Red Fox Spotlight: Jana Brzovski ’21

While excelling at academics and securing a position at JPMorgan Chase, Jana Brzovski ’21 has also ensured women’s empowerment remains a cornerstone of the Marist student experience long after she leaves

Kenneth Guillaume ’20

January 18, 2021—Growing up in New Jersey in a family of Eastern European immigrants from Macedonia, senior Jana Brzovski has excelled since coming to Marist. Interning at some of the top companies in the world and ensuring women studying business are empowered at the College, Brzovski has been both a model student and an exemplary aspiring professional.

This spring, Brzovski will graduate with a degree in business administration, with concentrations in finance and international business, and a minor in economics. Despite such an intense academic load in the School of Management, she is also heavily involved in campus life. Brzovski has been a dedicated student worker, president of two clubs, and active in the investment center.

“I co-founded and am currently the president of Marist's Women in Business club, which is my passion project. When I look back on Marist, that will definitely be a highlight for me. I was also president of Her Campus, which was a lovely experience. I'm a Bloomberg advisor in the Investment Center, and I'm co-president of the Investment Club,” said Brzovski.

Brzovski credits her drive and work ethic to her family. “My parents immigrated over 20 years ago due to the lack of opportunities in their native country. So, all of the opportunities I have in front of me, they could never have dreamed of,” said Brzovski.

An International Perspective

Growing up in a home with Macedonian and American culture helped shape Brzovski and led to her concentration in international business. “My family always made it a big point to incorporate Macedonian traditions into the American way of life. I’ve seen a blend of cultures all through my life, and now I’m able to apply that to business,” she said.

Because her parents did not have access to the same opportunities as she has, Brzovski has had a laser focus and determination.

“Since I was very young, the importance of hard work and really taking advantage of everything that is in front of you was instilled in me,” said Brzovski. She applied that philosophy to her time at Marist and hopes other students do the same. “You have to take as much as you can from your four years here because it may seem like a long time, but it's really not.”

Helping Other Women on Campus

Brzovski’s can-do attitude has had an impact on the Marist community—and has not gone unnoticed by her mentor, Dr. Joanne Gavin, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Professor of Management in the School of Management. Dr. Gavin notes Brzovski as a student with exceptional drive and ability to think three steps ahead at all times.

Dr. Gavin is especially lucky to have Brzovski as her direct student assistant for the last two years. “I cannot express how lucky I have been to have her support. She seems to know what I need before I do. The work she does is exceptional and some days I do not know what I would do without her support,” said Dr. Gavin.

Dr. Gavin also praised Brzovski for starting the Women in Business club. “Everything to Jana is another learning experience, and she doesn’t want to miss anything. She has done an amazing job on the Women in Business club. I have watched many organizations start at Marist and none have gotten off to such a strong start,” said Dr. Gavin.

That’s an especially big achievement given that Brzovski launched Women in Business in fall of 2020—during the pandemic—when in-person interaction was incredibly limited. But she was determined.

Brzovski started the organization because she wanted to ensure that other women in the business program had a place to call their own and to allow them to grow personally and professionally. The club helps its members achieve their professional goals; Brzovski brings in guest speakers but also gives club members a chance to mingle with like-minded individuals during the monthly event, Tea Talk.

She also had a leadership role as president of Marist’s chapter of Her Campus, a female empowerment-oriented online magazine with chapters across the nation, during her sophomore and junior years. “That was my first real big leadership experience. And I'm really grateful for it because that's where I found my leadership style,” said Brzovski.

Path to Her Dream Job

At the outset of her college career, Brzovski was on the path to earn a degree in marketing. However, that changed after her first internship at Prudential Financial the summer before the start of her sophomore year.

“That was when I started realizing marketing just wasn't really up my alley. I found the work the financial advisors were doing to be more interesting than the work I was doing. So, to me, that was a sign,” said Brzovski.

Taking that sign, she flipped to something that she could be passionate about and refocused—eventually landing at the iconic Tiffany & Co. in a position more attuned to her goals.

“That was basically like a dream come true. I'm a big fan of Tiffany & Co,” she said. “I was in an internal audit position. It was more finance related, and it really gave me a broad perspective of how a global company will structure its finances.”

Using the knowledge and experience she gained at Tiffany & Co., and expanding that knowledge through finance elective classes taught by Professor Brian Haughey, Brzovski secured an internship at JPMorgan Chase the summer before her senior year.

The best news of all? Brzovski has been hired by JPMorgan Chase and will begin working in the company’s two-year rotational program as a Global Finance and Business Management Analyst where she’ll be able to experience all aspects of banking and gain valuable experience across departments.

“I knew I wanted to work in banking post-graduation. I just wasn't sure what division or what sector would be best. With this program, in year one I'm working in one line of business with Team A and then it completely switches for the second year. After the rotations, I'll get placed in a division for a more permanent position,” said Brzovski.

While Brzovski seems to have made every correct decision to allow her to excel and grow throughout her time at Marist and professionally, she can be absolutely sure in one decision. “I joke around all the time if I make poor choices for the rest of my life, I know I made one good one by going to Marist.”

With all that Brzovski has accomplished as an undergraduate, she is bound to make her mark at JPMorgan Chase too.