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Student Snapshot: Olivia Renault '25  

"The economy drives so many parts of our day-to-day lives, and it’s incredibly interesting, learning to understand and quantify that impact," says Olivia Renault '25, a quantitative economics major and member of Women in Economics. She says an impactful class deepened her love of economics, and three internships—including one in London—helped her zero in on her career path and led to a job at her internship site.

Hometown:

Carlisle, Pa.

Major:

Quantitative economics.

Clubs and organizations:  

Kappa Alpha Theta and Women in Economics.

Best thing about my Dickinson experience so far:

I've made wonderful friends. Dickinson’s smaller campus and class size help foster a strong sense of community, and I love walking around and seeing so many friendly and familiar faces.

Best thing about my major:

The economy drives so many parts of our day-to-day lives, and it’s incredibly interesting, learning to understand and quantify that impact. Although the theories of micro- and macroeconomics are important building blocks, I really fell in love with economics when I took Associate Professor of Economics Tony Underwood’s Econometrics course. It was the first time I was able to see how economic research is done, how data is used and how to take numbers and turn them into a meaningful analysis.

Favorite professor:

Professor Underwood. Everyone can see the passion he has and how invested he is in his students' learning experiences. He is always willing to help, he’s skilled at explaining each subject in a clear manner and he’s great at providing thoughtful feedback. His classes are difficult, but I always learn and grow through them.

On studying abroad:

I studied abroad in Norwich, U.K. The highlight of my experience was getting to extend my time abroad and do an internship in London over the summer! I also loved the monthlong spring break, because I was able to visit eight countries.

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app my internship:

My first internship was with a property-redevelopment company, Caprice Properties, in Carlisle. I loved learning the history behind the buildings in my hometown, and it showed me that I wanted a career where I was not always stuck behind a desk and could make each day unique. My second internship was with Saranac Partners, a wealth-management firm in London. It was rewarding, getting to rotate through the different desks and learn about each aspect of wealth management. I left with a much better understanding of which areas I could actually see myself working in and which were not for me. My third internship is with uFinancial Group, a financial-planning subsidiary of Mass Mutual [led by CEO Chris Cocores '05]. My work with them involves investment analysis. Of all my work experiences so far, I’m enjoying this one the most. 

[Ed: In early February, UFinancial offered Olivia a full-time position, and she accepted. After graduating from Dickinson this spring, she will work as a data analyst at the firm.]

ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app my research:

I am currently working on two research projects—one for my advanced econometrics course and one for my senior seminar.

Through my internship with Caprice Properties, I became interested in the economic impacts of taking rundown or underutilized areas and revamping them. Professor Underwood pointed me toward the topic of brownfield redevelopment—properties or land that may be contaminated by hazardous waste and have slowly been redeveloped. As part of my senior seminar, I chose to do a literature review on the impact of major sporting events on fertility in developing countries. There has been little research done in this area; I only found one research article on this topic in South Africa.

The most difficult part of these processes has been data collection. It's given me a much stronger appreciation for all the hard work career researchers do. It has also been humbling to see how often research ends in inconclusive results. Ultimately, though, both projects have been incredible opportunities, and it’s rewarding to watch my research come together from ideation to final paper.

Most important thing I’ve learned so far:

Bet on yourself! You're better than you think.

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Published February 7, 2025