In the Jungle; Jordan Phelps

Thank you for joining us for In The Jungle where you stay connected to the current students at Pittsburgh State University. Now here's your host Howard Smith. Welcome to In The Jungle where we meet the grillers of Pittsburgh State University. I'm your host Howard Smith and the day we are joined by Jordan Phelps. Hi Jordan. How's it going Howard? Thanks for having me. We're glad to have you on today. I understand you're from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Yes. So tell me, you know, being from Tulsa and being in Pittsburgh, they seem to be different for sure. So it's a little bit different as far as the culture wise. Here in Pittsburgh, you get that small town feel, you know, everyone smiles and waves at you wherever you see him, whether it be in the hallways or out at Walmart or whatever it is. So it's a good change, you know, both my parents are from smaller towns. So you know, when I would visit my grandparents, I kind of know how it is, but I never actually lived in a town like this for this will be my second year. So I'm enjoying it. You know, it has its pros and cons, but like I said, I love the small town feel. You get to know everyone and make those relationships. So that's that's a good thing about

Pittsburgh. And your parents are actually former gorillas over on gorillas. Yes, for sure. My mom ran track here. My dad played football and ran track as well. And this is where they met. So pit states always had a little little spot in my heart. I guess you could say, well, that's fantastic. And I know you're actually from Broken Arrow. Yes. So we, you know, sometimes when you're from a metropolitan area, everybody gets labeled with the big town, let's say. But Broken Arrow is a great place. Yes. So you're a finance major? Finance. Now why do you, why do you choose finance? Well, my mom's in the finance industry. She does a lot with, she works for a bank down in Tulsa. So when I was trying to figure out, you know, what I wanted to do, I wasn't, I wasn't real sure. So I just kind of jumped into that because that's she actually was accounting. But I just jumped into, to finance just because it was something similar. And I really didn't know what I wanted to do. But as I started doing, I'm taking the classes and getting involved in, you know, other activities that pit states offered

with, with finance, I'm really came to love it. And so I'm glad I chose that route. So in finance, I think now you're working with the group. I can't remember the name of it. Yes. So it's called the CFA research challenge. And basically, is the CFA stand for something? Yes, chartered financial analyst. Oh, okay. So it's basically like a, it's basically like a CPA, but for finance. So what you do, they just give you a publicly traded company. And as a team, we have to analyze it, give our recommendations, write a paper. And then eventually here at the end of February, we'll travel up to Kansas City to give our recommendation in front of panel of judges and compete against some, some good schools, KU, UMKC, K state, Missouri state, and schools like that. And so we'll compete against them. And if we do well, we'll continue the Boston. And then if we do well there, we'll have a chance to go to South Korea and compete on a global scale. So, so what are you actually looking

at? So we're looking at everything from mainly the financials of the company, how they, how they do business, what's their weak points, what's their strengths. And going forward, just trying to project, what do we think they're performances in the future and how that correlates with their stock price. And whether we think it's a good, you know, buy or maybe a sell or maybe a hold. So that's what we're going through right now, trying to decide where we're at on that. But yeah, it's a great, it's having a great time, you know, the team. And Dr. Bracker have really, you know, poured into me and helped me learn as much as possible. So I'm very thankful for that opportunity. So how many people are on a team? It can be anywhere from, I think the minimum is three to five. And we have four. So right in the middle there. Did you know your teammates before you got into this? I didn't. So I had a couple classes with, you know, some of the guys, but I knew of them, but not really on a personal level. But now I mean, it's like we're like brothers almost, you know, we argue. But we also, you know, challenge each other and make each other better. So it's definitely a great

experience. And now, you know, going forward, this is, you know, relationships that that will never be the same. And while we remember, remember each other and keeping touch, whatever it may be. So that's that is great. That's, that's a great thing. And being a part of a team, I know that's not the only team you've been a part of. No, you played some basketball here. Is that right? Yes, I have been a basketball, a student and a basketball player. Okay. Yes. So it's definitely, you know, you go to the games and you see basically the highlights, you know, but behind the scenes, it's definitely not as easy as you see as it seems. You know, it takes a lot of time management skills. And you know, you're at practice from sometimes three to maybe you don't leave the gym till maybe seven or eight. And then you got to go home and do homework and other stuff. So it's definitely, you know, it has its trade-offs. You know, I've definitely see that now because competing for four years and now I'm my fifth year not competing. I definitely see, you know, I have a lot more time and I definitely have a lot more respect for the current student athletes right now because I see, you know, how much time management and dedication, how important

that is for for those athletes. It's almost like having a job. Yes, for sure it is. And it's the thing about is, you know, it's the weekday and even during the season, you have games on Saturdays. So sometimes you, it depends, you know, sometimes you make it Sunday off, sometimes you don't. So it's kind of a seven-day thing. Hey, being a finance major, what courses have challenged you the most? The most challenging course that I've been through. It was the international finance class. And so it was kind of like your basic finance class but then they threw in exchange rates with other currencies. So you had to do, you know, financial calculations, not only in US currency, but then you had to do them in international currency and then you had to, you know, translate it back. So it was probably the most challenging course that I've had so far. So going through school like you have and been an activities you've had, who's really had a significant influence on you and what you want to do in life. I would say probably the most influential here at Bid State would be Dr.

Bracker, especially through his class and through the extracurricular activities, the CFH challenge that he's really poured into us. I say he's probably the most influential, you know, person on campus here that's really helped me in my career, you know, he's offered me career advice, you know, this even during break, you know, emailed him at like maybe eight or ten o'clock at night, you know, and he didn't have to email me back then, but he did, you know, within 20, 30 minutes, it just goes to show, you know, how much he cares and what, you know, if you put forth the effort, what the professionals will give back to you here at Bid State. So if you were going to give advice to somebody that was considering Pitt State, you know, looking at as an option, why would you tell them they ought to consider us? I like to hit back to that kind of that small town feel and kind of just the opportunity to actually make an impact, you know, at those larger schools, you don't always get that. And when you graduate looking back, you may say, you know, did I really have an impact? Maybe you did, maybe you didn't, but here at Bid State, you know, there's plenty of opportunities to get involved.

And, you know, the biggest thing is you can make those relationships, you can make those lasting relationships and have an impact on the school that you go to. And I think that's the one of the biggest things for me and why I've enjoyed my time here is because, you know, I've been able to make an impact. I'm not just, you know, a student in a classroom, but, you know, I can make relationships and have a positive impact, you know, on campus. So that proves why you belong to Pittsburgh State University. Thank you for joining us in the jungle with Jordan Phelps today. And Jordan, thanks for being here. Thank you, my pleasure. And I'm your host, Howard Smith. Thanks for listening. Join us for in the jungle, Wednesday afternoons at 350 and Friday mornings at 850 here on KRPS.