Alexander Carre

Bachelor of Arts 2017, Economics & International Affairs

Alexander Carre is currently a federal consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton, specializing in the strategic communications, risk management, and process governance. Currently, he works directly with civil federal clients in the Finance and Economic Development field to hone their organizational operations and strategy at the portfolio level. He enjoys working with the civilian agencies of the US government, because their work directly impacts American citizens and they strive to stay abreast of commercial best-practices. Because of this, he can be proud of the work he is doing and know that the skills he is honing will continue to be relevant. Before that, he was a student trying to get a thesis done crime and belief in the Bible, and singing with the GW Troubadours. He completed internships with the Bureau of Economic Analysis (DOC), where he found my interest in government, and KPMG, where I found my interest in consulting.

What excites you about the work you do? I get to work with some of the smartest people I've ever met and have two interesting, distinct roles in my day-to-day job. During part of my day, I assist my federal client in forming and communicating its long-term strategies, and sometimes I even see the impact of what I do in the news. During other parts of my day, I get to work with the industry leaders of a top management consulting firm to drive business and shape future capabilities.

What is the most significant career experience you've had so far, and what made it meaningful to you? I completed a 10-week data science boot camp, where I expanded my economics abilities beyond linear regression and was completely out of my comfort zone. While my client delivery has yielded some exciting real-world outcomes, this was a personal victory. The experienced forced me to resume my student role and work for mastery of a topic, where only I was the judge, and solidified my confidence as an economist. Humbled, I struggled with complex modeling and got to work with a class full of diverse thinkers. My final project studied the racial bias of police stops in Maryland’s Montgomery County. Consulting is a great place to start your career, because you can try so many different things (and they pay for it).

Additionally, during two summers of college I was a manager at Wegmans, with 30 employees and a couple million dollars-worth of bakery/meat product to keep track of. It really made me appreciate how no-one knows what they’re doing, and it’s often up to you to fake it and get things done. Also, while an intern at KPMG, I got to argue with the IRS regarding multinational tax regulation and realize how much I didn’t like doing taxes.

How did GWU and the UHP prepare you for your professional journey? In what ways has your career evolved since you graduated from GWU? UHP made me more comfortable with not being the smartest person in the room. If you’re able to resist the urge to squirm in your seat and keep pushing yourself until you understand and can speak to a topic. Honors also helped me learn to immerse myself in the details, because it’s rare you can make the right calls with only a surface-level understanding. GW prepared for the real world by being big and bureaucratic. There are always resources to help you, but you need be your own advocate and work to find them.

Advice for current UHP students: Take some classes you enjoy and get the most out of them. These interests will set you apart from others and make you memorable, whether you’re selling a firm’s services or your own abilities. Then take some classes that show you can sweat the tough stuff, you will impress others when you can both write and count (not everyone can).