Economics graduate Maria Duffy feels like she hit the jackpot by choosing The Catholic University of America. After completing an internship at top defense contracting company Leidos last summer, she was offered the opportunity to to return full-time as a financial planning and analysis assistant upon graduation.
"I'm really excited to start!" Duffy said, who graduated cum laude. "I believe Catholic University has really prepared me for this job." She said the economics department set her up for success with a combination of classroom content and soft skills development through networking opportunities, resume review sessions, and interview practices.
"I think the University has done a really great job of supporting both my personal and my academic growth," said Duffy. "I think being in such a small university, professors are so accessible, it's so easy to reach out to find time to meet with them if something isn't making sense or if I'm struggling in a class. And on a personal level, a lot of my professor as well as advisors have really gone above and beyond to get to know me for who I am."
Duffy said the first moment she set foot on campus she could sense that it was an "engaged university" that would make it "almost impossible not to find community for me."
"I think the minute I took my first tour of Catholic University, i just felt the strong community that's here," said Duffy, recalling the infectious passion of her tour guide for campus life. "I think you could just see how excited people were and how much they genuinely enjoyed going here."
She said "faith has been really important" to the campus experience, noting: "I think Catholic University does a great job of always having that option... but you never feel forced."
"If you want to go to mass or confession or participate in any of the religious opportunities, you always have that," said Duffy. "Campus Ministry and the faith community has always been a great support and backbone whenever I need something to rely on."
Among her most formative experiences was serving three as a resident assistant, which "really helped propel me into who I am today and has been probably the most important part of my college experience." Duffy also worked at the University's Events and Conference Services, which helped her feel like a deeper part of the community while developing leadership skills.
"There are so many clubs, so many different events constantly happening, that you're always meeting new people and always finding new ways to get involved."
