I am currently a Finance and Business Analytics major with an Economics minor at the University of Pittsburgh. Throughout my time at Pitt, I have had multiple internships spanning both aspects of my major, from an Analytics Test Engineer role to a digital Finance position. This summer, I will be working as a Specialized Industries Analyst at JP Morgan in the Commercial and Investment Bank in Chicago. After college, I hope to continue in banking and eventually transition into a buy-side role such as Venture Capital or Private Equity.
Across all of my experiences, I have grown well beyond the technical work itself — developing a stronger understanding of corporate culture, professional relationships, teamwork, and real-world problem solving. These experiences have consistently pulled me further toward the finance side of things and confirmed that I am someone who loves using numbers to solve problems.
My coursework at Pitt has reinforced this. Investment Management and International Finance have been two of my favorite classes because of their real-world feel — there is always a mathematical framework to approach a problem, and those classes have sharpened that instinct in me. Beyond those, I have completed the core business curriculum alongside specific Business Analytics courses like Applied Optimization and Simulation. I added an Economics minor because I genuinely love the way economists think. The economic perspective opens up an entirely different lens for looking at problems, and my International Economics class has pushed me to think at a much bigger-picture level.
Studying in Florence has added a fascinating new dimension to my academic experience. The classroom dynamic here feels noticeably different from what I am used to at Pitt. Back home, classes tend to be fast-paced and highly structured, with a strong emphasis on deliverables and outcomes. Here, there is more room for open discussion and a broader, more conceptual approach to the material — which has actually complemented the big-picture economic thinking I mentioned quite well. Outside of my business courses, I am also taking Renaissance Art History and Figurative Sculpting, which are about as far from a finance class as you can get. Florence has always been an artistic hub, and being able to explore its museums, churches, and galleries has made those subjects come alive in a way that simply would not be possible in a traditional classroom. My sculpting class in particular has taught me a great deal of patience, and at times it feels almost therapeutic — a mindful contrast to the more analytical work I am used to.
A few skills have stood out to me as especially critical across both my coursework and professional experiences. The first is attention to detail. In finance and analytics, one small numerical error or a single line of incorrect code can completely change an outcome, and that has trained me to always double-check my work. The second is communication. Group projects, internships, and study sessions have all reinforced how important it is to set clear expectations and lean into the strengths of a team. Finally, analytical problem-solving has become my go-to approach for almost any challenge I face. Breaking a problem down, putting it into numbers, and thinking through possible outcomes has consistently helped me move past the surface level and arrive at better solutions.