A Horace W. Goldsmith Scholar and fellow at the Colin Powell School, Christie Lochan spent her undergraduate career exploring how technology and financial frameworks can be used to protect communities and build safer digital and economic environments. That vision recently culminated in a major career milestone: turning her participation in the Moody’s Fellowship into a full-time position as a Ratings Operations Specialist II at Moody’s NYC headquarters, following full-time job offers from both Moody’s and Equitable.
Translating Classroom Theory into Corporate Impact
What drew Christie to the Moody’s Fellowship was the opportunity to apply quantitative analysis to macro-level market strategies while evaluating finance through the lens of sustainability and social responsibility.
“My passion and purpose behind my studies at CCNY center on bridging the intersection of technology, finance, and societal safety to drive meaningful civic impact,” she reflects. “By combining Economics and Computer Science, I look beyond purely corporate goals to focus on public service, social justice, and proactive problem-solving.”
The Colin Powell School’s partnership with Moody’s provided an immersive corporate pipeline that demystified the transition from student to professional. Through direct access to Moody’s NYC headquarters, fellows engaged in face-to-face mentorship, executive Q&A sessions, and mock interview clinics designed to help them master the firm’s operational language.
“The fellowship specifically emphasized looking at finance through the lens of sustainability and civic impact,” she explains. “Rather than completely changing my career trajectory, this experience deeply crystallized my focus; it showed me how critical credit ratings and risk modeling are to societal framework stability, proving that financial operations can serve as a vehicle for long-term corporate responsibility.”
The Power of the Colin Powell School Community
Navigating a competitive job market requires both technical acumen and a supportive network. She credits the Colin Powell School with helping her build the confidence, professional profile, and ethos necessary to secure top-tier opportunities in the financial sector.
“The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership was foundational to this trajectory; it not only helped me build a competitive professional profile that unlocked these major corporate opportunities, but it also shaped my entire ethos,” she says. “Through its support, I learned how to leverage complex financial and technical data to protect, empower, and drive meaningful impact within broader communities.”
Advice for Future Fellows: Turning Internships into Careers
Now stepping into her new role as a Ratings Operations Specialist II, she offers actionable advice for Colin Powell School students who hope to turn their own fellowships and internships into permanent job offers:
- Over-Communicate Your Curiosity: Proactively reach out for informational coffee chats to learn from colleagues who have walked the path before you.
- Embrace Constructive Feedback: Treat assigned mentors as sounding boards to gain honest insights into your professional blind spots.
- Connect the Dots to Mission: Always articulate how your day-to-day technical outputs connect back to the organization’s larger, purpose-driven mission.
“My deepest hope for current and future students is that you always remember to build a gentle, meaningful bridge between your hard-earned technical skills and a clear, purpose-driven mission that truly helps people,” she shares. “If you lead with genuine curiosity and a kind heart for how your work touches other human lives, you will naturally transform these early student steps into a fulfilling, lifelong career that you can be truly proud of.”
