1. Please tell us the name of your firm, title, and describe your role in one sentence. I am a first year analyst on the CLO Secondary trading desk at Citigroup.

2. What are your fundraising and athletic goals for The Decathlon, and what led you to choose them? The meaning of the Wall Street Decathlon to me, is about aiding in the advancement and progress toward the cure for pediatric cancers. Given that I am a first time participant, I decided to set a goal of $4,000. After living through my mom’s breast cancer (she is a 14 year survivor now!), I am hoping that by raising more than $4,000 I can help other families who are going through very tough times in their lives. I greatly appreciate the generous enthusiasm of those colleagues at Citi, and my family and friends that have pledged donations so far. As for my athletic goals, I was a two sport athlete in college and plagued by injuries throughout my career (torn shoulder labrum and two years of tibial stress fractures). So, my goal is to compete really hard and have fun (and do more than 5 pull ups).

3. On average, a Decathlete receives donations from 34 supporters. What fundraising technique(s) have worked best for you that you would recommend?  Wall streeters are some of the most generous people that I have been connection with. Many of them receive pitches from a plethora of amazing causes, and they respond in kind. My fundraising has been focused more on educating and updating anyone I know about the cause, and so far the response has been great. The best part of the event is the fundraising tied to athletic performance.

4. What have you learned while training as a first-time participant? I plan to compete for years to come as I have found the Decathlon to be an amazing way to get in better shape, meet new people, and challenge myself to raise money for a great cause.

5. How have you been training for this year's event?  I have competed in many different sports in high school and college and all I can say is the Decathlon training is the most challenging I have ever done. Balancing all the strength, speed, stamina and agility within a weekly after-work schedule is a unique task.  The motivation to exceed not only my athletic goals, but also fundraising ones, is an extremely positive experience for me in more ways than one.

I split my time between lifting twice a week, Pilates, boxing, track workouts and flag football. Also, the Wall St Decathlon organizers have given us access to many different training experts and coaches, and gyms.

6. Decathletes are motivated by the cause, the competition, and the camaraderie. What inspirational quote -- not from Anchorman -- motivates you? “Don’t count the days, make the days count.” - Muhammad Ali

You can donate to Laura's personal fundraising page here.