PCSB Celebrates Record Number of Students Admitted to the Sapere Aude Consortium
L-R: Abbey Lawe, Abby Mongeon, Brendan Gormon, Santiago Molina, Christy Khory, Michaela Joseph, Dilara Ozdemir
Providence College School of Business is celebrating a record number of five students selected to participate in the Sapere Aude Consortium this year. The Sapere Aude Consortium is a non-profit organization that provides research and asset management internships to first-generation students, children of public servants, and children whose parents work in the non-profit sector. Championed by Kevin McMahon, professor of finance, Dilara Ozdemir, Teddy Lopez, Santiago (‘Santi’) Molina, Christy Khoury, and Amira Tanbakji were invited to participate in the program. Last year, three School of Business students took advantage of the Sapere Aude Consortium experience.
Sapere is rapidly becoming the finest internship prep process in the Northeast that helps first-gen students break into the financial services arena, and each student is even given an industry executive personal mentor.
When speaking on this achievement, McMahon recounted, “We were thrilled to learn that we have placed a record-setting five first-gen Friar students into the prestigious Sapere Aude Consortium summer internship program, more than any other school. Two years ago, Abby Mongeon broke through and was the first Friar accepted. Her outstanding performance led to last summer’s three acceptances, Abbey Lawe, Michaela Joseph, and Brendan Gorman. This class then helped coach our 2023 squad through the application process.”
“As the first Providence College student to be involved in the program, I knew I wanted to work to get more Friars involved,” said senior Abigail Mongeon. “This program, unique compared to others, teaches personal development and industry knowledge, giving me the platform to understand why I am passionate about finance and how I can use my personal story to build stronger professional connections.”
Mongeon expressed thanks to “Joe Craven, PC alumna Ashley McManus, and the rest of the Sapere team for recognizing the tenacity of PCSB students and rigor of our coursework, allowing increasingly more Friars to be a part of this program. I would also like to thank Professor McMahon and the School of Business for continuing to support our students in this program.”
Santi Molina, a rising junior in the School of Business, shared his experience as a new participant in the program. “As a first-generation college student, I didn’t have any family members involved in business, so this opportunity was completely new to me.” When asked what attracted him to the program, Molina attributed his interest to “its focus on providing students with practical experience in the business world. I wanted to gain hands-on experience in business operations and decision-making to better understand how the industry works. As a first-generation student, I often feel like I’m navigating the college experience on my own. I’m grateful to be a part of the experience this summer, and I would highly recommend it to other students who are interested in pursuing a business career.”
When speaking of this year’s admitted students, McMahon said, “We are calling this year’s class the ‘dream team’ due to their work ethic, diversified tool kit, and sheer optimism. I count seven different languages spoken by these students!”
Providence College is extremely grateful that Joe Craven and the Sapere organization has shown such faith in our program. “They will not be disappointed!” McMahon said with a smile.
To learn more about the Sapere Aude Consortium, please visit their site at sapereaudeconsortium.com.
