Rehnuma Islam’s passion for finance started in childhood and has since guided her to JYU, where she is studying the Master’s Degree Programme in Banking and International Finance. Inspired by the words from The Pursuit of Happyness — “You got a dream, you gotta protect it” — Rehnuma followed her ambition with determination. That dream has carried her from her early days in Bangladesh all the way to her academic journey in Finland.
When Will Smith told his son in The Pursuit of Happyness, “You got a dream, you you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they wanna tell you, you can’t do it. You want something, go get it” – it truly stuck with me. As a movie lover and a dreamer, those words motivated me to pursue my dream to study international finance.
I am Rehnuma, a curious finance enthusiast from Bangladesh. I completed my bachelor’s in business administration with a major in Finance in my home country. My interest in finance started as a child, listening to my father and grandfather discuss stock market news and investments. I still remember my father discussing with my grandfather about the 2008 financial crisis, the collapse of U.S. housing market and downfall of financial institutions which triggered 2008 recession. 8 years old me didn’t understand anything but somehow was also very interested in their discussion.
My interest in finance started as a child, listening to my father and grandfather discuss stock market news and investments.
As a teenager, I watched movies such as The Big Short, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Inside Job, which deepened my interest with finance & stock market.
From business competitions to global ambitions
For a while, I thought studying mathematics might help me understand finance better, but after graduating high school, I realised what I really wanted was to attend business school and fully immerse myself in finance.
During my bachelors, I actively participated in various national level business case competitions. I enjoyed solving complex problems, designing business and revenue models, developing portfolios, and calculating the financials of marketing campaigns.
Those experiences awakened a bigger dream in me, to one day contribute to solving complex financial and business problems on a global stage.
Gaining international experience and discovering Finland
After my bachelor’s, I started working at an international company in Bangladesh. Through working with a diverse international client base, I gained exposure to international finance and learned about different cultures, especially about Finnish which intrigued me the most.
I realised I wanted deeper quantitative rigor and the opportunity to analyse financial markets within an international context.
That desire led me to Finland to pursue my master’s degree in Banking & International Finance at the Jyväskylä University School of Business & Economics (JSBE), a reputed business school of Finland, with highly qualified teachers.
Saying yes to the happiest country in the world
I applied to JYU in January 2024 through the national joint application. I can still remember that day, April 4th, 2024, I received an email from Studyinfo: I had been accepted at JYU! That was one of the happiest moments of my life when I realised, I am moving to the happiest country in the world to study finance in a reputed business school.
Read more: Master's Degree Programme in Banking and International Finance
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