Miranda Beggin
D’Amore McKim School of Business at Northeastern University
“I live my life somewhere on the spectrum between blind optimism and honest realism.”
Fun fact about yourself: I’ve been to one of the new Seven Wonders of the World – Petra!
Hometown: Brentwood, NH
High School: Exeter High School
Major: Business Administration (Finance Concentration) & Political Science Combined
Minor: Global Social Entrepreneurship
Favorite Business Courses: Global Social Enterprise, Organizational Behavior, Credit Analysis, Strategy in Action
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:
International Relations Council (President ‘15, Secretary General ‘15, VP of Finance ‘14, Head Delegate, Chair), IDEA: Northeastern University’s Student-Run Startup Accelerator (Investment Lead ‘17, Investment Analyst ‘14-’16, Social Venture Coach ‘16), BuildOn Northeastern University (President ‘15), NU Social Enterprise Review (Editor-In-Chief ‘15, Contributor ‘13-‘14), NU Political Review (Columnist ‘16), NU Social Enterprise Student Association (Treasurer ‘13-’14), LIFT: Boston (Volunteer Advocate ‘14), Honors Program, Provost Research Grant Recipient, Clinton Global Initiative University (Attendee ‘14, ‘16), National Council on US-Arab Relations Saudi Arabia Exchange Fellowship (Fellow ‘14-’15), Presidential Global Scholarship (Recipient ‘16)
Where have you interned during your college career?
- Amazon.com; Seattle, WA; Financial Analyst Intern (Jul-Dec 2014)
- Endeavour Partners; Cambridge, MA; Associate Consultant Co-op (Jan-Jul 2016)
- Oasis500; Amman, Jordan; Investment Analyst Intern (Aug-Dec 2016)
Describe your dream Job: To work for the USAID Global Development Lab and help source and iterate innovations to the biggest problems facing developing countries. Ultimately, I want to start my own Impact Investing Fund to help allocate capital towards socially impactful, sustainable, and scalable businesses.
Which executive or entrepreneur do you most admire? Sallie Krawcheck. A former Wall Street executive, she recently started her own investing platform geared towards women that aims to help reduce the investing gap (men have twice as many retirement savings as women on average). Calling it “financial feminism,” the investment platform designs investment plans specifically for women, which I think is pretty awesome.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? How important it is to understand basic finance and macroeconomics. There are so many people who make financial decisions in a black box, without ever having learned about the economic environment in which they live. We need to do a better job about educating young people on these topics from an early age across the country (and the world).
Where would you like to work after graduation? I’m not sure where I will be working officially, but I know that I want to work in a place that has values with which I align and where I will constantly be learning.
What are your long-term professional goals? I want to make a positive impact on those around me, never stop learning, and champion a cause that I am passionate about. Whether that’s by managing a team at a Fortune 500, consulting for NGOs or starting my own company is not yet clear.
What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? Diversify your study path as much as you can. Branch out, pursue international experiences, talk to people, and don’t merely focus on what the textbooks say. Get as much experience as you can while you study.
“I knew I wanted to major in business when…I had a conversation with the owner of a failing business as part of an AP Economics project in high school. His experiences couldn’t be explained explicitly by Macro/Micro theories, and that got me interested in the nuts-and-bolts of running a business. I think that is why I still find myself so interested in talking to entrepreneurs.”
“If I didn’t major in business, I would be…an international relations major.”
“Before I entered business school, I wish I had known…how important it is to spend the time to get to know your fellow students and friends. Listening and learning from people, and making sure to surround yourself with people who challenge you and push you to be better should never be understated.”
What was the happiest moment of your life? One of the happiest, most blissful moments in recent memory is wandering around Wadi Rum, a desert in Jordan, late one night with friends while camping there. Not only had I never seen stars that clearly in my entire life, but I also spent the night with near-strangers who then became my closest friends while living in Jordan for a semester.
Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of my first co-op, when I moved to Seattle, WA to work at Amazon.com. That was one of the most challenging experiences I’ve faced, and I felt that I came out of the experience successful and having achieved what I had intended. It has helped me overcome challenging situations today, because it reaffirms my ability to overcome even when I have extreme doubts about my ability to achieve.
What animal would you choose to represent your professional brand? I would choose an owl. Owls are known to be wise and of a friendly nature but also possess independence and strength. I always seek knowledge and have a kind disposition, but I am also not afraid to pursue my own path and express what others may be hesitant to articulate.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? The people I most have to thank are my parents, who have never once questioned one of my academic or professional decisions. They gave me the toolkit to make good decisions growing up, while making sure to give me the freedom to make them myself. My co-op coordinator and professors, as well, have always supported me and helped keep me on track, even when my track may not have always made sense to them. I never felt pressured to fit into a mold.
What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? That I took every opportunity I could and made the most out of my experience here.
Favorite book: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao – Junot Diaz
Favorite movie: Crash
Favorite musical performer: Death Cab For Cutie
Favorite vacation spot: Aruba
What are your hobbies? Writing poetry, hiking, learning new languages
What made Miranda such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2017?
“I first met Miranda in the spring of 2014 when she was a student in my Professional Development for Co-op course. From the first time I met her, I knew she was a driven, conscientious individual. During her time at Northeastern, she has done an amazing variety of co-ops, volunteer work, and extracurricular activities. The reason she is such an invaluable addition to the class of 2017 is that she sets an example for her peers – an example of how to not only take advantage of the opportunities available to you, but how to challenge yourself to constantly reach for more. Miranda’s amazing resume speaks for itself, yet she has somehow maintained her signature humility throughout her time at Northeastern. I can say without reservation that she is one of the most accomplished, mature, eager students I have ever met.”
Kelly Harrington
Assistant Cooperative Education Faculty, Finance
D’Amore McKim School of Business at Northeastern University
DON’T MISS: THE FULL HONOR ROLL: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS MAJORS OF 2017
Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.