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Clemente (right) and Canaras. Required
to undertake an internship, she was
drawn to the size of the company
and the work Clemente and his team
were doing. From day one, she was an
integral part of the firm.
“I worked alongside analysts and other
interns to evaluate companies going
through some form of merger, acqui-
sition or recapitalization, basing my
research on capital structure, operations,
financial performance and industry
trends,” she says. “I attended meetings
and conference calls to learn about
new deals and companies, and wrote
reports which discussed financial trends
and creditworthiness and outlined the
strengths and weaknesses of these poten-
tial borrowers. In these reports, I offered
ratings and lending decisions to the
analysts, based on research I conducted.”
Tonisha also worked one-on-one with
Clemente on several occasions. “Not
many interns can say they’ve done
that,” she says.
“Tonisha is a wonderful example
of what SLU students have to offer,”
Clemente says. “Because of the rigorous
candidate standards St. Lawrence has
for participation in the semester pro-
gram, every student is high-caliber.”
Tonisha discovered her interests
in finance because Clemente offered
her the chance to learn. Following
Commencement she’ll make her
way back to New York as a full-time
employee at Canaras.
n
ment, a small firm Clemente founded
and serves as CEO that deals with alter-
native investment strategies.
He also likes paying opportunities
forward. Clemente realized his interest in
finance thanks to an internship Charles
Ferrero P’84 set up for him with a world-
renowned antitrust economist during
Clemente’s college days. So when he was
asked to participate in the New York
City Semester, he was eager to help.
It was that program that brought
Tonisha Kerr ’15 (pictured left) to
nthony Clemente ’82 believes
the liberal arts, coupled with
well-grounded technical
skills, are the foundation for a top-
quality employee. That’s one reason why
he recruits St. Lawrence students for
internships at Canaras Capital Manage-
Tonisha Kerr ’15 found her future during
her semester studying in New York City.
By Meg Bernier ’07, M’09
By Laura Stasi ’15
Connections
Ashley Grey ’15 discovers The
versatility of a St. Lawrence degree.
ike most college students today,
Jacqueline “Ashley” Grey ’15 some-
times wonders how she will apply
her degree to the post-college world. A
double major in geology and history who
was looking for inspiration, Ashley applied
through St. Lawrence Career Services
for a four-day internship at the Franklin
Institute in Philadelphia last summer. The
experience brought her into contact with a
pair of St. Lawrence alumni.
For part of the time, Ashley worked
alongside Charlotte Boulay ’00, a
grant writer for the institute. Ashley,
who hopes to pursue a doctorate after
St. Lawrence, acknowledged the value
of the skills that she learned. But
when she heard that the institute had
resident scientists who teach summer
courses for high school students and
curate their own exhibits, she was curi-
ous to see the different ways a Ph.D.
could be applied in a museum setting.
“I don’t want to just do research after
college,” Ashley said.
Ashley sat in on “The Science of
Music” class, where students studied
sound waves and frequency levels. “I
help set up the sound equipment for
St. Lawrence’s University Chorus, and
it was fascinating to learn how the way
I position a microphone can change
the way the audience hears the music,”
Ashley said. Observing classes and
exhibits made her realize that teaching
science outside of traditional class-
rooms was something she could see
herself doing one day.
Derrick Pitts ’78, a trustee of St.
Lawrence and chief astronomer at
the Franklin Institute, was one of the
most influential people Ashley met. A
geology major himself, Pitts exempli-
fied how the skills Ashley acquired
can help her craft a career outside of a
traditional classroom or laboratory. “I
learned just how versatile a degree can
be,” Ashley said, “and I look forward
to the future.”
n
Tonisha Kerr '15
Brooklyn, New York
Economics Major
Ashley Grey '15
Astoria, New York
Geology & History Double Major
A
L
Making