By: Alexa Field
Catherine McNaghten has always had a knack for academics. Born and raised in Avon Lake, Ohio — a suburb east of Cleveland — McNaghten immersed herself in all that school had to offer. Graduating as one of the top students in her class, Catherine was set on continuing her academic journey at a school that could challenge her. Thus, SMU and it’s renowned Cox School of Business was right up her alley.
McNaghten was accepted into the Honors Program at SMU and immediately began taking classes in the business school. She was quick to discover that economics was what she wanted to focus on in college.
Image: SMU's Dedman College. (SMU/Alexa Field)
McNaghten has never been someone to shy away from extracurriculars and decided to run for president of her sorority, Delta Gamma, despite her heavy academic load. She was elected president at the end of 2019 and spent the following year leading her sorority with grace through the troubles of COVID-19.
She worked very hard to balance her extracurriculars while still remaining focused on her main goal: finding a job after college. Through her classes, Catherine decided to continue her journey in finance with specific goals of ending up in investment banking upon graduating.
Image: SMU Delta Gamma sorority house foyer. (SMU/Alexa Field)
In the summer of 2019, McNaghten participated in SMU’s Business in London internship program where she interned with Balbec Capitol LP — an investment management firm — at their London office.
The summer solidified her desires of pursuing investment banking as a career. Despite the issues caused by COVID-19, McNaghten spent the summer of 2020 interning with the same company and was offered a full time job at the end of it.
McNaghten will be moving to Atlanta upon graduating and will begin her full-time investment banking career.
Image: McNaghten and her friends celebrate their employment after college with a trip to Austin, TX. (SMU/Caroline McNaghten)