Purdueā€™s premier investment organization, the Odin Finance Club, is run by senior Emma Smith. Not only is she a genius at finance, but she is getting ready to graduate next semester with a degree in AgEcon and a double minor in Farm Management and Management.
HC Purdue: What do you plan to do with your degree? Are you taking any internships?
Emma: I plan to help the world through agriculture and finance. Iā€™m going to be interning at Brugler Marketing & Management this summer. Iā€™ll be stationed in Omaha for training and then Iā€™ll travel to farm shows around the nation from mid-June to late August.
HC Purdue: What do you like about the Odin Finance Club (OFC)?
Emma: I like the ability to talk about a variety of topics and help others learn about crucial skills for their future life. We have three main topics that are spread out across the semester that I love: investing, personal finance and business management.
HC Purdue: What advice do you have for anyone looking to join?
Emma: Iā€™d advise others to come to our meetings and participate by sharing their knowledge and being open to learning new things.
HC Purdue: What does your position within the OFC entail?
Emma: My position involves everything from setting up meetings to ordering t-shirts. For almost every meeting, I explain new concepts to our members. With some meetings, we host knowledgeable speakers to describe real-life applications. Thankfully, I delegate a small portion of my responsibilities to other officers in the club.
HC Purdue: What made you come to Purdue?
Emma: The friendly atmosphere is truly what drew me to Purdue. Even more, Purdue has an amazing agriculture school, would look great on a resume and my dad is a Purdue graduate.
HC Purdue: What are you looking forward to for your last semester?
Emma: As nerdy as it sounds, Iā€™m looking forward to the classes Iā€™ll be taking. Theyā€™ll be tough but theyā€™re all focused into my career path and my passions for Ag and financial management.
HC Purdue: What do you like to do in your free time when youā€™re not studying or leading the OFC?
Emma: If I ever get any, I like to hang out with my best friends and my boyfriend. Unfortunately, Iā€™ve just been too busy for a lot of free time with my besties. In fact, I pretty much only see my boyfriend when weā€™re studying or doing homework.
HC Purdue: What is your dream job after you graduate?
Emma: I want to create a global Agricultural economic policy after a long haul in the ag industry, which involves everything from food aid to loaning other countries money to how farmers get paid. Itā€™s a super broad area. After that, I want to earn a Nobel Prize and then eventually I want to teach at a university, most likely Purdue.