Andrea Wirth ’01

Andrea Wirth, ’01, has used the liberal arts education she received at Cornell to steadily advance in the field of investment banking. 

“After I graduated from Cornell I went to work for Robert W. Baird, a mid-sized investment bank in Milwaukee, WI, as a junior equity analyst covering industrial stocks.  The job can be pretty intense and I think that is what Cornell best prepared me for.”

She credits the OCAAT sturucture as “key to preparing me for the intense and fast-paced world of Wall Street.  Most people wouldn’t necessarily think this, but the liberal arts foundation of my Cornell education was also a primary reason why I was hired for my job.  While the technical aspects of any job are important, Cornell helped me hone-in my communication skills and develop an overall presence which is imperative to be successful in my job.”

Wirth hasn’t let her success eclipse her educational pursuits, she began pursuing MBA at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business as a Baird Scholar part-time by commuting from Milwaukee.  She was promoted to Associate Analyst half-way through her MBA.  She graduated in March 2008 and was promoted to Vice President and Senior Research Analyst covering the Facility and Industrial Services companies.

She has moved to work from Baird’s Chicago offices, where she is enjoying the city.   “I am very excited to get involved with local charities and re-establishing that balance of service-leadership that was such an instrumental part of my education at Cornell.”