Vanessa MacMillan '19
“I like to understand how the world works – how things operate on a systemic level, a state level, and an individual level,” says Vanessa MacMillan ’19. “We live in such a complex world, and I really want to understand it as best I can and work toward better outcomes in the future.”
MacMillan decided that Bryant’s Politics and Law major, a multidisciplinary program that brings together Political Science and Legal Studies, would best prepare her to do just that. “It’s fascinating to look at the people and the ideologies that have shaped the world and leads to the formulation of ideas and theories that shape the field of international relations,” she notes.
Pairing that major with a minor in Finance has helped her understand how those ideas continue to evolve. “It's a really great combination,” says MacMillan, who today is an AmeriCorps Victim Assistance Program Manager and a member of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Response Team in Manchester, NH. “It’s important to be able to understand how financial considerations, and the factors behind them, affect people’s lives when you’re making policy.”
Studying abroad at the University of Leeds in England broadened her perspective as well. “I made incredible friends,” says MacMillan. “We would talk for hours, exchanging information and viewpoints and learning about each other’s cultures. Sharing ideas with them helped me shape my own thinking.”
Being a catalyst for other students’ transformations is important to her. A member of the Smart Women in Finance group, she mentored students and shared her experiences, including an eye-opening internship with Bank of America Merrill Lynch. “We have so many great professors and guest speakers at Bryant,” she says, “but it's really valuable to get advice from other students as well.”
As lead organizer of TEDxBryantU 2019, MacMillan brought together faculty, students, and staff to discuss “The Keys to the Future.” The day-long event explored a wide range of topics with one goal: creating a better tomorrow.
Real World Experience
Internships
Wealth Management Intern, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
• Worked alongside the client associates and financial advisors of The Barcomb Group to provide high quality financial services and support.
Mentoring
Smart Women in Finance
• Oversaw outreach and communication efforts
Leadership
Lead Organizer, TEDxBryantU 2019
• Supervising all aspects of Bryant’s 2019 TEDx-style event, including organizing speakers, outreach, and overseeing the event itself
Study Abroad
University of Leeds, England
A Connected Community
Bryant's purposeful student life delivers co-curricular immersion with an inspiring, collegial community. Students forge deep connections that last a lifetime.
“The business reputation, meeting the students who had come here and had become successful, learning about the internships they had gotten and the kind of companies that recruit from here — all of those things about Bryant really drew me in.”
Connecting the dots with talented mentors from the Bryant network led to exciting opportunities
“There will always be a need for people who can use mathematics to address, and solve, real-world problems.”