This article is part of a series focusing on the grads of the AV俱乐部 Class of 2023. Spring Convocation runs from May 29 to June 7 in Halifax and Truro.聽Read all our profiles聽here聽as they are published, and for more information visit the聽Convocation website.
Growing up in Waterloo, Ontario, Carmen Graves was encouraged by her parents to attend university away from her home province to get out of her comfort zone.
As she prepares to graduate with a Combined Honours in Economics and Actuarial Science, that sense of adventure remains. Carmen will spend the summer as a finance intern on the trading floor in Toronto, before flying to England to begin a master鈥檚 program at Oxford University in the fall.
Heading abroad
Carmen considered universities in the Netherlands before opting to attend Dal, but she鈥檒l be able to use her passport this fall when she begins a nine-month Master鈥檚 in Financial Economics at Oxford University. Though she originally planned on entering the workforce after completing her undergraduate degree, the chance to achieve a childhood dream and head to Oxford could not be passed up.
鈥淎fter missing out on over a year of the typical university experience due to COVID, I was not quite ready to be done being a student,鈥� says Carmen, adding that getting accepted into the highly competitive program felt 鈥渟urreal.鈥� 鈥淭he program will be intense, but the campus is beautiful and the history and culture are so rich. I can鈥檛 wait to make the most of it.鈥�
An avid traveler, Carmen says the thought of working abroad following her master鈥檚 degree intrigues her. 鈥淚 love the idea of moving to different countries for work and getting immersed in new cultures and experiences.鈥�
Trading places
Before packing her suitcase for England, Carmen will spend the summer in Toronto as an intern with National Bank. After getting a taste of the trading floor last summer during an internship with CIBC, she has found that working in banking offers her the opportunity to use the skills she鈥檚 acquired from both of her majors.
鈥淚 can apply my analytical math skills to an economic context that can be easily communicated to clients,鈥� she says. 鈥淎s an intern you can get really integrated into your team and are able to take on meaningful work.鈥�
While Carmen laments the fact that the pandemic resulted in a year and a half of her program being spent behind a computer screen rather than in the classroom, she nevertheless took advantage of life as a student, getting involved with the AV俱乐部 Science Society (DSS) during all four years of her program and spending a year as president. Organizing an in-person research mixer event following the return to in-person learning stands out as a major success 鈥� Carmen notes the DSS had expected around 40 students to attend, but instead had to scramble to accommodate a crowd of 150.
鈥淚t was incredibly moving to see how many students were actively engaging with the Dal Science community after a year of missing those in-person connections,鈥� she says of the event that brings together students seeking undergraduate research opportunities.
A self-described 鈥渕ath nerd,鈥� Carmen also spent time working with the program while at Dal. 鈥淚 loved engaging with kids around the province and getting to be a 鈥榝un鈥� math teacher,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he best part was watching kids who told me they hated math end up getting very involved with the activities.鈥�
Looking back and moving forward
After taking a tour of campus prior to her undergrad, Carmen 鈥渇ell in love with Dal and Halifax.鈥� 鈥淚t鈥檚 the perfect size for a university. It鈥檚 big enough to have excellent resources and a large student community, but small enough that student leadership is more accessible, and you can develop close relationships with faculty.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 imagine having done my undergrad anywhere else.鈥�
Carmen is proud of how much she has grown over her four years at Dal. 鈥淣ot only did I learn so much about my field from brilliant profs and my fellow students, but I learned different ways to think and approach problems,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hrough student leadership, I was able to develop much more confidence than I started with, which has already helped me in every aspect of life.
鈥淎V俱乐部 has certainly left its mark on me and I hope to have done the same.鈥