As a college student, have you ever thought about what it would be like to experience a day on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange? SFC junior Tim Pastina, is a Business Management major, and when Tim does not have class, he is working on the trading floor at the NYSE. It is not everyday that a business major lands an internship at the NYSE, but with the organization of Tim, and the idea of a class trip to Wall Street by Professor Dennis Anderson, our BUS1001 Organization and Management class was privileged with a tremendous learning opportunity to visit and receive a private tour through the NYSE.

It was a beautiful morning on Friday, October 7 when we met at Trinity Church to begin our tour. The class was required to dress in professional business attire, a requirement that I considered very beneficial in order to fully relate to a typical business day in New York City.

Professor Anderson had made an announcement a week in advance that he wanted to organize a trip to Wall Street for the class. Everyone became very excited about the ideea, but considering a private tour through the NYSE had never crossed our minds until Tim announced that he could get us in.

Walking to the NYSE was slightly difficult due to all the roads that were blocked off as a result of the Occupy Wall Street protest. At the entrance to the building we presented our IDs, placed our bags through the scanner for inspection, and walked through the security check; it was very professional.

We were welcomed by, James Maguire, Manager of Membership and Training, and were escorted to the executive level of the building. On the executive floor we walked into the boardroom where Maguire said, "all the decisions are made."

This room was large with an enormous meeting table that fit about twenty large office chairs. At the head of the table was a massive podium that our entire class of about thirty people could fit on at one time. I could not help but imagine how many hours at a time the room is filled with important discussions and decisions that influence the stock market every day.

After seeing the executive floor, we went down to the trading floor or as Maguire called it, "the luncheon club." As soon as we walked in, we saw the real business that takes place: hundreds of computer monitors displayed every stock and its trading activity.

We watched the brokers monitor their stock, and learned about the buying and trading done every day in order to keep stocks balanced. I suppose "the luncheon club" was derived from all of the people who were eating their lunch while watching their designated stocks.

The trading floor concluded our trip through the NYSE. Afterwards, some students were able to visit the protest, Occupy Wall Street. Kepler August, a member of BUS1001, was one of the students that visited the protest. He said he had a great experience because he was able to understand the reason there were so many protestors. "Every group of protestors was fighting for something specific, but still as one main group," Kepler said. In my opinion, it is remarkable to be a witness of a protest that is making front-page news around the world.

Overall, the class trip to Wall Street was a success. We were able to appreciate the world of business and how operations are performed in the NYSE. SFC student, Ronny Schafer, an international student from Dresden, Germany, is an undecided major, but after participating in this class trip said, "I have never experienced a trip like this. It was so interesting to see how the NYSE works and Wall Street in general. I can see myself working in a setting like this in the future."

I have always wanted to learn more about business and believe that this was the best class trip i have ever attended. Not all college students can say they were able to take a tour through the NYSE and visit Occupy Wall Street. This is my first year at St. Francis College as a sophomore from San Antonio, Texas, and I am majoring in Communications: Film and Broadcasting. While taking BUS1001 with Professor Anderson, I have learned about the significant impact of business on our lives, and as a result, plan to minor in Business.

While it is beneficial to learn and study business operations in a classroom, experiencing a day of work in one of the most important business organizations in the world is beyond incredible.

Special thanks to Tim Pastina for making the tour possible, and Professor Anderson for organizing the trip. Another vote of thanks goes to Mr. James Maguire and Mr. Louis G. Pastina, the executive vice president of NYSE operations, and an alum of St. Francis College.