2015-Stacey-Ann Pearson

Stacey-Ann Pearson

First Major: Civil & Environmental Engineering
Minor: Economics

Personal Statement
Lafayette College’s 2015 cohort of graduands has proven to be the epitome of well-rounded excellence, with a capacity for exacting societal change and facilitating communal success; therefore, it is with honor and humility that I present my embodiment of the Lafayette Ideals, to be a representative of this auspicious class.

George Wharton Pepper, akin to the entire Lafayette student body, personifies prominence in undergraduate scholarship, not only in the academic realm but also in the areas of service, sports and extracurricular activities. As such, it would be remiss of me to state that as an individual, I constitute a paragon of Lafayette Ideals. However, it is my belief that as a close-knit community, each student offers varying levels of contributions to the college’s overall mission of developing inquiring minds that possess scrupulous value systems for personal, social and professional responsibility.

Parallel to my graduating peers, I am continually in search of opportunities that augment my liberal arts education with real-world experiences, which ultimately serve as a platform for honing my skills in connectivity, critical thinking and creativity. Over the past four years, I have developed a vested interest in utilizing said ideals to enhance the living, learning and working environment for various groups in our immediate and extended community. I have had the privilege of being involved in sundry activities that have led to playing tag with nine year-olds on the Quad, representing Lafayette in business debate competitions and excelling in arcane sporting events.

The experiences and challenges that I have encountered at Lafayette have forged me into a persevering operative, who is capable of striving for distinction in intellectual and social growth. I am continually grateful for the opportunity to experience palpable personal success, as such, I have and will continue to manifest this gratitude in service to the college and my surrounding communities.

Academic Activities/Awards – Total Years Involved

• Morgan Stanley – Richard B. Fisher Scholarship (2014-2015) 1
  The RBF Program is a competitive undergraduate scholarship established to provide outstanding Black, Hispanic, Native American and LGBT students with a financial award for exceptional academic achievement.
• Risk Management Summer Analyst, Morgan Stanley (Summer 2014) 1
  This internship is geared towards training students with a track record of academic excellence and developed skills in written and verbal communication. The program facilitates the learning of credit analyses to assess the creditworthiness of counterparties in the financial industry.
• Lafayette Engineering – Jeffrey B. Havens Memorial Award (Summer 2014 – Declined)
  The Havens Award provides non-traditional summer learning experiences for engineering students in order to facilitate educational and personal development. Proposal was based on being accepted into the CRCC Asia Summer Internship Program, where I would learn the inner-workings of a successful developing economy and explore the culture and heritage of Shanghai, China.
• EXCEL Scholar Program (Fall 2013, Spring 2014) 1
  Project: Lafayette College’s Renewable Energy System Maintenance & Data Access
  I was responsible for monitoring, troubleshooting and interpreting data from one of Lafayette’s renewable energy stations, which comprises of a vertical wind turbine, an array of twelve solar panels and a weather station. My team was working on developing a user interface for the data that would be accessible to the community at large.

• The Fleming Institute for Business – Ethics Competition, Team Captain (Spring 2014) 1
  I captained a team of Economics students for a competition that hopes to create a meaningful dialogue between academia and business by fostering the study of principles and practical case histories. It ultimately builds awareness of ethical behavior in resolving future ethical problems in business settings.
• P. Morgan Proud To Be Conference (Fall 2013) 1
  This opportunity is designed to promote education, visibility and networking opportunities for top LGBT and Ally undergraduate students who have the potential to work in the Global Wealth Management business within J.P. Morgan’s Asset Management Division.

• University of South Florida – NSF REU Grant (Summer 2013 – Declined)
  The grant provides a well-structured research and professional development experience for undergraduate students in environmental related fields at USF. The underlying research theme was the interconnectedness of water, energy, materials and humans, with particular emphasis on the Tampa Bay Region. I was accepted as a rising junior in the rising senior research program.

