This year three MBA finance students were selected to receive the Bank of America Women Scholars Program: Lila Condon ’21, MBA’22, Marsha Jack MBA’22, and Annie Russo MBA’22. The trio split the $10,000 merit-based scholarship, which is part of a grant from Bank of America that supports Fairfield Dolan’s Professional Development Series and the Women in Quant Interdisciplinary Mentoring Series Program. The goal of the program is to provide practical skills for women entering quantitative fields.
One of the three recipients, Annie Russo is a former teacher who once owned a tutoring company, a venture she says, “sparked my interest in business while making me realize the importance of solid skills in finance.”
Russo is currently interning at Henkel in Stamford, Conn., in market research.
“The finance professors at Fairfield really want you to succeed, and since they come from diverse backgrounds, they each bring a unique expertise to their classes,” said Russo, who is also grateful for the knowledgeable staff in the Dolan Career Development Center. “I would recommend that any new student take advantage of the services that the Career Center offers.”
Russo hopes to work for a consumer-packaged goods company when she graduates with her MBA next fall.
Lila Condon has been focused on finance since her days in high school.
“Finance is a dynamic, forward-thinking industry and it’s constantly changing, which makes it more challenging and exciting,” says Condon. As a Fairfield undergraduate and finance major, she was involved with the finance club, was CFO of the Fairfield Mirror, and was a member of several honor societies.
Enrolling in the MBA has meant a deep dive into core business and finance classes, but the curriculum has also allowed her to explore other areas of interest, such as marketing. She considers that opportunity a big plus.
“There are so many different career choices in the finance field, and now that I’ve graduated, I want to learn and experience as much as possible so I can test out different roles and positions and determine what I truly enjoy,” she says.
