Bridget Tobin

Bucknell University, Freeman College of Management

“I love the beach, live music, and spending time with family and friends.”

Fun fact about yourself:  I worked at my local town pharmacy throughout high school and into college, building a healthy appetite for assisting clients and serving them. I grew a strong appreciation for small businesses, as the Little Silver Family Pharmacy vibrantly lights up the community, as well as the value of strong customer service.

Hometown:  Little Silver, N.J.

High School:  Red Bank Regional High School

Major:  Business Analytics, Economics (double major)

Minor:  N/A

Favorite Business Course: MGMT 101: Introduction to Organization and Management. I thoroughly enjoyed forming a company with about 20 classmates, producing a business product to support a service project. As budget controller under our accounting & financial management department, I helped guide our company to earn over $2,000 for the American Mental Wellness Association.

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College: I am co-president of the student-run Women in Finance Club on campus, where I help create a strong environment for undergraduates to connect with alums and professionals in the finance world. As an avid member of the Freeman College of Management, I served as a teaching assistant for various courses, such as Spreadsheet Modeling & Data Analysis (ANOP 102) and Exploring Management (MGMT 100), where I led first-years in their first semester of college as a Freeman Fellow. This semester, I will serve as a communications intern and teaching assistant for ACFM 150, and I look forward to assisting students with professional development and career guidance. I am also a member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta and hold the position as a co-membership chair for the Mortar Board Honors Society. At the beginning of my sophomore year, I walked on to the Bucknell women’s varsity basketball team.

Where have you interned during your college career?

• Summer 2020: Bank of America, Financial Management Analyst Program (FMAP) Intern, Charlotte, N.C.
• Summer 2021: Bank of America, Global Wealth and Investment Management (GWIM) Intern, New York City

Where will you be working after graduation?  Bank of America in New York City as an analyst on the Global Wealth and Investment Management (GWIM) strategy team.

What company do you admire most? I most admire Berkshire Hathaway as a result of their initiatives for sustainable growth and development. CEO Warren Buffet’s ability to offer sustained performance and traditional values in his approach to investing across public and private markets is something I admire greatly. His philanthropic efforts demonstrate humility and responsibility for his successes.

What did you enjoy most about your business school? As a proud member of the Freeman College of Management at Bucknell, I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the community and cohort of hard-working, strong-willed students and faculty it creates. Every single one of my professors pushed me to achieve more than I ever thought I could, especially as a member of the first graduating class with a Business Analytics major. The opportunity to build deep relationships with them, no matter the subject, really propelled me to work hard and find my way both academically and professionally. In addition to Management, picking up a second major in Economics was a natural fit, and it is a decision that reinforces the liberal arts foundation that Bucknell offers its student body.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? I have learned that business inherently embraces change in people and markets and is always evolving. This motion allows corporations to balance legacy infrastructures with new sets of data and innovation while still leveraging the relationships between the people behind the work.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? Never stop creating your story and enjoying the journey. Everyone will experience different ups-and-downs throughout their education, interview processes and career paths. Staying true to myself, who I want to be, and trusting the process has allowed me to succeed and connect with people at another level.

What has surprised you most about majoring in business? Business majors are integrating technology at a rapid rate into legacy and future workflows. My experiences pursuing both Business Analytics and Economics majors only reinforced the relevance of data. With every click, more data is generated, and the ability to tell a story beyond the numbers will become increasingly valuable for all stakeholders. I am thankful that the business analytics curriculum pushed me to expand my technical skills to decipher large amounts of data into clear, concise stories. Companies will continue to adapt as a result of the ever-changing digital age we live in now, and the business world will evolve as a result.

Which academic, extracurricular, or personal achievement are you most proud of? At the beginning of my sophomore year, I walked on to the NCAA Division I women’s basketball team. Although I had not played my first year at Bucknell, I challenged myself to try out and push myself out of my comfort zone. This was a massive time commitment and demanded another level of management and accountability to myself, my teammates. and the university. Although I was not the tallest on the team nor did I receive much play time, I worked hard every day to maintain a high standard as a student athlete. I am forever thankful for the opportunity to represent Bucknell, meet new teammates who quickly became lifelong friends, and play my favorite game. I am also thrilled to have been named to the 2020 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll after the season.

Which classmate do you most admire? A classmate I most admire is Ariel Kelly. I met Ariel when I was a sophomore and she was a teaching assistant for my first programming class. I arrived at her office hours a few times, and she addressed the abundance of questions with an impressive amount of patience and knowledge. Before we knew it, we both declared Business Analytics as our majors and became very close friends and colleagues, taking pretty much every management class together. She has not stopped pushing me to dig deeper in my technical skills and understanding, yet also serves as a really close friend of mine. Our friendship only continues to grow, demonstrating how the Freeman College of Management really allowed me to progress and expand my relationships with classmates to create lifelong, valuable friendships.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? I would like to thank my grandmother, Maria, who is commonly referred to by friends and family as Nana. Nana moved from Portugal to Brazil at a very young age alongside her four siblings and mother. There, she met my grandfather, known as Poppop, and they fell in love. They moved to the United States and raised a family without speaking English or having much financially. Ever since my Poppop passed away about nine years ago, Nana inspires me to continue learning and loving in this world. She cooks a traditional Brazilian meal, rice and beans, for her seven grandkids every week, emphasizing the importance of family. I am forever thankful for the best friend I have in Nana, and the connection we will hold forever.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? The first item on my bucket list is to establish myself with my new team at Bank of America and leverage the relationships I have already started to grow after my last two internships there. I want to obtain a stronger understanding of investing across global markets and always be in a position to constantly be learning. The second item is less certain, yet has helped guide me since I started high school; it is the ability to continue building relationships in the business world and my community. The Bucknell community continues to establish the standard for a strong work-life balance to achieve maximum productivity in the classroom and my aim is to parlay that into success in the workplace.

What are your hobbies? Music, family, traveling, going to the beach, skiing, basketball, tennis, mentoring

What made Bridget such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2022?

“Bridget is an exceptional student with relentless drive and grit. She is also an intelligent, selfless and thoughtful young lady. She impressed her faculty and peers alike through her enthusiasm for learning, her smart and inquisitive mind, and by being a reliable team player. She became a mentor and role model for many of her peers, always happy to offer guidance and advice based on her internship experiences over the past years.

She is a compassionate leader, hard-working, and passionate, a reflection of all the great values Freeman College of Management is committed to instill in all students. I’ve known Bridget for almost four years, and I am grateful and thankful for the many wonderful and rich conversations we had. She brightened my days and made me a better teacher and adviser. Yes, Bridget is this awesome, and she’s on the right path to do great things!”

Alia Stanciu
Assistant Professor of Analytics & Operations Management

DON’T MISS: 100 BEST & BRIGHTEST BUSINESS MAJORS OF 2022