Senior Kevin Garlan Presented at the National Conference for the American Anthropological Association in Philadelphia
1/15/2010
Kevin Garlan, a senior at the College, presented a paper at a poster session at the National Conference for the American Anthropological Association in Philadelphia this past December. Kevin, who is from Jackson Heights, Queens, is a business major with a concentration in finance. The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is the world’s largest professional organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. Its membership averages in excess of 10,000.
Kevin’s poster presentation was based upon his honors senior thesis paper. In it he compared Mexico and India, two of the world’s largest remittance receiving nations, or countries in which foreign workers transfer money to their home country. The comparison was to determine if the global financial crisis spells automatic hardship for remittance dependent nations or presents the chance to show resilience and growth. He concluded that despite an economic slowdown, global remittance payments continue to flow even as sending behaviors change and foreign direct investments decrease.
The paper was drawn from Kevin’s research as an intern with the Global Transaction Banking Division of Deutsche Bank, where he has spent his past three summers. Although slightly unusual for a business major to present at an anthropology conference, Kevin advises others, “Don’t limit your thinking. There is definitely an array of disciplines in which you can find your niche.” The Mount is a liberal arts college where general knowledge develops the student’s intellectual capabilities and cross disciplinary thought is encouraged.
Kevin’s advisor, Dr. Natalia Smirnova, Professor of Economics, is enthusiastic about his accomplishments. “As an educator, I am proud of the achievements of our students, especially if those achievements are outside of campus,” said Dr. Smirnova. “Participation in a conference of national significance with a rigorous selection process is a big accomplishment.”
On campus, Kevin is currently President of Honors Club and Music Club and has participated on the Basketball team and as a Resident’s Assistant. Upon graduation, Kevin would like to pursue a career in Global Banking.