• University of Canterbury – International Mobility Scholarship (Spring 2013) 1
  The mobility inbound scholarship provides support for academically capable students who wish to gain a study abroad experience in Christchurch, New Zealand.
• EXCEL Scholar Program (Summer/Fall 2012, Summer 2013) 1
  Project: Bushkill Watershed Nutrient Analysis – Impacts of Wastewater Treatment Plant on the Environment / The project was aimed at determining the effects of the municipal’s wastewater treatment plant effluents on the body of water in which it is release I was responsible for determining critical points of sampling and conducting nutrient analyses. My results were presented to the CEE division and the city’s municipal authority.
• Lafayette College Dean’s List
  Fall 2011, Spring 2012

Campus Service/Activities and Awards – Total Years Involved

• Student Representative – Financial Policy Committee of Board of Trustees (2014-2015) 1
  The committee is responsible for the investment management of endowment and similar funds of Lafayette, by considering and recommending policies for asset and debt management and matters dealing with financial long-range planning. I attend and participate in these conversations by offering the perspective of how financial policies affect the student body.
• Facilitator – Behind Closed Doors, Gender & Sexuality Programing (2014-2015) 1
  BCD was implemented to provide a private environment for students to discuss issues regarding gender and sexual identity in daily life. I am one of two facilitators responsible for planning and executing welcoming discussions that support and reach out to LGBTQ members of the Lafayette community.
• Resident Advisor (2014-2015) 1
  I am responsible for creating and executing orienting programs for first year residents, while facilitating personal and academic development.
• Student Recipient Representative, 11th Biennial Scholarship Recognition Dinner (Spring 2014) 1
  This biennial dinner serves to celebrate and recognize the benefactors and beneficiaries of endowed and restricted scholarships at Lafayette. At each event, a student representative is chosen to deliver remarks about overcoming hardships, honing perseverance and displaying true Lafayette ideals. As a junior, I delivered these remarks to the Board of Trustees, donors and administration, on behalf of all Lafayette College scholarship recipients.
• Student Speaker, Experience Lafayette College (Spring 2014, Spring 2015) 2
  XLC is Lafayette Admission’s welcome event for prospective students of the matriculating class. This initiative provides valuable insight to future Leopards and serves the crucial role of recruiting a considerable portion of the incoming class. I was asked to present Lafayette’s student perspective alongside other speakers such as President Alison Byerly, Greg McDonald, Matt Hyde and Brad Bormann ’14.
• Gateway Ambassador (Summer 2013-Spring 2015) 2
  The Gateway Program serves as a liaison between the Gateway Career Center and the student body. As an ambassador, I am a representative of the office and am responsible for showcasing workshops, communicating critical messages to the masses, offering feedback on programs and advertising programs to relevant groups.
• LC Ambassador Program (Summer 2012-Fall 2014) 3
  As an admissions ambassador, I was responsible for promoting the mission and accomplishments of the college in both professional and informal environments. In this role, I honed effective communication in continually evolving settings.
• Dining Services Student Coordinator, Sodexo (Fall 2011-Fall 2012) 2
  As a freshman, I founded this role because there was limited communication between the student body and dining services. In this capacity, I served as a liaison between Sodexo, the student body and the student workers. I was responsible for managing student-employee well-being and communicating student body feedback.

