Meet Cole Richards, a member of the inaugural class of Hildebrand MBA Scholars at Texas McCombs. A Memphis, Tennessee native, Cole spent nearly six years in fund finance at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation before enrolling in the Full-Time MBA at the University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business. Cole's path into banking was built on something simple: communication. He made over 130 phone calls to break into finance in New York City and later put that same skill to work coaching a class of summer analysts, turning a standard internship into a two-way mentorship built on structure, empathy, and feedback. That experience shaped how he thinks about leadership today: not about having all the answers, but about communicating clearly enough that others feel confident moving forward. In this video, Cole talks about: • What drew him to the Hildebrand MBA Scholars program • Why communication has been the throughline of his entire career • What he's hoping to build next, in investment banking or beyond Cole interned in investment banking at Morgan Stanley for the summer of 2026, applying what he's learned in the classroom in real time. ➡️ Learn more about the Hildebrand MBA Scholars program at Texas McCombs: https://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/graduate/mba/full-time-mba/tuition-financial-aid/hildebrand-scholars/ 🤠 About us: The Hildebrand MBA at UT Austin's McCombs School of Business offers top-ranked Full-Time, Evening, Weekend, and Executive MBA programs. With world-class faculty, personalized support, and a global network of 100,000+ McCombs alumni, we prepare leaders to excel in today’s dynamic business world. Our programs in Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Houston provide a transformative educational experience, combining rich tradition with cutting-edge innovation to meet evolving business demands. 🤘 Find us on other social channels: https://www.linkedin.com/school/the-red-mccombs-school-of-business/ https://www.instagram.com/utexasmba/ #McCombs #HildebrandMBA #UTAustin