Oles in Economics: 2010-2019
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Ben Brown (’10): I graduated with majors in Math and Econ as well as concentrations in Statistics and Management Studies. A couple weeks after leaving the hill, I began working at Wells Fargo as a Risk Management Analyst in Strategic Auto Investments. We invest in auto-related asset-backed securities. Financing companies issues loans or leases to a pool of borrowers. Using those vehicles as collateral, we lend money to the finance companies so that they can issue more loans. Then, we receive the principal payments for the loans each month along with a negotiated interest payment. Many measures are taken to insure that we do not lose money. We make sure the pool is diversified, require more collateral than the amount we will lend, and set up cash reserve accounts to cover losses. It is a great career and I would be willing to tell you more about it and my job search senior year.
Alyssa Punke (’10): I graduated with a double major in Economics and Political Science. Since graduation I have been working for Target. I had interned there before my senior year and I’ve worked on the inventory side of merchandising since then, including 8 months working on Target Canada holiday inventory strategy. I am currently an MP manager. Please feel free to contact me atalyssa.punke@target.com if you have any questions about Target. I’m currently living in Minnetonka and am marrying Ryan Vink (’10) this October 2014.
Erick Van Mechelen (’10): Since graduating in 2010, I’ve worked four years at Target. I spent two years in merchandising and two in software development. On the side, I also built an iPhone game and took 17th in the USA Memory Championship.
Recently, I started writing full-time. You can follow my progress or read my books at http://Shakeup.TV.
Kyle Hanson (’13): The summer after graduating St. Olaf with a triple major in Economics; Russian Language; and Russian Area Studies, I landed in sunny Palo Alto working as a software engineer at eShares Inc. eShares is the only 100% real-time cap table management platform for private companies and is the only legal way to issue electronic stock certificates for private corporations (mainly startups). In addition we issue and track electronic versions of Option Grants, Warrants, and other securities.
I joined as the first engineer and had the pleasure of seeing it grow from a tiny team to not being able to fit into a conference room. Over the past year I worked on many projects that wouldn’t have been possible elsewhere. From creating an advanced auditing system to track all database changes across our platform to handler ACH bank transfers to handle fully electronic employee exercises worth tens of thousands of dollars, working at eShares has been a unique experience. Almost all of the stuff we do is groundbreaking in the legal world. When I started here, all the law firms were afraid of us but now the major firms in Silicon Valley use us. I would welcome anyone that has an interest about moving to Silicon Valley or startups in general.
Kevin Harris (’13): Graduated St. Olaf with a Major in Economics with an Emphasis in Finance and a Statistics Concentration. After leaving St. Olaf I was presented with the opportunity to go play professional hockey in Germany. I decided to hang up the skates and start my own business with my older brothers. Our company is called Patheer. Patheer is a big data analytics enterprise platform for employees to research, analyze, and plan their careers for internal advancement. I am one to the Co-founders and a full stack engineer. Every day is an adventure and I am excited to our company grow.
Gabe Miller (’13): Upon graduating St. Olaf in 2013, I worked in the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation as an Administrative Resident. I helped spearhead the project, “What Makes Millennials Tick” with a team of fabulous St. Olaf undergraduates who were participating in the Mayo Innovations Scholar Program. In August 2013, I moved out to Lawrence, MA a to do a year of service by teaching math as part of a turnaround initiative in the International Academy at Lawrence Public High School. I now reside in Somerville, MA, where I helped launch a Boston-based start-up called Talent Response (www.talentresponse.com) with an ex-management consultant. Together we help boutique consulting firms better deal with variable project demand via rapid staff augmentation through our network of highly-talented independent consultants. If you are ever in the area and would like to grab a bowl of chowder and a beer, I would love to meet up! Please don’t hesitate to reach out, as I always love getting in touch with fellow Oles.
Susan Jelinka (’14): After graduating in May with majors in Economics and Studio Art, I moved back to Colorado and into my old room! I got a job at Lululemon in early June as a sales associate. Lululemon has an incredible leadership program that really forced me to think about what I wanted ten years from now and how I envisioned my life to be. I had never been pushed to actually write down what I wanted and the steps that were going to take me there. I highly suggest applying to Lululemon if you are in between jobs, their training program is really inspiring. After some time I grew close to a coworker of mine whose husband works for a company called Muscle Activation Techniques. Turns out they were desperate for someone with a design and marketing background. I applied for the position and interned for 2 months. I gladly accepted their offer for me to hang out full time, and now I have been their Global Marketing Lead for the last 5 months! Thanks to my studies at Olaf, I have been given this outstanding opportunity to help grow this company! If you are ever in the Denver area and would like to grab coffee or a chipotle burrito, I would love to meet up! Please never hesitate to reach out, I will always love hearing from fellow oles! 🙂 www.muscleactivation.com
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