Spotlighted Student: Claire Brennan '16

Claire Brennan ‘16 knew she wanted a small college environment relatively close to her Scarsdale, NY home. She came across Haverford College while perusing a college book and liked what she read about the vigorous academics and the Honor Code. Her campus visit clinched her decision to apply thanks to its relaxed atmosphere and the feel of community.

Not yet clear on what her major would be, Claire was leaning toward the natural sciences with biology the leading contender.  After taking a biology class and working in a laboratory she came to the conclusion that working in a laboratory was not of interest to her. Her interests were piqued after taking Introduction to Economics with Calculus and Economic Statistics with Calculus. This led to majoring in economics with a concentration in Mathematical Economics.

Claire found her economics Junior Seminar class, Political Economy with Prof. Giri Parameswaran, particularly intriguing. She enjoyed the real-world application of the theories presented in the class, notably the economic models on jury decision making.

Her thesis will examine the effect of having women in leadership roles in publicly traded companies. She will be looking at how companies that transition from male to female leadership are affected. 

Summer experiences have played a big part in Claire’s academic and career experiences. The summer following her freshman year she interned at Gladney Center for Adoption, an adoption agency in her hometown. She worked in the back office coordinating and documenting paperwork affiliated with adoptions.  She also implemented a blog for adoptive families. 

After her sophomore year she spent the summer enrolled in an intensive course with the Dartmouth College TUCK Business Bridge Program. It’s a program geared toward liberal arts students who may someday earn a business degree. The group project at the end of the session involved choosing a company to evaluate, and presenting the findings to TUCK alumni who are currently in finance.
 
Last summer she interned at Glenmede Trust Co in Philadelphia collaborating with a portfolio manager to help with the management of accounts. She also assisted with preparations for client meetings by assembling performance graphs. A well-structured intern program that included weekly meetings with all the interns from all the departments, it was also valuable for career decision making because interns were expected to do everything that an entry level employee does. Further, Glenmede is a values driven company and all interns met with the CEO for two hours to discuss what the values of the company are.  

Claire is co-head of ‘Spectrum’, an on campus after-school program for autistic children 6-18 years of age. As interim coordinator, she assigns volunteers to generate activities, but her favorite aspect of the job is working with the kids.

Post-graduation Claire is interested in joining an investment management firm. She may pursue an MBA in the future. She also plans on earning the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) license