Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service

Stephen Brinkman '07 will enter the private sector as a credit markets analyst at RBS, Greenwich Capital. To sort through his many career options, the international economics major drew from lessons he learned while completing the honors certificate in International Business Diplomacy.

The atmosphere always winds up being collegial and supportive

"The private sector is having an increasingly important role in shaping U.S. foreign policy," said Stephen. He added, "Bureaucrats, policymakers, and NGO officials alike frequently turn to bankers and other business leaders to better understand the impact of world political developments on broader U.S. interests."

The dean's list student had a busy senior year outside the classroom as chair of the sixth annual Carroll Round, a conference for top undergraduates from the United States and abroad to present original international economics research. The Carroll Round offers undergraduates a unique chance to receive criticism from peers, for which Stephen was grateful. "I was fortunate to have that kind of feedback as I completed my own bachelor's thesis," he said.

Stephen also served on the Carroll Round committee his junior year, and found that many of his peers expected the weekend to be quite intimidating. "They come from institutions where academic rigor means vicious criticism among students in the classroom," he said. "The atmosphere always winds up being collegial and supportive, and criticism is fair and constructive."

The experience put life at Georgetown in perspective for Stephen. "It's a remarkable manifestation of our Jesuit ideals. It certainly rubs off on Carroll Round participants, even if they are only here for a weekend," he said.

Stephen's four years at SFS also left him with a stronger appreciation of Washington, DC. "No other city in the world is home to so many influential economists," he said. "Having organizations like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank just down the road, not to mention federal agencies and world-class think tanks makes it possible to attract faculty who have truly shaped the practice of international affairs."