Matthew Baker, an Economics and Finance double major, is  the valedictorian for the Class of 2011. He will receive two degrees with different majors from the School of Arts and Science and Hagan School of Business.

Baker was born and raised in Wallkill, N.Y. He graduated from a high school which has 1200 students in his town, and he was also the valedictorian in his high school. After he graduated from high school, he came to Iona College with a presidential scholarship and a spot in the Honors Program. 

Baker has an older brother, a younger sister and brother. Some time this May, he will be turning 22 years old. Throughout these four years studying at Iona, Baker made many achievements in different fields besides academic.

He cites being an RA and being on the presidential search committees as two of his most impressive and fond memories at Iona College.

He has been the Honors floor RA in Conese Hall since his sophomore year. In these three years, he has been working with the administration and students in order to maintain the harmony and order in the residential halls.

Baker said that being an RA is a role that he really had to step into and it takes up so much time because he has to be ready for the residents all the time. At the same time, this role opens the door for him to meet more people and make more friends.

Because of his role on the presidential search committee, he helped to choose Iona’s next President Joseph Nyre as the next Iona College president.

“I got the chance to meet the board of trustees and the chairman of the board,” Baker said. He also had interviews with other qualified candidates, and had a chance to experience how the administration worked in choosing the most suitable president.

Baker also loves engaging in extracurricular activities. He was on the intramural volleyball team for four years, and he teamed with honors students and friends. He was part of  SGA for three years, and was the Vice President of Finance in his junior year. Furthermore, he was part of the Inter Residence Council for two years.

Among his many extra-curriculars, one of his favorite is the Federal Reserve Challenge, which is an academic team from the economic department. He and the teammates created a presentation and presented it in the city. Another favorite is SGA, and he thinks that being part of the SGA is a platform for him to represent students and be really into the school; it makes him understand more about Iona from many different sides.

“I enjoy the having the platform to be able to get things, learn things and do things,” Baker said.

Baker has also had several internships. He was an intern for First Investors Corporation after his sophomore year and was an intern for Morgan Stanley during his junior year. He did commodities operation and was in the Risk and Matrix team, which gave him the opportunity to do risk analyzing, to learn how to process mapping.

“It was very interesting because I get to see another side of financial services that I can’t see in the classroom,” Baker said. He will begin working for Morgan Stanley after graduation.

Baker’s dream job is to have his own company which will be related to construction industries and economics. He says he will go to graduate school for his MBA after a few years of working.

This summer, he will get married to senior Corey Fisher, who is the editor of ICANN. “We were high school sweethearts,” Baker said.

Baker delivered his valedictory address on May 1 Honors Convocation, citing his gratitude to Iona for all the opportunities for growth and development it has given him.