Hello! My name is Rorie Whitcomb and I am currently a rising senior pursuing a triple major in Finance, Accounting, and Italian Language. I come from a very small town in Upstate New York called Hammondsport, and when I say small, I mean small. I graduated from a public high school with about 30 kids, so when I decided to go to the University of Pittsburgh I was very excited about the opportunity to meet people from diverse backgrounds and explore new interests. I initially enrolled at Pitt as undeclared, but soon I realized my love for language and international studies. My freshman year I declared my Italian major in hopes of pursuing a career in Italy, and soon after I decided to apply to the business school. At first I declared a Global Management major, but I realized I had a passion for numbers, which led me to declare additional majors in Finance and Accounting. I’m also pursuing an International Business certificate and a European Studies certificate. My course of study reflects everything I love: math, travel, and international studies.

 In addition to my intellectual pursuits, I have many passions outside of the classroom. From a very young age I have always loved music, in particular, singing. In high school I participated in choir and our musical theatre program. Despite my love for singing, I knew pursuing music in college wasn’t for me. Instead I decided to join an on-campus a cappella group called Sounds Like Treble. Sounds like Treble is the only all treble a cappella group on-campus and we perform songs written by multiple artists like Taylor Swift, Lizzy McAlpine, Hozier, Gracie Abrams, Queen, and Beyoncé. This group means so much to me as I have met my best friends and so many amazing people. This past year I had the opportunity to serve as business manager and my senior year I will have the honor of serving as President. 

I am also very passionate about women’s financial literacy. When I was growing up, money was a taboo subject. I never really understood why, and to this day I still don’t. I firmly believe that financial knowledge begins with open conversations. This belief led me to join an all women investment group on-campus called Smart Women’s Securities (SWS). SWS is dedicated to teaching young women how to invest and understand personal finance. I’m excited to take on a more active role next year and empower young women to use the financial tools they need to be secure and succeed. I am also a part of a business fraternity Phi Chi Theta (PCT). I joined PCT my sophomore year after entering the business school. This organization allowed me to meet so many amazing people in my field of study. I often see other members in my classes and around school, creating a small community feel that I didn’t have before. I am so excited to serve as President of PCT next year and I’m really excited to see what we accomplish together. 

This summer I will be participating in the IIP Berlin program and interning at Vireo Ventures, a small venture capital firm focused on energy and technology. I chose to do an internship in Berlin because the city is known for being a financial hub for startups and venture capital companies. I am very excited to start this internship not only because it is my first, but it is also in a foreign country, allowing me to apply what I have learned from my international certificate in a real-world setting. I hope to experience what it’s like to work in a small firm and get hands-on experience in venture capital.

  Upon returning to the states, I have two internships in audit accounting: one at CliftonLarsonAllen and one at Ernst & Young. I am looking forward to comparing my experiences in these internships in order to bring me one step closer to finding the career I intend to pursue. Not only does this program fulfill my International Business certificate requirements but it also will help me gain real-world experience in venture capital while also gaining valuable soft skills that will carry through the rest of my career. In the future, I hope to work abroad in finance. This program is an amazing first step toward that goal and it allows me to experience what it is like to work in a foreign country, especially one where I don’t know the language. I’m very excited for this opportunity and I can’t wait to get started!