Kim Carlson

MSB ’16
Age: 19
Hometown: Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Major: Finance

What do you hope to get out of Georgetown?
It’s a life experience. Obviously you come for the education, but it’s more than that. It’s educating the whole person, our morals, our values. 

Do you think you’re getting that?
I do. I think I’ve chosen really good activities on campus that have contributed to my experience. I’m involved with the credit union, GAAP, I’m a Eucharistic minister in campus ministry, I do a lot of intramural sports, I’m a peer ambassador in the business school and I think a lot of those have helped improve my academics as well as my experiences, learning how to work with other people and understand myself.  

Do you feel too busy here?
I think that’s definitely a big thing here, particularly for freshmen. But I also think it hits later on when you become more involved in specific things. I’ve become very involved with the credit union and it takes up a lot of my time, but I also don’t want to give up the other things that I’m involved with as well. So it does get very busy, and I think it’s important to remember to prioritize. 

What is your favorite class so far here at Georgetown?
I would have to say my first year seminar in the business school called “Patterns of Global Commerce.” It was with professor [Charles] Skuba, and I ended up going abroad with him that summer to Barcelona. He ran that program and really acted as a mentor. 

Do you have an idea what you want to do after Georgetown?
I’m working on Wall Street this summer, and I’m trying to do that early to see if I like it. I definitely want to do something in business, but I’m not totally sure if I want to do something on Wall Street or if finance is for me, so I want to try it early and see if I like it. Otherwise I’ve always had the dream of working at Nike in Portland. 

Would you say that Ponte Vedra Beach is home or Georgetown is home?
I definitely call Georgetown home. I think I was one of the first of my friends to start doing that when I would go back to Harbin freshman year. I think that going back to Florida is relaxing. I live in a place that is a beach community so it feels like a vacation. But I feel like now my family is here because my friends are my family, so I really do feel home here.

Do you feel like everyone can fit in at Georgetown?
I think it’s a different experience for everyone. I think every person goes through a moment where they don’t feel like they fit it. Especially when you see groups of people getting along and you feel excluded in some way. I’ve definitely had those moments where you feel like you don’t fit in, but it’s not that you don’t fit in at the school. I think everyone is here for a reason and that fact that you go here makes you fit here. But there are moments where you feel that way or you feel homesick and I’m not even a homebody; I never feel homesick — so I think it happens to everyone. People choose the school that they go to because they fit in, and I think that’s especially true of Georgetown. 

If you could lead a protest on any one thing, what would it be?
This is a stupid thing, but I would protest not having tailgates at Georgetown. I want to have tailgates. I’m very passionate about having tailgates. I want them. 

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned at Georgetown?
Friendship.

And what could Georgetown do better?
I think we could better encourage student interaction with different school spirit activities. I think we could be better with school spirit as a whole.

Interview by Ben Germano