Positive Undergrad Experience at Whitman Convinced Student to Stay on for Master’s Degree in Finance

Russell Vazzana ’23, ’25 M.S., received his undergraduate degree from the Whitman School of Management in December 2023. Due to the positive experience he had over those four years, he knew it would be beneficial to continue his education and earn a master’s degree from Whitman, as well.

“It wasn’t a difficult decision to stay at Whitman for my master’s degree in finance,” he says. “I had already had a great undergraduate experience here, and the faculty and Whitman’s Career Services are really encouraging.”

He credits Associate Teaching Professor of Finance Fatima Sonmez-Leopold for being one of the reasons he got into finance, as well as Professor of Entrepreneurial Practice John Torrens for playing an active role in the success of his undergraduate Capstone project. And, he recognizes the outstanding assistance he received from Whitman’s Career Services team that allowed him to gain experience in his chosen field from a position at ESL Federal Credit Union as a student teller one summer and also work as a seasonal administrative assistant during the busy tax season at the Bonadio Group.

“Everyone at Whitman wants me to succeed and has done all they could in their various roles to see that I had great opportunities,” he says. “I knew one more year of study would only expand on that and help me become even more prepared for a finance career.”

As an undergraduate, Vazzana was also a member of Delta Sigma Pi, a business fraternity exclusive to Whitman students and other students majoring in economics. Through this, he worked on both soft and hard skills, such as networking and career development.

One of his best experiences as an undergraduate, however, was his semester abroad in London, where he not only took business management classes but also had a full-time internship with Hive Group as a digital product executive intern working with AI to see how it brings in revenue and interfaces with clients. 

Vazzana appreciates Whitman’s worldview of business and how the Whitman School has given him the skills to communicate in a global work environment. In the master’s program, he has had the opportunity to work with a number of international students, which has also given him the chance to better hone his communications skills and work on group projects with others from different backgrounds and experiences.

As he prepares to graduate with his master’s degree this May, Vazzana is pleased that he made the decision to earn another degree and further hone his skills and experience in the field of finance at the Whitman School. And, he intends to use this knowledge as a jumping off point for a successful career in the financial field.

By Caroline Reff