What does it take to balance a rigorous Master of Quantitative Finance (MQF) program with athletics, leadership roles, and professional development? In this video, Kate McNaughton (Class of 2024) shares her firsthand experience navigating graduate school while serving as a Division I track and field captain, a leader in the Rady Finance Club, and an intern at Allied Universal—all while excelling academically. Kate offers an honest look at how time management, discipline, and prioritization helped her thrive in multiple high-performance environments. From earning top honors in athletics to receiving leadership awards like the Karen E. Reese Award and the Robert S. Sullivan Award, her story highlights how the skills learned outside the classroom directly translate to success in finance and business. In this video, you’ll learn how Kate: ✔️ Balanced coursework, athletics, internships, and leadership roles ✔️ Applied time management strategies like digital planning to stay organized ✔️ Leveraged lessons from athletics—like discipline, resilience, and focus—into academic and career success ✔️ Built leadership skills through roles in the Triton Athlete Council, the Rady Finance Club, and national competitions like the Financial Times BizQuiz ✔️ Maintained wellness and avoided burnout by intentionally making time to recharge Her experience proves that with the right mindset and tools, it’s possible to excel academically while building leadership experience and professional networks that last well beyond graduation. 🔗 Learn more about the Rady MQF program: https://rady.ucsd.edu/programs/master-quantitative-finance/index.html #RadySchool #UCSD #QuantitativeFinance #RadyMQF #WorkLifeBalance #GradSchoolLife #Leadership #StudentAthlete #TimeManagement #FinanceCareers _________________________________________________________________________________________ FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBE: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/radyschool Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/radyschool LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/ucsandiego-rady-school-of-management X: https://twitter.com/radyschool Website: https://rady.ucsd.edu