Kyla Henriksen moved to Montreal from Vancouver to study the great books of the Western canon at Concordia’s Liberal Arts College, but she discovered the skills she acquired helped prepare her for a dynamic career as an attorney at some of the largest financial institutions in the United States.
“What I've always loved about being a lawyer is both learning the technical rules and figuring out how to move the real-world objectives forward within a framework,” says Henriksen, now counsel at Wells Fargo in New York.
“It's a little bit like a sonnet where the rules are very clear, but then you need to be creative in developing within that structure and framework.”
Interest in securities law
“There is a philosophical element about the purpose of finance.
“I think the whole question of how the economy serves the most people is not something that's really my day-to-day job, but I get a front-row seat to observe how these issues play out in real life. For somebody like me who thinks a lot about how the world could be a better place, it's considerable food for thought.”
Career advice for students
“Pursuing a broad range of interests is not a mistake. Even if you don't have a specific technical objective, the skills of learning and the skills of connecting with other people are really transferable.”
Biggest career challenge
“I resigned from a job where I'd been for nine years, in the middle of April 2020, and I started my new job at the end of that month. That transition was a bit of an eye-opener in the sense that I didn't know anybody, I had to work remotely and didn’t have any existing relationships in the new company.”
Fond memories of Concordia’s Liberal Arts College
“It attracts a certain kind of intellectual curiosity, and it encourages a lot of intellectual curiosity and debate and learning together and volunteering to take on projects.”
Using her talents to give back
“I do a lot of pro bono service, mostly corporate governance for non-profits that provide services. So I'm not going out there being a hero, but I do help.”