Ethan Emata '26 | Investing in Himself

 “Being here helps you learn about yourself and get used to the ‘real world,’” Ethan said. And the supportive culture he found at Emmanuel - where he was surrounded by people pushing for his success - helped him ease into the new environment and find himself.

“That overwhelming feeling quickly disappears – and you’ll look forward to coming back here every summer,” he said.

Ethan, a Finance major, said he was drawn in by the curriculum in tandem with smaller class sizes that would allow him to make genuine connections with his professors – something he felt he may not always have at a larger college or university.

 “The courses here let you engage more with the technology and systems you need – like Bloomberg and Excel – and the hands-on nature of the classes deepens your understanding and experience,” Ethan said.

He also got to explore topics that weren’t always on his radar, like a Business Law course, which helped ignite his interest in law, and led him to consider more career pathways for himself, like working in the legal system or as a policy analyst.

For his required internship as a School of Business & Management student, Ethan worked with a group of interns at Garment Valet. He used it as an opportunity to learn from his peers about other facets of business, like Marketing, and helped build a customized CRM to track client relationships. With consulting firm AKLU, he worked in client outreach and relationship building as a sales intern. And most recently, he’s been serving as a VITA tax preparer with the Boston Tax Help Coalition to help local residents prep and file their taxes.

“Employers expect you to be able to do things on your own when you’re hired – Emmanuel sets you up for that early on,” he said.

His latest venture was the launch of a Colleges of the Fenway Investment Group (COFIG) – a new club on campus. The idea came about in summer 2025 as Ethan looked toward his final year at Emmanuel.

“I looked ahead and asked myself – ‘what’s the best way I can make an impact?’”

As co-founder, it was an opportunity to showcase his financial knowledge and business acumen, but providing a platform for his peers to succeed in finance was just as much of a motivator.

“Finance is a broad field – being able to support my peers and help them to lay a foundation that they can build a career upon was huge for me,” Ethan said.

With Emmanuel’s resources and prime location in Boston at their disposal, Ethan said everything is in place for Saints to be successful and maximize their potential. Leaving COFIG behind after he graduates, Ethan hopes his contribution can help future Saints’ success come to fruition too.