. A stranger appeared, handed her an orchestra ticket to Saturday Night Fever, and wished her a "Merry Christmas." The incredulous ticket agent said she had New Yorker's luck. "Once you got it, you don't lose it," he told Yulia.

Lucky or not, Yulia's advice for students thinking Wall Street is to start early. "You have to look at this preparation almost like an additional class," she said. She interviewed repeatedly for practice, and sent resumes to almost every major investment bank on the East Coast. Yulia also recommended some study abroad. She participated in a five-month program with Denmark International Studies. "I got exposure to the European Union and many global corporations," she said. "It all helped."