ORONO -- For the first
time, the top two graduating students in a University of Maine class are
international students. Marianne Schneider of Jena, Germany is the class
valedictorian and Anh Do of Hanoi, Vietnam is the salutatorian. They are
the top students among the 1,860 graduates scheduled to receive UMaine
degrees at the university's May 10 commencement ceremonies (http://www.umaine.edu/news/article.asp?id_no=2123).
Schneider of Jena, Germany
credits "a passion to learn and excel" for her academic success at the
University of Maine that culminated in her being named the 2008
valedictorian.
In December, Schneider
completed her double degrees in international affairs and economics, and
two minors in French and Canadian Studies. She finished her coursework
in three and a half years with a 4.0 grade point average.
She spent this spring
semester interning with the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., working
in the Economic Affairs Department.
Schneider is fluent in
German and English. She studied Spanish and French, and is now learning
Arabic.
She first came to the
States for a year as a high school exchange student in North Dakota. Two
years later, in 2004, she returned, this time to enroll at the
University of Maine.
"I applied to three
universities and was accepted with scholarships to all, but Maine felt
right," says Schneider. "UMaine has the resources of a research
university, but it feels like a small, liberal arts college. Until I got
here, I didn't know UMaine had such a strong international student
community and some faculty from abroad. I really enjoyed that."
Schneider's interest in
travel and different cultures dovetailed into her international affairs
major. The addition of economics as a second major reflected her
interest in the field she sees as "an increasingly driving force behind
international relations."
Schneider's thesis in the
Honors College was an empirical study, "The Euro's Impact on Trade:
Evidence from Germany." Her adviser was professor Adrienne Kearney in
the School of Economics.
Schneider says conducting
the research for her honors thesis was one of the most rewarding
experiences of her academic career. "It was challenging, but felt so
good to accomplish," she says. "The main accomplishment was in learning
how research works. At times, it seemed like one step forward and two
back. It can be frustrating, but in the end, it all comes together."
Beyond the classroom,
Schneider was active in the International Student Association, the
Global Links program, and the Honors College council and advisory board.
Her numerous academic honors include membership in the National Society
of Collegiate Scholars, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi and Omicron Delta
Epsilon, the international economics honor society.
In her three and a half
years in Maine, Schneider returned to Germany for annual visits.
"You have to have a
passion to learn and to excel, and you have to really enjoy what you're
doing," says Schneider of her academic success.
This summer, Schneider is
headed back to Washington, D.C., to intern with the American Institute
for Contemporary German Studies, affiliated with Johns Hopkins
University.
In September, she plans to
pursue a master's degree in international economic studies at Maastricht
University, the Netherlands.
Ultimately with a Ph.D.,
Schneider is considering a career with a think tank or policy agency
involved in issues related to global economics.
"The University of Maine
has been good preparation for graduate school and for real life after
school," she says. "I will remember the people. They are always very
supportive and make you feel right at home here. The professors always
have an open door if a student has a question. It was a very personal
experience for me."
Do is the 2008
salutatorian. She also was named the Outstanding Graduating Student in
the College of Business, Public Policy and Health, and that college's
Outstanding International Student for 2008.
Do applied to UMaine in
2004 based on what she learned about the university on the Web. "It just
made me think it was a nice place," she says.
For as long as she can
remember, Do has wanted to pursue a career in business. Her father is a
business consultant and her mother, a telecommunications specialist.
By her junior year, Do was
pursuing a double concentration in accounting and finance. She is
particularly interested in investment and capital markets.
During her four years in
Maine, Do returned home annually. Her last two visits included
internships in Hanoi, one with KPMG, an auditing firm, another with HSBC,
a UK commercial bank.
"Even in the time I've
been gone, there have been a lot of changes," Do says. "The country is
developing and there are a lot of opportunities. In a few years, I want
to go back and work in the investment finance industry."
At UMaine, Do was active
in the International Student Association; the Office of Multicultural
Programs; the student investment portfolio project known as SPIFFY; and
Student Government, where she was vice president for financial affairs.
For the past three years, she also served as a resident assistant on
campus. Do is a member of numerous honor societies, including All Maine
Women Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi and the National Society of
Collegiate Scholars.
"It has been a fulfilling
experience. Challenging and rewarding. The faculty are excellent, very
knowledgeable, approachable and helpful. The (academic) program prepared
me very well for a career in finance."
After graduation, Do is
headed to New York City, where she will start work at the brokerage firm
of Sterne Agee as a research analyst. In September, she will take a
nine-month leave of absence to pursue a master's degree in finance at
the University of Cambridge in England.
Do's career plans include
gaining experience in the world of finance in both the United States and
United Kingdom. Eventually, she says, she will return to Vietnam and
help the country build its financial markets.
"I want to have an
investment firm to help people and institutional investors using
knowledge I've gained from working in matured financial industries here
to build the infantile one in Vietnam," Do says.
