Investment advisor Carol Vander Sluis ’88 built her professional career by mastering the combination of left-brain logic and right-brain empathy. These are qualities a human ecologist like Carol uses to expertly guide clients in managing their finances and as a member of the School of Human Ecology Dean’s Advisory Board. In both roles, she pays it forward by supporting today’s students.
What drives your commitment to internships?
Internships are not just work experience — they can be a real world lab for discovering what sparks your passion, or what does not, in a career. Each round of experience you gain through different jobs adds to the skills you bring to the next job. This can help you decide which courses to take and majors to pursue. Internships provide the most effective test run of a career path with no strings attached. Plus, building knowledge and skills inside and outside of the university setting will make you a stronger candidate for future roles.
In 1987, I worked with an advisory firm for the summer, and they held a position for me while I finished my senior year at UW–Madison. The internship experience gave me confidence in my decision to pursue a career in the financial advisory business. It also revealed my preference for helping people directly and using both analytical and relationship-building skills. I believe internships can help you fine-tune your studies and ultimately your job search and career path.
What benefits have you seen from hiring Human Ecology students as interns?
We have hired several Human Ecology students majoring in Personal Finance. Offering internships was beneficial as it allowed us to pre-screen potential candidates for permanent roles within the company. The Personal Finance program welcomes feedback from employers, greatly enriching the students’ preparedness for future internships and permanent jobs. The partnerships between Human Ecology and businesses are strengthened year after year, all of which benefits the students.
How do you bring innovation to your work?
Being innovative in my career has been the key to making my work professionally and personally gratifying. With a commitment to lifelong learning, I have sought out unique resources for gaining knowledge about the economy, investments and foreign affairs. UW–Madison offers lectures and professional groups, and community associations and clubs are also resourceful gatherings for sharing research. Partnering with other professionals — such as tax specialists and trust and estate attorneys — benefits our clients greatly, as each professional brings suggestions for customizing an innovative solution to a client’s situation.
What makes you proud to be an alum of the School of Human Ecology and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board?
Of all of the schools across campus, Human Ecology offers some of the broadest and most diverse disciplines. Human Ecology’s mission to share ideas across these areas and bring artisan-quality learning experiences to students makes me most proud. The sky is the limit to what can be done together across these disciplines and across all of the colleges within UW–Madison. Just watch what will happen next!
The most gratifying part of being involved in the Dean’s Advisory Board is working directly with undergraduate and graduate students to hear their ideas and requests regarding paid internships, then bringing them to Dean Soyeon Shim to act upon them. Dean Shim takes action. It is an honor to work with her because taking action is the foundation of our effectiveness as a board.