While at Tuck, I switched my career to renewable energy finance. It was not an area in which I had experience, but I saw business school as a platform to finally jump into it. Before Tuck, I worked for my family’s business, and before that I had a brief gig in the fashion industry. So, for me, clean tech and corporate finance were both completely new topics that I had to learn from ground zero. Tuck was a perfect place to do that.

Tuck provided me access to incredible resources and opportunities, and it was up to me to lean in and take advantage of what was offered. The Revers Center for Energy was a tremendous source of knowledge, projects, and networking for me. I attended career and industry exploration events like Energy 101, the Speaker Series, and a project finance workshop that helped me to acquire necessary skills to recruit for a job in renewable energy finance. The Revers Center always had many project opportunities: for example, I was selected to work on a First-Year Project for a US leading solar developer, which not only enabled me to expand my resume but also learn a huge deal about wholesale electricity markets. I also participated in an independent study for a local private equity firm, for which we analyzed data and wrote a report on greenhouse gas abatement for their portfolio companies.

My summer internship was with Verogy, a commercial and industrial solar developer led by a Tuck alum. It was a real learning curve for me. In just a couple of months, I learned so much about the solar energy market on the ground that, in turn, helped me develop a solid knowledge base to pursue my full-time role in investment banking at Marathon Capital. While I greatly enjoyed my time at Verogy, I realized I wanted more exposure to the broader renewable energy sector, including wind and utility scale solar. That is why in my second year I decided to pursue investment banking.

I didn’t expect my first year to be so challenging. When I arrived at Tuck, I did not have experience in a traditional corporate environment. For me to catch up and build up my resume for future recruiting opportunities, then, I had to work. That’s why the Revers Center was key for me. April Salas, executive director of the Revers Center, would talk to me for hours, sharing her experience and giving me advice. Once you really take advantage of the programming the school offers, the world is your oyster.

If I could give advice to other students, I would recommend staying focused on what you really want to do. With so many recruiting events going on when the school starts it is very easy to get distracted and lured into recruiting events of companies that aren’t on your target list. From the start I knew that I wanted to pivot my career into clean energy. Tuck has a very strong and supportive alumni network and access to unmatched industry resources that helped me build up my resume and make this challenging transition into renewable energy finance. Just knowing what the opportunities are and what your preferences are will help you a ton, because the recruiting period could be very overwhelming. You are best served by directing your time with intention.