A path realized through Drew University’s Dual-Degree program and excellent mentorship
March 2025 – Emma Boggs C’24, G’25, an economics major, leveraged of Drew University’s Dual-Degree in Finance program at Drew’s Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, allowing her to earn a Master of Science in Finance in just one additional year.
“The 4+1 masters in finance degree made the most sense for me financially,” said Boggs. “I was able to start taking classes that counted towards my master’s degree as an undergraduate at Drew. This eliminated the need to pay for a two-year master’s program.”
Not only is Boggs earning two degrees from Drew in only five years, she was also able to turn an internship at PSE&G into two full-time job offers—thanks to experience, networking, and mentorship.
“I would urge undergraduate and graduate students at Drew to be open minded about their career while they’re getting an education,” said Boggs, who initially envisioned a job on Wall Street after graduation. “The truth is you never know who you’ll meet or where you’ll end up. I never expected to be working in corporate finance at a fortune 500 company, but I am certainly happy that I am.”
Read on to learn more about Boggs’ experience through Drew and her new financial analyst position at PSE&G.
Why did you decide to stay at Drew for your master’s?
In addition to the financial benefit that staying at Drew offered, there were also sentimental reasons for staying. During my four years as an undergraduate student at Drew, Madison became a second home to me. So much so that recently I moved to the area with my first-year roommate, Catherine DiPatri C’24, G’25, who is also in a master’s program at Drew.
Being 2 1/2 hours away from my hometown and family was tough, but having Catherine and the familiarity of Madison made the extra year at Drew pursuing my master’s degree so enjoyable.
Tell us about your experience at Drew.
My experience as a Drew Ranger was almost too good to be true. Reflecting on the last four, almost five years, oftentimes it felt like I was in one of those coming-of-age movies. During my first year, I quickly made a group of friends that stuck with me throughout my undergraduate degree and even now after college. Academically, I felt challenged at Drew, but I always felt seen by professors. The small class sizes made for the most perfect learning environment. It often meant building personal relationships with professors as well as classmates.
Tell us about your internship at PSE&G and the role you’ll take on after graduation.
Immediately after I graduated with my undergraduate degree, I started an internship with PSE&G as a data analyst, where I had ample opportunities to network and learn about the business. As a result, I was offered two full-time positions with PSE&G at the end of my internship. I had the option to go full time in my current role as a data analyst or take a position as a financial analyst in the corporate real estate and facilities management department. After much consideration, I decided to take the role as a financial analyst, as this is more in line with what I am pursuing in my master’s degree, and what I would like to pursue as a career. I was hired as a financial analyst in October 2024 and have been in this position for six months. I don’t believe that I’ll ever leave this company and cannot speak highly enough of the work environment PSE&G has created.
How did you find the position?
I know with certainty that I am where I’m at today because of networking. At Drew, Assistant Athletic Director Brian Hirschberg became my mentor early on in my undergraduate degree. One day during my senior year, we were discussing talking what I wanted to do with my life and I had briefly mentioned interest in PSE&G, as it is a company local to the state of New Jersey and this is where I plan to grow my roots. As fate would have it, Brian Hirschberg was good friends with one of the executives at PSE&G. He graciously set up a Zoom call with his contact and I was able to learn about the company as well as receive great advice, which was instrumental in solidifying my place at the company and I 100 percent owe all of it to my mentor Brian Hirschberg.
