Suffolk’s Center for First-Generation and Educational Equity and Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion hosted their first-ever “First Lecture” event, featuring senior business economics student Kate Carrier.
This event gave Carrier the opportunity to share the unconventional path that brought her to Suffolk in her first-ever lecture. This event comes after the center hosted their annual “Last Lecture” event in October that highlighted a staff member sharing their final message with Suffolk.
Carrier’s lecture, “Non-Linear Life Through an Economic Lens,” connected economic concepts to relatable experiences she had within her life.
“I really wanted to digest what I’ve studied so far and project it to my life and hopefully it really correlated with a lot of other people’s lives as well,” said Carrier.
Carrier was introduced by Bryan Landgren, the McNair Scholars program director, who started by describing the event and its history. He discussed Dr. Randy Posh, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, who delivered a lecture after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, in which he described finding purpose and inspiration in one’s life as his last message to the world.
While this was the inspiration for the “Last Lecture,” the first lecture event was slightly different.
“Instead of asking someone to imagine their final message, the ‘First Lecture’ asks a different and equally powerful question. If this were the first time you were sharing your ideas with the world, what would you want people to know, where would your inspiration begin?” said Landgren.
Carrier’s lecture discussed her roles as a mother, a career woman and a student and how all three of these roles shaped her life. She also went on to explain how she moved from Russia to the United States without knowing anyone and started her new life on her own.
“I had English just good enough to get around and have small talk,” said Carrier.
Her overall message was that life behaves like an economic system, a statement she illustrated with a variety of economic rules and theories. She told her audience that through perseverance and hard work, they too can find success in a new and unfamiliar place.
“I really didn’t expect her to connect econ and her life but she did it really well,” said Ella Dunkelberger, a senior psychology major and law minor.
Carrier was chosen to give this speech after a group of faculty members reviewed nominations and decided on a student speaker they thought would best represent Suffolk and its values.
“She was a great speaker and she brought in our culture today,” said Landgren.
In the end, Carrier left the audience with one final thought.
“Keep investing in yourself, keep investing in your education, in your skills, in your network and people will support you,” said Carrier.
