April 8, 2021
Charles Reid, a 2019 graduate of the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) Economics program, has landed a fellowship in the Semester in DC program which is part of the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at City College of New York (CCNY/CUNY).
Reid, who is a student in the dual degree BA/MA Economics program at CCNY, will be interning on a remote basis at the Twelfth Federal Reserve Bank District Headquarters in San Francisco in summer 2021.
The fellowship will involve meetings where fellows discuss policy and other issues facing government. Tasks will also include written assignments and a final paper that focuses on the U.S. Congress’ reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic and whether or not the government’s response, has been or will be effective.
“I moved to the Bronx from Jamaica in 2015 and enrolled at BMCC in 2017,” said Reid. “I like to think New York City is where my life really began. This is where I’ve met some of my closest friends.”
Reid says he has always been interested in the field of economics. At his high school in Jamaica, he chose business as his focus area instead of science.
“The sheer size and complexity of the capital markets is incredibly interesting,” said Reid. “The amount of money that transacts in a single day on some of the world markets is astonishing. In the Forex foreign [exchange] is about six trillion dollars. There are securities for every commodity you can imagine.”
During his time at BMCC, Reid’s interest in the economy was further solidified by the classes he completed as well as the activities he participated in such as the Finance and Banking Club. He says he also learned about other topics that are crucial to economics while taking classes in statistics and macroeconomics. Reid says Economics Professors Sangeeta Bishop, Aldo F. Balardini and others offered critical insight into the world of economics.
“I also had a lot of help from the Academic Transfer and Advisement Center,” said Reid. “They helped me figure out what courses I needed to complete that would transfer to my four-year degree program.” The BMCC Economics program has articulation agreements with Brooklyn College, City College and Hunter College.
In 2018, Reid was part of the BMCC team that won first place in the final round of the College Fed Challenge Competition Maiden Lane division at the New York Federal Reserve Bank. The team was advised by Business Management Professors Julian Schroeder, Nick Adamou, Christian de Rojas and Yanni Tournas and traveled to Washington D.C. where they met Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
Reid said at the time “ The sense of community and camaraderie we shared is an intangible, invaluable experience I will always cherish.”
That experience solidified his determination to explore careers at the Fed, and will provide context during his internship at the San Francisco Fed.
After completing his degree at CCNY, Reid plans to take some time and explore career options but then return to school and complete a PhD., in Economics.
“After that, I’ll look for a job in policy or government,” said Reid.
- As part of program, BMCC alumnus Charles Reid will intern at SF Fed Bank
- Reid is currently studying economics at City College of New York, CUNY
- BMCC graduate moved to New York City from Jamaica in 2015, participated in Fed Challenge in 2018
