When Emily Case ’10 returns to her hometown of Seattle after graduating from Scripps, she will not leave empty-handed.
“I knew that I would graduate with a sense that it was okay to be smart and speak my mind,” says Emily. “Now that I am weeks away from finishing my time at Scripps, I know that this is one gift I will carry with me throughout my life.”
Although she intended to major in Politics and International Relations, a macroeconomics class with Professor Kerry Odell changed the course of Emily’s academic career.
“Now my faculty advisor and second thesis reader, Professor Odell is the primary reason I chose to pursue a degree in Mathematical Economics,” Emily explains. “While challenging at times, economics provides a unique and useful lens through which we can analyze complex topics. The tools used by economists can be applied to range of issues—from analyzing the effectiveness of education policy to the economics of college basketball.”
One of her most memorable experiences during the past four years was a trip to Torino, Italy for the annual International Association for Feminist Economics conference (IAFFE) the summer after her sophomore year. She traveled with the then-Dean of Faculty and another student and was able to attend wide-ranging presentations and interact with well-known researchers from every corner of the world.
For her thesis, Emily attempted to quantify the extent to which centralized clearing and settlement systems mitigate counterparty risk. Her results shed light on a significant current debate over the implementation of similar centralized clearing and settlement systems in the market for credit default swaps. Last summer, she plumbed the archives of the New York Stock Exchange in order to collect a critical piece of data for her research. When she finally found the information hidden within the New York Stock Exchange Clearing House Association meeting minutes, Emily had her “Eureka!” moment.
“When people ask me what my thesis is on, I have difficulty explaining the topic in one or two sentences,” Emily admits. “I am looking forward to having the chance to (hopefully!) explain it at Capstone Day in such a way that makes my work more accessible and understandable to others.”
Emily goes on to a job as an analyst for J.P. Morgan in Seattle, where she will expand her knowledge of finance and retain the gift of her Scripps education.