Holy Cross Senior Earns Prize for Work in Washington, D.C.

Kristen Russo, a member of the College of the Holy Cross class of 2012, has been selected by the College’s Center for Interdisciplinary and Special Studies as the 2011 spring semester’s Maurizio Vannicelli Washington Semester Away program award recipient.

In Washington, D.C., she interned as an assistant examiner at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). She carried out initial analysis and created conclusive summaries of the SEC Filings for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as well as the Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBs). She also had the opportunity to meet accomplished alumni, including television host Chris Matthews, and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

She recently presented a talk based on her experience titled “Covered Bonds: A Solution to the Mortgage Crisis?” to the campus community.  Her lecture covered the political viability and economic possibility of a covered bonds market in the U.S. “Covered bonds are an investment instrument that could potentially help solve the subprime mortgage crisis, but current economic forces in the U.S. markets, as well as select political organizations have prevented the market's expansion,” she explains.

On campus, Russo, an economics-accounting major, actively serves as the Student Government Association’s (SGA) services treasurer and as a liturgical ministry leader for the Chaplains’ Office. She also volunteers for Big Brothers Big Sisters and participates in the Prebusiness Program.

The Westford, Mass. native says she will be returning to the nation’s capital soon. After graduation she has accepted an audit position at Deloitte & Touche and will start in the fall. “I hope to first pursue a career path in public accounting and potentially move onto something more finance or start-up business oriented later in my career,” explains Russo.

No matter where Russo’s career path leads her, her experiences in the Washington Semester Program have given her the foundation for learning and working in the business, finance, and political worlds.

The award is named in memory of Maurizio Vannicelli, a well-known political science professor and former director of the Washington Semester program at the College, who was very popular among colleagues and students. The criteria for receiving the award include the overall quality of the thesis and good use of the resources available in Washington, D.C., which requires students to incorporate their experience with their internship to in-depth, research analysis.