Photo by matt d'annunzio

April Kaplowitz ’15

economics

Hometown: Austin, Texas

Who I was when I got to Reed: I was passionate about working for the rights of poor black kids—and about making music.

How Reed changed me:  I am much better prepared to work within systems that are not built for me as a black queer woman. I didn’t learn that in spite of Reed; I learned it because of Reed.

Word to prospies: Make an effort to connect with faculty and staff. Do internships, volunteer work, service work, and on-campus jobs that give you answer-focused stuff. Reed is all about the questions, and that’s special, but graduates would be ill-equipped if all they did was ponder the questions.

Favorite class: Sociology 244, Race and Ethnicity, with Prof. Marc Schneiberg [sociology 2000–]. It was reassuring to see the theory behind the racist world we live in.

Cool stuff I did:  Studied abroad in Italy. Worked at the Paradox Café and the Bike Co-op. Was a housing advisor, a Financial Services Fellow, and a Mercy Corps Northwest intern. Wrote music that I recorded with my band, Imani Gold.

Issues I’ve faced: As a woman of color from a working class background, my sense of reality was shaken at Reed. After my sophomore year I left to tutor and mentor poor black youth at a school in West Philadelphia. That experience helped me realize how much of an asset a college education can be in elevating someone socioeconomically. I returned to Reed when I realized that it was actually the best college for me.

Thesis: “Do We Really Know that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Will Increase Trade? A Study on the Effectiveness of Regional Trade Agreements in Promoting Trade” 

What it’s about: Measuring the effects of trade agreements, like NAFTA and the European Union, on world trade with hopes that my findings will encourage the creation of new trade agreements.

What it’s really about: The whole world is better off when we get along.

What’s next: The equities division of Morgan Stanley in New York City.