The Annual Berkowitz Lecture will be delivered by Professor Ralph Ossa, former Chief Economist of the World Trade Organization on 12 March 2026. The main event in Seeley Hall that evening will also celebrate the alumni community and the accomplishments of the MFE program and its students. One of those mini events will include the ceremonial awarding of the Michael Berkowitz Prize to MFE Class of 2026 student Kate Ni.
Given the graduating MFE student with the highest academic standing, the Michael Berkowitz Prize is named for the former chair of the Department of Economics and founder of the MFE program. It is funded through donations from the Berkowitz family as well as friends and colleagues of the late professor. Ni also won the Varouj A. Aivazian Award last year. That award recognizes the student with the highest academic standing in the first year of the program.
The highly awarded student didn’t enter the MFE program with a background in economics, commerce or finance. She did her undergraduate degree in engineering. Taking the Professional Experience Year (PEY) option of the program took her to Scotiabank’s trading floor where she learned she wanted to work in finance. Reaching that goal, she reasoned, would require a master’s degree.
“One of the reasons I chose the MFE program over others is that it’s such a small cohort, fewer than 30 students,” Ni explained. “I saw how tight‑knit the community was and I thought, ‘Oh, I’m coming here to make friends’ and I did make friends.”
While in the program, Ni’s fellow students elected her President of the MFE Student Association.
“They trusted me to plan our events, and we had some really good ones,” Ni remembered. “We’re a strong community, and I hope we’ll stay close in the future. We spent a lot of long nights working through problem sets together and figuring things out as a group.”
That closeness, group work and shared social opportunities, are necessary features of each cohort of the program. The MFE is an academically rigourous program and demands a huge commitment from its participants.
“When we look at applications of prospective students, we look for those who are driven and motivated, along with a good compliment of academic success, and a professional mindset.” said Jeffrey Ferrer, the MFE program’s Assistant Director, Career and Outreach Development.
For Ni, that rigour was enhanced by her experience as an engineering student that enabled her to do her course work, prepare for her internship and steer the student association.
“The discipline and problem‑solving skills I developed in engineering helped me a lot,” she said.
While the MFE commencement ceremony won’t be until June, Ni and her cohort are finished their coursework and working in the financial industry. Ni is currently on contract basis with TD Securities and will be starting with the Global Markets Rotational Program in August.
Her advice for prospective MFE students is to apply, even if they think they don’t have the usual academic experience.
“It’s okay to come from a non‑traditional background,” she said. “You can succeed in the MFE program, and in finance, without a finance or economics undergraduate degree.”
Return to the Department of Economics website.
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