MEET OUR LOCAL STUDENTS
It’s time for our Florida Gulf Coast University Student Spotlight! Our goal is to highlight young women who are ready to make a career in Investment Management.
This month's spotlight is on Andrea Santana. Andrea is an Economics and Finance double major set to graduate in December 2023. Andrea is interested in future job opportunities in Economics or Finance. She can be reached at [email protected] or 786-219-5834.
Why did you choose FGCU and your major?
I chose FGCU because I noticed that it was a small university with amazing faculty that could give me the opportunity to have deeper engagement with them. Also because of the vast resources that they offer, such as the Bloomberg Lab and the Exchange Program and their Multi-Cultural community of students. I chose economics because I wanted to understand how the world works, and why some economies are more developed than others. I added finance throughout my economics study I acknowledge the importance of the financial markets in any economy, how essential it is, and I wanted to understand more how markets work.
What is/was your favorite class at FGCU?
My two favorite have been Money & Capital Markets and Economic Development. Economic Development is all about underdeveloped economies and the reasons for that. We did a simulation as if we were consultants to the government of a country and we had to highlight areas of improvement and give suggestions on how to make important changes to help the economy. In Money & Capital Markets we learned a lot about monetary policy and how the government can intervene when its needed in order to stimulate the economy or slow it down. It has helped to understand the current state of our economy here in the US.
Where have you interned or worked in your field?
I have been working for the last 2 years with the Regional Economic Research Institute as a Research Assistant. I work with them developing monthly and quarterly reports, such as Economic Outlook and Real Estate Reports. I also work on individual projects, such as developing a Housing Affordability Index for counties in Southwest Florida. Also I worked on developing the Southwest Florida Stock Market Index, where we tracked stocks of companies that are headquartered here locally so we could compare performance to state and national levels.
What are your career goals after graduation?
I would like to go to Graduate School, pursuing an eventual PhD in Economics. I plan to stay in the United States to finish my schooling.
What clubs and/or organizations are you involved in at FGCU?
I am part of the Stock Club (STOC) and also I’m also part of Chi Alpha Campus Ministry. I am also part of the Lutgert School of Business Student Advisory Board and the Mentorship Program.
Give us one "Fun Fact" about yourself.
I love to travel. Most recently I went to England, France and Italy this past summer.