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Author: Megan Reardon
Year in Review
This past year has helped define who I am and who I want to be. At the end of my first year, I was not sure if I wanted to stay in business. I had so many other interests in subjects completely different than business. During this past year, I have focused on finding my passion and working on discovering what makes me happy. What I have found is that business is an intersection of all of my interests. Since finance is so broad, it opens up a lot of doors. I decided to stay as a finance major because it is so versatile and I don’t necessarily need to decide what I am passionate about right at this moment. I am able to experience life a little, and hopefully discover my passion along the way.
G.O.A.L.S.
Global Awareness:
In the coming spring, I will be studying abroad for a semester at Singapore Management University. Though I have yet to go abroad, I have been through several orientation sessions and met with students who will be studying across the globe. Though these sessions, I have developed my appreciation for diversity through meeting each individual that is studying abroad. Everyone wants to experience different places and see what the world has to offer after being sheltered in the US for our entire academic career. I have already gained immense knowledge and global awareness from conducting my own research, so I am excited to go abroad and experience more East Asian culture.
Original Inquiry:
As an undergraduate research assistant in the Consumer Analytics and Behavior Lab, I have had the opportunity to learn about how food insecurity affects families both in Columbus and around the world. I have had to do immense research into literary articles that have been published on the topic. I have also worked on a project that aims to help children eat healthier at lunch. There has been plenty of research on the effects of junk food on brain development and performance, but not enough research on ways to get children to eat healthier. When involved in the research, it was like you were making a real difference in the future of children.
Academic Enrichment:
I am the Vice President of a student organization in the Fisher College of Business called Risk Management Association. One of our main goals is to inform students on the impacts of risk and how they affect a company. Many students in business do not understand risk, though it plays a large role in how companies operate as a whole. Additionally, we help students find internships in the field of risk management, giving other students the opportunity to grow and learn individually.
Leadership Development:
Keeping with the example of Risk Management Association, I serve as the Vice President. Additionally, I helped found the organization and have watched it grow to include more and more members every year. Being a part of this organization has helped me grow in my leadership skills because I have had to work with people who have different opinions and thought processes than me on a consistent basis for two years.
Service Engagement:
Over this past year, I have been volunteering as a student-athlete tutor at East High School. We bring the students healthy snacks and help them with their homework, ACT studying, FAFSA applications, and external scholarship opportunities. The students at East High don’t always believe in themselves, so when you tell the students that they have the potential to go to college, they are more encouraged to try hard in high school.
Career
EDUCATION
The Ohio State University
Max M. Fisher College of Business, Honors Distinction, FisherDirect Specialization: Finance, Minor: Economics Scholarships: Provost Scholarship, Dean’s Promise Award
WORK EXPERIENCE
Consumer Analytics and Behavior Lab
Research Assistant September 2014- March 2016
- Use statistical programming in Microsoft Excel to collect, compile, and organize data into virtual databases
- Assist in writing and editing research papers on current economic and nutrition issues to be published in major journals, such as Nutrition and Pediatrics
WME | IMG
Finance/ Risk Management Intern May 2015- January 2015
- Recovered over $200,000 in unearned insurance premiums
- Created multiple databases outlining WME | IMG’s historical premiums to present to the CFO, COO, and CLO
- Investigated WME | IMG’s purchasing of several companies to ensure proper insurance coverage
Hastings Water Works Brecksville, OH
Pool Manager, Head Lifeguard, Swim Team Coach April 2012-August 2015
- Facilitated communication between office staff and lifeguards by applying positive communication
- Guided the Home Owner’s Association President to signing a new contract by improving patron and lifeguard communication
- Coached children ages 3-10 basic swim strokes to compete in weekly recreational swim meets
VOLUNTEER AND LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
Risk Management Association
Founder, Vice President
September 2014- Present
- Pioneered the establishment of the Risk Management Association by writing the Constitution and Bylaws and applying to be recognized by Ohio State University and Fisher College of Business
- Established a relationship between the Risk Management Association and the Fisher Risk Institute, simplifying means for members to meet and retain relationships with professionals in the field of risk
- Liaison between the Risk Management Association and the external speakers and featured companies
- Plan, implement, and coordinate events relating to finance, data analytics, actuarial science, and the field of risk
Students Consulting For Nonprofit Organizations
Associate
January 2016-Present
- SCNO offers strategic consulting for local non-profits free of charge, giving student associates the opportunity to apply classroom concepts to real world problems
- Create social enterprise business model for Together Rebuilding Central Ohio
Student-Athlete Tutoring
East High School September 2015-Present
- Encourage athletes to exercise their academic abilities by providing tutoring, information about college, and new study methods to help students find a balance between academics and sports that will extend beyond graduation
- Provide support with college-prep materials such as the FAFSA, ACT, and external scholarship applications
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
International Affairs Scholars August 2014-Present
Global Citizenship Committee
- Scholars program with the intention of educating students on both domestic and foreign current events and diplomatic policy
- Dedication to serving the Columbus community through volunteering
Fisher Risk Institute Annual Conference
October 2014, 2015
- Concentrated on dialogue about risk’s complexity, relevance across industries, and tool for competitiveness and growth
- One of five undergraduate students selected to attend the inaugural conference in October 2014 and one of seven undergraduates invited in 2015
Forte College 2 Business Leadership Conference
November 2015
- One of 100 undergraduate women selected from across the United States to attend a conference focused on leadership development and diversity in business
Artifacts
In November 2015, I was given the opportunity to attend the Forte College 2 Business Leadership Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At this conference, I had the chance to speak with businesswomen already in the field, as well as students from colleges across the country. It was interesting discovering how other business schools learn about business and the industry. We participated in a marketplace simulation where my team was in charge of running the operations of a business over the span of four quarters. I learned about business in the “real world” that continues to help me during my classroom experience.
