Jenn Larson was just 14 years old when she took over the bookkeeping for her family’s dairy farm near Firth, Idaho. She soon saw firsthand how challenging it was for her parents, who lacked any college education, to properly manage the unpredictable earnings of farming. This started a lifelong passion for finance, and it led her down an unexpected path to becoming a role model she never had.
Yet, such ambitions ran in obvious contrast to everything familiar to her. “I didn’t have any advisors,” Larson says. “I didn’t have anyone to look up to for a professional example. All the women I associated with were stay-at-home moms.” Despite having parents who couldn’t fully understand her ambitions, Larson went to the BYU Marriott School, where she earned a business degree and focused much of her coursework on international finance.
Larson worked for seven years as a financial representative with Northwestern Mutual, advising clients on important financial decisions. Larson returned to BYU Marriott in 2008 to earn an MBA, and accepted a position in the school as an assistant professor following her graduation. For more than a decade, Larson has taught finance classes to undergraduate and MBA students. While she teaches finance, Larson tries to help her students see how mastering finance principles can also impact their personal lives.
Constantly balancing motherhood and work, Larson makes adjustments to the way she teaches. She gave birth to her first three children in three years while teaching at BYU Marriott, wondering at times if labor might start while in front of a class full of students. During the pandemic, Larson taught online classes from her dining room table while taking care of a newborn and other young children at home.
As a female instructor in the often male-dominated finance industry, Larson works to inspire other women who seek a similar path to hers. Larson became the role model that she never had — the example that a 14-year-old girl staring at a farming expense sheet couldn’t find. Now, Labor on’s children and students will always have that example.
【小题1】What motivated Larson to major in finance?| A．Her experience of managing accounts. |
| B．Her strong desire for college education. |
| C．The high expectations from her parents. |
| D．The challenging labor on her dairy farm. |
| A．She had no one to ask for advice. |
| B．She was unsure about the coursework. |
| C．She was misunderstood by her neighbours. |
| D．She was unfamiliar with everything at school. |
| A．The work of looking after a baby. |
| B．The process of dealing with students. |
| C．The process of giving birth to a baby. |
| D．The work of adjusting teaching methods. |
| A．Following Your Interest |
| B．Balancing Work and Family |
| C．Becoming Your Own Role Model |
| D．Seeking a Way to Become a Role Model |
