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Amanda Thorman '13
Amanda Thorman '13

Amanda Thorman '13 leads the Hamilton College women's squash team into their 2012-13 opener against Williams College on Friday, Nov. 16, which happens to be at Hamilton's Little Squash Center. Amanda is a two-time member of the NESCAC all-conference and winter all-academic teams, and last season was the No. 1 player for the Continentals. Not only does she excel in squash and in the classroom, but earlier this week Amanda and some classmates competed in an economic theories competition against college students from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. She even has a job lined up shortly after graduation in May.

Q: Tell us a little bit about where you grew up.

A: I grew up in Riverside, Connecticut, about 40 minutes outside of New York City. There were a ton of kids in my neighborhood growing up. When I was little, I spent most of my time with my older brother and our neighbors running around and wreaking havoc.

Q: Did you play any other sports before you came to Hamilton?

A: I played just about every sport growing up (soccer, lacrosse, swimming, etc.). But by the end of high school I was just playing squash.

Q: How did you get interested in squash?

A: The area around where I grew up had lots of squash courts at different schools, athletic facilities and clubs. There was always a really great environment at the courts; tons of kids all ages hanging out and playing squash. I got interested in squash because it was a really fast-paced sport and was different from every other sport I had played. Because there were so many great players in the area, my high school had an unbelievable program (I wasn’t on the varsity team until my senior year!).

Q: What attracted you to Hamilton College and the squash program?

A: Besides the fact that Hamilton is a great school academically, I liked the rural location and smaller size. I figured I would live in a city after college and wanted to see what living in a rural area was like. I had a great visit during the fall of my senior year (the most beautiful autumn day ever – false advertising for true Hamilton weather), and enjoyed spending time with the team and coach (Jamie) King, so I decided to apply early decision.

Q: What has been your favorite Hamilton squash highlight from all of your seasons?

A: The first highlight was my sophomore year when we won the sportsmanship (Chaffee) award. Playing in a sportsmanlike way is very important to Hamilton’s squash program. It is a team goal this season to continue to conduct ourselves in this sportsmanlike manner. The second highlight would be the team dinners when we are the last people to leave Commons.

Q: Congratulations on winning the first round of the College Fed Challenge competition last week! Can you tell us a little bit about it?

A: Thank you! I am currently in Professor Owen’s Monetary Policy course. Four members of the class competed in the Fed Challenge, and the other four classmates helped with the supporting materials for the presentation and prepared us for questions we might receive during the challenge. We presented for 15 minutes on the current state of the economy and some global risks, and what we believed would be the most effective monetary policies to alleviate these risks and put the economy in a position to recover quickly. We then answered questions for 15 minutes – easily the nerdiest thing I have ever done.

Q: On Wednesday you competed in the College Fed Challenge semifinals where you and your team of presenters delivered a 15-minute presentation about the current state of monetary policy and then answered questions from Federal Reserve economists. How did that go?

A: It went very well! We made it to the finals and came in second place out of 32 teams from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. It was very surreal and somewhat intimidating to go to the NY Fed and present to and answer questions from Fed economists.

Q: I heard from Coach King that you have a job lined up for next year. What will you be doing?

A: I do! I will be working in New York City for BNP Paribas as an analyst in foreign exchange sales. FX lies within the broader umbrella of sales and trading. I am incredibly excited to get started on the desk in August.

Q: You are a two-time NESCAC all-conference selection and two-time member of the NESCAC winter all-academic team. Do you have any advice as to how to excel both on the court and in the classroom?

A: It’s pretty basic advice, and something you have probably heard already from your mom or dad. Take classes that you are interested in. If you find the work interesting, it makes those late nights in the library a little bit easier. And on that note – Opus coffee works wonders for those late nights.

Q: What will Amanda Thorman be doing five years from now?

A: I would love to still be at BNP in FX.

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