Qian Ren ’23 knows the value of a liberal arts education. A double major in environmental studies and economics, she has developed interdisciplinary skills that she hopes to use in the field of climate finance. According to the United Nations, this emerging area aims to use public, private and alternative funding sources to support climate action. However, before taking her profession, Ren is looking to her MBA as a means of enhancing her future career preparation.
During her summer internship at Morgan Stanley, she took the first steps toward this goal by attending two business programs at Harvard and Dartmouth. “Climate finance requires big-picture thinking to tackle the big issues,” said Wren. “I think the business world will help strengthen that ability.”
Through both programs, Ren learned from top professors. However, the two programs differed in their educational focus. Harvard Business School’s Summer Venture in Management program guided participants in a case-study fashion. By reading business her scenarios, Ren developed an eye for problem-solving and innovative solutions. Tuck’s Business Bridges program at Dartmouth College focused on introductory business skills for her STEM and liberal arts students as an undergraduate. Lessons spanned the foundations of the MBA curriculum, from marketing techniques to corporate finance to business ethics, and culminated in a group capstone project.
“I realized that a liberal arts education was just as valuable. It gave me the skills to think outside the box, think critically about the world, and question everything around me.”
Through these experiences, Ren realized the possibility of pursuing an MBA. An MBA, she said, always felt out of reach for low-income first-generation students. This experience also reaffirmed the importance of her liberal arts education.
“When I was interviewing for internships, I was competing with students studying finance and accounting, so they have more of that technical skill,” Ren said. “But this experience made me realize that a liberal arts education is just as valuable.It has given me the skills to think outside the box, think critically about the world, and question everything around me. rice field.”
During the summer weeks when not dedicated to these programs, Ren continued his private wealth management internship at Morgan Stanley. She started her internship in January with the New York City program experience. Ren’s days consisted of researching industries, companies, stocks, and customers.
As Ren prepares for his final semester at Hamilton, he’s excited to see how the summer experience will strengthen and diversify his skill set. “This summer I was able to develop my more technical business her skills, and from there I was able to bring my liberal arts education to the table to enrich my experience,” she said. said.
Major: Environmental Studies and Economics
Birthplace: Malden, Massachusetts.
High School: Malden High School
