Meet Camille Gardner

Camille joined the Initiative at NYU Stern in July 2018, after having graduated from a joint BA/MA program offered by Wellesley College and Brandeis University, and following her employment with an apparel startup in the Boston area, where she developed an interest in machine learning algorithms and their applications in retail economics.

In More Detail

Camille earned her BA in Economics and Spanish from Wellesley College in 2014. At Wellesley, Camille was a two-time Black Academic Award winner and member of the Sigma Delta Pi National Spanish Honor Society. She spent a semester abroad at the University of Córdoba, Spain, and during her Junior year, she was selected by the faculty to participate in the undergraduate/graduate program offered by Wellesley’s Economics Department and Brandeis’ International Business School (IBS), with concurrent enrollment during her Senior year.

In 2013, Camille received Brandeis’ Academic Leadership Scholarship Award, and during the summer of 2014 she worked as a Financial Management Intern at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C. Camille received her Masters in International Economics and Finance from Brandeis University in 2015.

Camille’s path post-graduation led her to the online retailer Peach, where she worked as both a Data Operations Associate, solving performance issues related to the company’s sizing algorithm using statistical analysis in R, and as Shipping and Fulfillment Manager. Working at Peach, she became interested in machine learning and its impact on the economic efficiency of firms and markets.

The Entrance Interview: Economics in Her Own Words

  When I was 11 years old, there was a gas shortage in Phoenix, Arizona, where my family lived. I remember vividly our car running out of gas and having to walk several miles just to find an operating gas station. It was an interesting and challenging time in Phoenix, marred by long lines at gas stations, restrictions on gas, and exorbitant gas prices. Witnessing the differences in the actions and behavior of consumers, suppliers, businesses, and emergency services during the gas shortage provided an eye-opening lesson in how thoroughly an economy can be disrupted by a single event.

“More than a decade later, I was considering the next step in my academic and professional career when I met Dr. Henry. Having the opportunity to discuss research interests with him as well as receive advice on my academic goals made me realize that the PhD Excellence Initiative would be a perfect supplement for my non-traditional background. My fellowship will deepen the knowledge of economics and finance that I acquired in college while also refining my academic interests. During my first year, I will focus on extending my quantitative and overall research skills as well as exploring the many sub-disciplines of economics in preparation for applying to doctoral programs.”

Envisioning her successful completion of doctoral studies, Camille plans to pursue a career in higher education that will allow her to combine her research interests with her strong desire to teach and inspire others. She also hopes to generate and share research that assists small businesses and start-up companies in their quest to make informed, real-time business decisions for maximum success.