Over the past two years, I have had the opportunity to attend the Risk Institute Conference. This event was a wonderful experience to meet leaders in the risk field as well as celebrate the opening of the Fisher College of Business’s new research center. My favorite speaker from both events was General Michael Hayden, the former head of the CIA and NSA. Listening to his input on the modern day crises facing our world was extremely informative and insightful.
In April 2015, I traveled with the International Affairs Scholars program to Toronto, Canada. We stayed in Toronto for three days, exploring the topic of diversity and immigration. This trip was a wonderful experience for me because it was my first time out of the country. I had the opportunity to explore the city with other IA scholars, some of which I had never met before. I had never been to such a large city and I was overwhelmed with such large buildings on every corner. The picture was taken at a Japanese restaurant. Normally I don’t like seafood, but it was one of the only menu items, so I ate it and it was delicious! I would definitely visit Toronto again!
For the beginning of my freshman year until March 2016, I was a research assistant in the Consumer Analytics and Behavior Lab. This was economic research that was part of the Department of Consumer Science. In this position, I learned about the SNAP and WIC program in the United States and was able to quantify results of various food security studies. I was able to learn about the various problems that people with lower incomes face, as well as understand in a deeper level the cyclical nature of poverty. The research will hopefully be able to help change policy in order to combat rising poverty levels across the United States.
I recently joined a student organization called Student Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations. I am part of a team of four people working with a local nonprofit, Rebuilding Together Central Ohio (RTCO), to help make RTCO into a social enterprise. Since RTCO is having trouble funding their nonprofit, like most nonprofit organizations, our goal is to help them become more self-sustaining rather than only relying on donations. I have been the most involved in this organization since coming to OSU, and as a result, I have gained many life skills that will help me both in my major and in my life. I am able to present well, write reports well, and have a deeper understanding about how nonprofits work and how they are impacted by the current market.
I began tutoring student-athletes at East High School at the beginning of this year. At East High School, many students do not know about the college application process because they either don’t think they will be accepted to college or they don’t think they can afford college. I help provide support with college-prep materials such as the FAFSA, ACT, and external scholarship applications. Tutoring has helped open my eyes and reminisce about my own high school experience and how extremely lucky I was to be born into my family.
About Me
My name is Megan Reardon and I am a second year student in Finance. I am part of the International Affairs Scholars program, as well as part of the Business Honors program. I work as a Research Assistant in the Consumer Analytics and Behavior Lab conducting economic and nutrition research on improving global health, starting with children. I also spend my time in different clubs and student organizations, including Risk Management Association, of which I am the Vice President, and Undergraduate Business Women’s Association.
Yes, that is my resume is listed above. When someone asks me to “tell me about yourself,” my first inclination is to brag about the accomplishments and the wild success that I have attained in my life. No one wants to hear about the failures, the times when you have not quite lived up to expectations. As I grow older, however, I am to define myself in a more existential way. Why was I put on the Earth? Surely it isn’t so I can just make money and spend money continuously. Thus I ask myself again; why was so blessed being born into the family I was and given the opportunities I have been given?
To a large extent, I have been shaped by my family. I grew up in a household with four siblings, three younger and one older. I am not a strong believer in calling people “best friends,” but I can confidently say that my siblings have been my best friends for my entire life. Even in college, I call my sister every day and talk to the other siblings at least three times a week. While we are all very different people, we all want what’s best for each of the siblings. Any advice, questions, or simple commentary on life and its wonders are always addressed through my four-sibling panel and my parents. My advice to go to Ohio State, my decision to play soccer instead of gymnastics, and several other major life decisions have all been heavily influenced by advice heeded from my parents and siblings. I have been blessed with one of the best support groups in the world. There surely has to be a reason that I was given so many people to love and encourage me, no matter the mistakes I make.
I also identify myself as being fundamentally empathetic. I want to go into my career path to help people; I want to be the person that makes a change in someone’s life. I have encountered both mental and physical illnesses in family and friends during my life. Though I wish the pain of those illnesses on no one, I do understand that experiencing what I have in my life has made me a more empathetic person to other experiencing what I have.
One pivotal event that has shaped me the most is a close friend’s experience with mental illness. After being sexually assaulted, an intense fight with major depression disorder ensued that continues to this day. The experience has helped me become everything that I pride myself in being, empathetic, kind, and understanding. Though I may not always have the words to respond to my friend and her experiences, I have done countless hours of research on how to be there for a person who has experienced what she has. Surely, while this illness has altered both of our lives, it has made both my friend and me and we have become closer because of it.
When choosing a scholars program, International Affairs was at the top of my list. When choosing, I wanted something that wasn’t necessarily a strict academic focus, like Business Scholars, but rather something that would help me grow and develop into an educated, insightful person with global understanding. My favorite part about International Affairs Scholars is that I see a strong desire to learn and actually make a difference in the world through activism and social change. I see this being exemplified on campus every day through different programs and initiatives lead by IA Scholars. I am proud to be a member of IA. I know that I have been changed for the better because of IA. I look forward to the ways that my peers and I will change the world through our own actions and experiences.
Earlier I addressed the question, “Why was I put on the Earth?” While I still do not have a definite answer to this, as I’m sure I never will, I know I was born into the circumstances I was and given the experiences I have, whether it be through Ohio State or my personal life, to make a difference in the world and in the lives of those around me. I look forward to figuring out how to promote positive social change, and hopefully the years to come will lead me to make bigger impacts in the lives of those around me.
