For Grace Donfield '26, the path from Wesleyan athletics to a career in finance has been shaped by one consistent principle: give everything you have to the people and opportunities around you.

A varsity swimmer and rower, Co-President of the Wesleyan Investment Group, President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and a student of Government, Psychology, and Data Analytics, Donfield has built her Wesleyan experience around perseverance, curiosity, and relationships. Those qualities first drew her toward financial markets and investing and will soon carry her into her career as an incoming analyst within Citi's investment bank.

Her interest in finance developed gradually through conversations, mentorship, and exploration. During her first two years at Wesleyan, Donfield regularly attended meetings hosted by organizations such as Women in Finance and the Wesleyan Investment Group. These experiences introduced her to different industries and eventually to the world of financial markets.
"I quickly realized it was exactly what I was looking for," Donfield says.

What attracted her to finance was its combination of analytical and interpersonal skills. She found a field where she could work with data and challenge herself quantitatively while also building relationships and collaborating with others.Her experience as a student-athlete had already prepared her for that balance.

Whether standing behind the starting blocks before a swim race or sitting in the bow of a boat with eight teammates depending on her, Donfield learned that accountability extends beyond individual performance. Her teammates were counting on her to show up prepared, committed, and willing to give her best effort every day. "I never wanted to let the people around me down," she says.

That mindset has followed her into the professional world. Donfield approaches projects and deadlines with the same determination she brings to training and competition, holding herself to a high standard while focusing on how her individual contribution can help a larger team succeed.

Her commitment to teamwork has also shaped her leadership within the Wesleyan Investment Group. As Co-President alongside Finn Ahrens and Akiva Lind, Donfield helped foster an environment where preparation and ambition were matched by collaboration and mutual support.

She credits the people around her with shaping her own approach to leadership, including classmates and teammates who consistently demonstrated the value of hard work across athletics and academics. She also points to Holly Robinson as one of her most influential mentors at Wesleyan, whose guidance and belief in her had a lasting impact.

That emphasis on learning from others became especially important during her rotational summer internship at Citi. Despite months of preparation, conversations with alumni, and studying before beginning the role, Donfield quickly discovered that professional work moved at a pace that could not be replicated in a classroom. "At the beginning, it honestly felt like studying abroad in a foreign land," she says. The biggest lesson was adaptability. Donfield realized that an internship is not about knowing everything before you arrive. It is about being curious enough to ask questions, resilient enough to work through unfamiliar material, and confident enough to keep learning when someone else knows more than you do.

"There were definitely people in my intern class who knew more than I did about certain topics," she says. "But I did my best to not let that discourage me." Instead, she spent late nights reading supplemental materials, asking analysts questions, and finding ways to close the gaps in her knowledge.

That willingness to learn has been reinforced by her liberal arts education. Studying Government, Psychology, and Data Analytics has taught Donfield to approach problems from multiple perspectives and communicate complex ideas clearly. Rather than viewing her interdisciplinary background as a departure from traditional finance preparation, she sees it as an advantage.
"I feel I was taught how to learn, not what to learn," she says.

Her academic experience has also shaped how she thinks about people and organizations. Psychology has helped her understand individual behavior, Government has encouraged her to consider institutions and systems, and Data Analytics has strengthened her ability to work with information and identify patterns.

Beyond finance and athletics, Donfield has spent much of her time helping others navigate opportunities. As a NEON Teaching Fellow and longtime admissions intern, she worked with students who may not have always viewed higher education or Division III athletics as accessible paths.

Her approach to mentorship reflects the same philosophy that has shaped her own career: meet people where they are, listen to what they need, and help them see opportunities they may not have considered.

That philosophy also informs her leadership as President of SAAC. Through her work with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and The Hidden Opponent, Donfield has focused on one of the most important issues facing student-athletes: mental health.

The demands of academics, athletics, campus involvement, career preparation, and personal life can make the pursuit of being "well-rounded" feel overwhelming. Donfield believes effective advocacy starts by creating space for athletes to speak openly about those pressures. "Effective advocacy starts with listening," she says.

Whether advocating for student-athletes, mentoring younger students, leading an investment group, or preparing for a career in finance, Donfield consistently returns to the importance of communication and understanding. She has learned that successful teams are not built by eliminating differences, but by navigating them with patience, compromise, and a shared commitment to a common goal.

Perseverance taught her how to handle pressure. Curiosity taught her how to keep learning. Athletics taught her accountability. Her liberal arts education taught her how to think across disciplines. And her relationships at Wesleyan taught her that success is rarely achieved alone.

For Donfield, the next chapter is not a departure from the person she became at Wesleyan. It is another opportunity to keep learning, contribute to a team, and bring the same commitment she has shown since her first race and first day on campus.