Community Service – Total Years Involved

• Energy Efficiency & Independence in Roatán, Honduras (Fall 2014) 1
  Project: Engineering & Economic Feasibility of Geothermal Power Generation in Roatán / From my research in my Independent Study, I concluded that it was feasible to harness geothermal energy on the island. During the winter interim, I went to Roatán to present my conclusions and recommendations about possibilities in improving the island’s energy sector. The President of the sole electric company will be moving forward with my recommendations and will be conducting an invasive feasibility study for geothermal sources. /
• The Commonwealth Good Citizen Scholarship (2013-2014) 1
  The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania founded this award to empower students to serve their communities. The scholarship is reserved for students who have shown extraordinary commitment to community service and who have demonstrated creativity in shaping their volunteer activities.
• Economic Empowerment & Global Learning Project (Summer/Fall 2013) 1
  The goal of this project is to formulate multidisciplinary teams of students and faculty who will collaborate with developing communities to improve their economic, social and communal wealth. I was responsible for providing engineering analysis on the feasibility of a waste-to-energy plant in mainland Honduras.
• Co-organizer, Lafayette Outreach STEM Camp (Summer 2013) 1
  This was a multi-department effort to facilitate a fun and conducive learning environment for Lehigh Valley students of all socio-economic backgrounds. I was responsible for coordinating and executing lesson plans and activities for the three day educational STEM camp.
• University of Canterbury – Student Volunteer Army (Spring 2013) 1
  While abroad in New Zealand, I was a member of this student organization that was borne out of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. I was able to work with individuals who embodied the team’s values of fulfillment, ambition, collaboration and empathy. My team was focused on facilitating community service that assists communities in preparing for disasters.
• Team Leader, Lafayette Outreach STEM Camp (Summer 2012) 1
  This was a multi-divisional effort, spearheaded by CEE, to facilitate a conducive learning environment for Lehigh Valley students of all socio-economic backgrounds. I was responsible for supervising and teaching ten young students about various topics in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
• Student Teacher, Bangor Area School District (Spring 2012) 1
  A team of Lafayette engineers traveled to Bangor to assist middle school students in setting up and presenting water projects in the Lehigh Valley Science Fair. We were responsible for training fourth grade students to perform and answer questions about simply-modified water filtration systems.
• Student Volunteer, Young Life (Spring 2012) 1
  A cohort of Lafayette students spent the 2012 Spring Break volunteering at Lake Champion for Young Life, a youth mentoring program. I was responsible for assisting counselors to prepare team-building events, providing feedback to attitude programs and preparing the compound for upcoming summer camp.

 Athletics Activity/Award – Total Years Involved

• University of Canterbury Netball Club (Spring 2013) 1
  While abroad in New Zealand, one of the top six netball nations, I practiced and trained with the UC Netball Club to prepare for upcoming tournaments. Training with one of the top ranked university clubs in the world emphasized three elements of success: drive, commitment and teamwork.
• Women’s Rugby Team (Fall 2012) 1
  I underwent strength and conditioning, practiced and trained with the women’s rugby team in preparation for the Fall 2012 tournament game schedule.
• Precision Step Team (Spring 2012) 1
  Precision Step is a performance team that aims to incorporate traditions of honor, diversity and competition into its core existence and in representing its members and Lafayette College. I trained with the team during which time I improved my knowledge of unity and responsibility.
• The Challenge at Kirchhoff (Spring 2012) 1
  This was the second annual strength and conditioning challenge, where participants competed in a series of challenging physical stations for fastest time. The event was geared towards raising awareness for the ALS Disease and funding Project ALS. Mostly completed by student-athletes, coaches and athletic administration, I was one of few non-atheltic regular persons who competed in the event.
• Competitive Club Tennis (Fall 2011, Spring/Fall 2012) 2
  Competed with Lafayette’s competitive club tennis in tournaments, in-house and against other clubs and universities.

Special Interest – Total Years Involved

• Credit Risk Analyst – Morgan Stanley
  I was offered a full-time position in the two year analyst program for Risk Management at Morgan Stanley. During my tenure, I will be working to ensure that the company’s divisions are operating within an appropriate limits framework, based on the projection of the market. Upon completion, I will apply to business school to pursue knowledge of economic policy change and risk management in developing countries.
• Market Analyst, Investment Club (Fall 2013, Spring/Fall 2014, Spring 2015) 2
  The Lafayette Investment Club is a student-run organization that manages an active 500,000 USD portfolio. The club aims to teach students the fundamentals of responsible investing. As Market Analyst, I am responsible for performing research and providing insights regarding the market and its trends.
• Photography
  I have been involved with photography for over ten years, both in a revenue-generating and recreational capacity. Throughout this tenure, I founded a business, competed and won international photography amateur awards and told unique stories with photographs. It continues to be a personal artistic outlet at Lafayette.
• Public Speaking
  Throughout my college career, I have been involved with public speaking events that represent the college and myself to a wide variety of audiences. At Lafayette, through the spoken word, I have represented the student body, admissions office, the Gateway Career Center, the engineering division, the economics division and dining services to parents, donors, administrators, external employers and alumni. I am comfortable and confident in my public speaking abilities to represent a contingent of outstanding individuals.