Tommy Hancock returned to the Reiman School of Finance for a master’s degree and left with a job at JP Morgan
Tommy Hancock
Six a.m. swim practices.
Classes from 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
Back to practice from 2-4.
A few hours of homework. NCAA-mandated study halls.
When you’re a college swimmer, racing against the clock doesn’t stop when you towel off.
Each of the day’s 1,440 minutes is precious. Tommy Hancock has become a master of managing them.
“When you’re working out that much, you start to want more,” said Hancock, a graduate student at the Daniels College of Business’ Reiman School of Finance. “You want to reach a higher pedestal.
“With Daniels, I don’t think I see a ceiling.”
It’s hard to say that Hancock hasn’t made the most of four years at the University of Denver. He’s a captain on the men’s swimming and diving team, an alum of the undergraduate finance program and on the cusp of his master’s in applied quantitative finance.
“There are so many opportunities here,” Hancock said. “If you wrap your arms around and bear hug Daniels, it will just keep giving you back more and more.”
Proof: Hancock is leaving the program with a job in hand. After walking across the Magness Arena stage, he’ll step into an analyst position at JP Morgan Chase.
It all happened pretty fast for the athlete from Des Moines, Iowa, who was recruited to swim—and study—at DU with his twin brother, Joey.
“The academics piece was huge,” Hancock said. “I remember committing for swimming, and my dad, who has always supported me, was so happy I was going to an institution that was as recognizable as DU and Daniels.”
Originally, Hancock planned to study English and become a teacher. But after a year, he found himself craving a more technical skill set. His roommates were business majors. The next year, he joined them.
It didn’t take long for him to realize he had made the right decision.
“You can feel people are doing things here,” he said. “You have people getting jobs and internships. Every single one of [the faculty] knows my name. I can talk to any of them about anything. You wouldn’t get that at a place with a 300-person lecture hall.
“The unique part about Daniels is: The topics we were covering in classes were really real-world rooted,” he added.
Hancock landed a summer internship at Cintas, which gave him an up-close look at the way businesses operate—and a realization that everything starts with the people. It also helped him narrow in on a direction for his career.
He finished his degree in three years and hopped immediately into the master’s program.
The next summer, he earned an internship at JP Morgan, the product of a connection from a career fair. He thrived.
“When I interned with students from high-level institutions, I was punching in that [same] weight class because of the things I learned at Daniels,” Hancock said. He focused on being diligent and coachable as he helped analysts meet their clients’ needs. “If you show up, really latch on, and do your best at a big company, you’ll be rewarded in some capacity.”
That reward was a job offer, a chance for Hancock to learn and grow while he feels out different areas of interest.
The master’s degree he took on in the eight months since has been a perfect bridge. It provided opportunities to gain new certifications, skills and connections—as well as one more chance to swim collegiately.
In his junior year, he watched his twin brother beat out an Israeli Olympian. In his final year of eligibility, he added one more unforgettable moment, placing second at the Summit League championships in the 4×100 freestyle relay—an accomplishment with a little bit of extra-special significance.
Hancock came to DU as a specialist in mid-distance individual medleys. To meet his team’s needs, he switched to freestyle sprint events. It came with setbacks on his speed and time, yet there he was on the podium.
“Being able to step up on a big stage, performing well, splitting fast, was one of the best moments,” he said.
A fitting way to end one career and start a new one.