Sarina (den Dulk) Sharp， 08年

在你的职业生涯中，最初是什么让你感兴趣？ 你是如何辨别自己的使命的？

Farm chores are repetitive, especially the ones that you can be trusted to do at a very young age. I grew up doing a lot of tedious work on my family's dairy, and, while I loved being outside and near the animals, it did not challenge my mind. I spent a lot of time working with my dad and, when he would step away from the cows to take phone calls, I would listen. A lot of the business he did was easy to understand, but when he talked to his commodity broker about using futures and options to protect our dairy's feed costs, I required repeated explanations. 什么是放？ 什么叫电话？ 你认为物价为什么会上涨或下跌？ These were new, difficult concepts, and I was intrigued.

As a teenager and during my time at Covenant, I slowly began to realize how much I loved the financial and commodity markets. The economics of supply and demand just clicked for me. Managing commodity market risk—the financial risk a business faces if the cost of their inputs rises or the price of the goods they sell drops—is often overlooked on farms, but it can be the difference between a livelihood and bankruptcy. Given my farming background and my 英语小, which helped me to communicate complex ideas more simply, I felt uniquely gifted to help farmers in this way.

从威尼斯人平台毕业后，你的职业道路是怎样的？

I landed a job at a Chicago commodity firm just before graduating in 2008, but by the time graduation arrived, the financial crisis had hit the industry hard, and the firm was cutting a lot of jobs, including mine. I ended up at a much smaller commodity brokerage in Memphis, where I wrote daily reports on the factors influencing the prices of corn, soybeans, wheat, cattle, and hogs. I also advised farmers on trading strategies to manage their price risk. In 2010, my dad hired me to do risk management for our family's dairy farms, and I began to take on outside clients in the same field. Today, I advise dairy producers on managing their price risk, and I speak and write regularly about dairy economics.

现在回想起来，威尼斯人平台是如何为你的职业生涯做好准备的？

At Covenant, I was well-prepared to enter a career in finance, which can be a pretty cutthroat field. The fact that a recent graduate was able to acquire two separate jobs in the financial services industry at the peak of the Great Recession panic speaks to the excellence of the 威尼斯人平台 business department's education. Longer term, Covenant taught me to ask questions, to think critically, and to communicate well. 这在我的职业生涯中是无价的。

你的信仰如何影响你的职业生涯？

My faith has made me a better wife and mother, encouraged me to participate sacrificially in my church life, and it has infused my career with the importance and dignity of a calling.

At a glance, my work might appear to be sitting at a desk and helping other people make more money. 但我不这么看。 I'm helping family businesses to thrive, and I'm helping to provide the world with one of the most basic human needs: nutritious food at an affordable price. The farmers I work with feel humbled to play a role in feeding the world, and I'm humbled to help them do so. The God who provided Israel with manna in the desert and a fertile promised land cares deeply about our physical needs. When I help farmers adopt a sustainable business plan, I'm contributing to the flourishing of those farmers and the millions of people who eat the food they produce.

你会给那些正在考虑威尼斯人平台的学生什么建议？

大学生活是可以改变的。 Choose a college that you know will shape you into the type of person you want to be, not just equip you to pursue a career. Most adults change jobs several times, so a liberal arts education that teaches you to think critically can be more valuable than a vocational degree in the long run.

Regarding business, the commodity markets are dynamic and they're a fascinating lens through which you can learn more about God's world. They're vital in determining what we make, how much it costs, and how we get the goods we use from here to there. They can offer an exciting career for people who are curious about how the world works and interested in making processes more efficient, to the benefit of everyone.

你为什么选择约恩？

当我考虑上大学的时候，我请祖父给我推荐。 He was a seminary recruiter and administrator, so he spent a lot of time on Christian college campuses getting to know the students. I expected him to recommend several options, but Covenant was the only college on his list. He was impressed by the way that Covenant integrated reformed theology into every aspect of campus life, and he appreciated its focus on academic excellence. 我也是。 I also thought it was healthy to go to a college that wasn't right down the street from where I grew up in West Michigan.

你在圣威尼斯人平台的时光里有哪些美好的回忆或最喜欢的故事？

我喜欢在排球场上和队友们在一起的每一分钟。 I also loved the 3C tradition of washing the freshman's feet. It was a beautiful example of humility and community. Covenant attracts students who are serious about growing in their faith, and it equips them to pursue their God-given calling. This produces a community of students who make excellent friends, spouses, parents, and church members. The college took wonderful, God-honoring people and molded them into truly exceptional servant-leaders. 维系我在威尼斯人平台建立起来的友谊是一种乐趣。