Ryan lands finance position with global engineering firm

By Margo Fritz ’15

Stephanie Ryan came to Cornell for the sense of community and challenging academics, and she left with a job on the finance team of a global engineering firm. Ryan has always loved working with numbers, and her passion for economics and business blossomed during a business analytics course with Professor Santhi Hejeebu.

“She makes you work harder than you ever thought you could, and in the end you not only learn the course material, but you also learn how much you are actually capable of accomplishing,” Ryan said. “She makes you think in ways you didn’t know you were capable of.”

Ryan’s studies were bolstered by two impressive internships. During the summer after her sophomore year, Ryan interned at W.L. Gore, a producer of medical devices in her hometown of Flagstaff, Ariz.

As a financial analyst intern, Ryan created a model in Excel that helped financial analysts track expenses for clinical trials. The company continued to use her model even after she left.

The next summer Ryan worked in the International and Service Solutions Finance Division of Rockwell Collins, a Fortune 500 engineering company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

“I enjoyed the culture and people. Being able to do the kind of work that I enjoy, numbers and finance, and at the same time getting to learn more everyday about aviation engineering was a great experience. ”

After interning and networking with alumni in the field, Ryan was able to find a post-graduation job at CH2M Hill in the Denver area. Ryan will be working on the finance team of the energy and chemicals division, where she will have the opportunity to learn even more about finance and engineering.

“It’s definitely the job I was looking for,” she said.

Even with a great job in her future, Ryan will be sad to say goodbye to her alma mater.

“Faculty, staff, all the students, friends…there’s just something about the people here that makes you fall in love with Cornell.”