Initially, Andrea Cortes ’26 would have described her college ambitions as modest. The first-gen commuter student, who chose to major in Finance with minors in Accounting and Italian, thought she’d just drive to campus, take her classes, and drive home.
That all changed with a simple email: an invitation from Lecturer of Finance Mara Derderian to a series of lunch discussions with other women studying Finance at Bryant. It was a little intimidating at first, especially for a first-year student, Cortes admits, but it opened a universe of possibilities.
“It was like a switch flipped on,” Cortes says. “I realized there’s so much I can do and want to be part of.” That summer, Derderian offered another opportunity: a sponsored trip to the Women in Alternative Investments Career Forum in New York City. “I wrote in my application that I wanted to learn more about all of the opportunities in front of me,” says Cortes.
Actually attending the conference, though, was another leap, and she admits to hesitating by the door of the event. But once again Cortes found her courage — and reaped the rewards. More than a year later, she still keeps a notebook of everything she learned at the forum — and everyone she met.
“One of my favorite things about finance is all of the connections I’ve been able to make,” she says.
“It’s not necessarily tougher to be a woman in finance. It’s just different — but it’s definitely worth it.”
This May, Cortes took part in the inaugural Bryant Women in Business Retreat. Over four days, she and 22 other women Bryant students learned from and connected with women representing companies including CVS and Fidelity Investments. They also traveled to New York City to attend presentations, seminars, and networking sessions at the offices of BlackRock and Goldman Sachs, among other professional development opportunities.
“I was amazed by how young so many of the women we met were,” Cortes reflects. “You realize that could be you in a couple of years.”
Having that confidence, and a network of support like the one she’s found at Bryant, is important — especially in a male-dominated field, Cortes notes. “It’s not necessarily tougher to be a woman in finance,” she says. “It’s just different — but it’s definitely worth it.”
Now in her junior year, Cortes is doing some mentoring of her own — including serving as president of Bryant’s Multicultural Student Union, helping to organize campus events like i2i, an annual cultural music and dance show produced by Bryant’s International Student Organization, and counseling participants in Bryant's 4MILE program. She recently offered advice to Susanna Sayegh ’28, one of Bryant’s inaugural class of Wilson Fellows, who was chosen to attend this year’s career forum. In addition to some pointers on maximizing her experience, she also passed down the advice that’s served her so well: “Go for it.”
Cortes’ schedule is full now — a far cry from her initial plans. It turns out, she prefers it this way. “I’m already a junior, I only have a year and a half left,” she explains. “I want to make the most of every moment.”
