Title: Molly Daly (SFS’21) Transfers to SFS for International Economics, Finds a Global Community on the Hilltop

After her first year of undergraduate study, Molly Daly (SFS’21) took a risk. “I decided to make a bold move and apply for a transfer to Georgetown into its renowned International Economics program, which fulfilled all of my academic and pre-professional aspirations,” she explains.

Three years later, Daly is graduating with an in-depth understanding of quantitative techniques and economic analysis that she is eager to apply as an incoming analyst for an international law firm focused on cross-border disputes. 

Though her senior year is not ending quite as expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Daly is confident that the resilience, optimism and openness to new experiences she learned at SFS will serve her well as she begins a new chapter.

At a Glance

Hometown: Barcelona, Spain

Major: International Economics

Language: Spanish

Experience Abroad: Spring 2020 in Sussex, England (cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic) 

On-Campus Activities: Embassy Director and Vice President of the Georgetown European Club; Project Consultant with the Georgetown Global Consulting Group; Analyst with student-run emerging market investment fund, ZEEBA; Teaching Assistant for International Economics; GU Eating Society

Non-GU Activities: Internship with a Barcelona-based mergers and acquisitions investment bank in Summer 2019; business development internship with a Barcelona-based startup in summer 2020; researcher and writer for PolisAnalysis

Finding Her Place on the Hilltop

Unlike many of her SFS classmates, Daly first arrived on the Hilltop for her sophomore year. She enrolled at another university to study economics but soon found her interest piqued by a different subject.

“As a transfer student, I had originally chosen economics as my major field,” she explains. “But after taking a number of courses on international relations during my freshman year at Boston University, I realized that I was fundamentally drawn to international economics.”

Daly’s research led her to Georgetown, and she made the “bold move” of applying to SFS. She admits feeling intimidated by the school’s high academic standards, but upon receiving her acceptance letter, she knew it was the right decision. “Flash forward a few months to my receipt of my admissions email, I could not have been happier to receive my acceptance,” Daly says.

Next came something even more intimidating than the application process: another first day of college. Luckily, Daly adds, she was quickly put at ease by a friendly  Georgetown community. 

“I was thoroughly impressed by the welcoming nature of Georgetown faculty and students alike,” she says. “I remember initially dreading my first few classes as a newly-arrived transfer student, only to be honestly amazed by how accommodating and inviting all students were during my sophomore year.”

Global Community at SFS

As Daly settled into Georgetown life, she found a supportive academic and social community with members from every corner of the globe. To connect with diverse students over shared interests and experiences, she joined the Georgetown European Club, GU Eating Society and more of Georgetown’s many student clubs..

“I have been an active member of the Georgetown European Club — acting as Embassy Director in 2018-9 and subsequently Vice President in Fall 2019 — where I was tasked with coordinating visits to European embassies,” Daly says.

Daly also got involved with clubs where she and other students could bond over an interest in international economics. She joined Zeeba Group, an undergraduate-run international equities investment fund, and, as a project consultant for the Georgetown Global Consulting Group, “helped to improve the business performance and strategies of Latin American NGOs.”

In addition to rigorous academics and vibrant extracurriculars, SFS also offered Daly the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to partake in the school’s centennial celebrations last fall. “From running around from one event to another with friends, eager to learn as much as possible from the prominent speakers, to mingling with renowned Georgetown alumni and associates, these events truly represented one of the most rewarding weekends of my academic career,” she says.

When Daly reflects on her SFS experience, class discussions and club meetings are just as memorable as major events such as the SFS Centennial. The combination of both, she says, is what makes the SFS experience so distinctive.

“I will miss most the unique nature of SFS, mixing incredibly insightful courses with an array of students from regions across the globe, while offering wonderful professional and social opportunities via its wide offering of university clubs — all against the backdrop of the always-impressive, awe-worthy Georgetown campus,” Daly says.

Seeking Out New Beginnings

Despite all the opportunities available to her on campus, Daly made sure to “break the Georgetown bubble” and explore the rest of Washington, D.C., whenever she could. Since the pandemic brought her off-campus adventures to an unexpected close last March, Daly has been reminiscing about the D.C. food scene. 

“Definitely, my favorite way to break the bubble would be to explore new cafés and restaurants around D.C.,” she says. “Whether it be the Dolcezza café at CityCenterDC or China Chilcano right after a visit to the National Portrait Gallery, D.C. had so much to offer that breaking the bubble never proved to be too difficult.”

For the last year, however, Daly has been inside another kind of bubble, as the COVID-19 pandemic sent her home to Barcelona, Spain. She had returned to Barcelona for an internship at a mergers and acquisitions investment bank over the summer of 2019 but never imagined she would spend her senior year there.

Over the course of the pandemic, Daly has pursued a business development internship with a Barcelona-based startup and kept up with her international economics courses online. Still, she says, these virtual experiences are no substitute for time on campus. “I have been unable to return to the Georgetown campus, remaining mainly in Barcelona throughout this past year. As such, I’ve missed out on the opportunity to take advantage of my last year on the Hilltop,” she explains.

Daly’s last semesters at SFS have certainly been bittersweet, but she credits this experience with teaching her the necessary optimism and flexibility to keep seeking out new opportunities. After graduation, Daly will once again have the opportunity to explore a new city and make new connections as an analyst in the New York office of Kobre & Kim LLP, an international law firm dedicated to cross-border disputes.

As she prepares for graduation and her move to New York, Daly has been reflecting on how the pandemic has changed her outlook on life and her academic and professional direction.

“Despite this unfortunate situation, the pandemic has nonetheless taught me a great deal,” she says. “In particular, to remain flexible, optimistic, and resilient to life’s unexpected changes, while definitely improving my tech savviness along the way.”