UNH Alumna's Career at the Intersection of Investing and Sustainability

Meet UNH alumna Rachel Rymaszewski ’20 (environmental conservation and sustainability) and learn how her undergraduate experiences impacted her career path and prepared her for success in her role at the intersection of investing and sustainability at a local investment consulting firm. 

What are you doing now for work?

I work for Prime Buchholz, an investment consulting firm based in Portsmouth, NH. We provide our investment consultancy services to predominantly non-profits, as well as high net worth individuals. My role is to essentially help implement sustainability and diversity considerations in client portfolios as they pertain to our clients' unique missions. This has historically included analyzing how asset managers incorporate these considerations into their own operations, producing impact reporting, and helping our clients get to where they want to be in their mission goals.

It can seem hard to conceptualize, but the firms that our clients can choose to provide their capital to truly have a real-world impact. Some examples can include social themes such as community investing, healthcare, affordable housing, and supporting underrepresented groups. Some environmental themes have historically included capitalizing on the energy transition, sustainable infrastructure, and entrusting asset managers with their stewardship efforts on environmental issues.

How did UNH prepare you?

I participated in a number of sustainability programs at UNH that advanced my knowledge and skills beyond the classroom. Since I’ve graduated, the number of programs offered has only expanded! For example, I had the pleasure of working at the Sustainability Institute, where I helped calculate UNH’s nitrogen footprint. That experience really helped bolster my quantitative and data interpretation skills, which, even though it’s a different type of work I do today, proved to be instrumental in shaping how I approach problem-solving. It was wonderful that I was able to pair the content I was learning in my courses with real-life skills!

One of the key opportunities that led to my full-time role here at Prime Buchholz came through an internship with the firm via the Sustainability Fellowship program. Seven years later, I am running the Fellowship project on our side! It’s been a really rewarding full-circle moment. The Fellowship really opened my eyes to the impact that can be driven through the financial markets, and I haven’t looked back since.

Was there a person or course that had a significant influence on you? 

While I had many exciting experiences through my courses and professional endeavors at UNH, there is one person who I owe my deepest appreciation to for shaping where I am today. 

I approached my fellowship with Prime Buchholz not knowing anything about sustainable investing, or investing really at all! I was unsure about the impact that could be had through the conventional financial markets compared to more tangible scientific work that I was used to in my degree. I had a complete 180 moment after spending my summer learning from my fellowship supervisor, Kate Dumas. 

My first impressions of the fellowship were really driven by her enthusiasm for the space, her deep commitment to the mission of our clients, and her passion for doing good. Kate worked with me closely so that I got the most out of my experience, despite her extremely busy schedule. Importantly, Kate allowed my fellow intern and I to really own the project and run with it, taking into consideration the thoughts we had and to help drive sustainability through the organization more broadly. I can say with full confidence that the way Kate shaped my introduction into this space was the catalyst for my deep love and appreciation for the work I do today.

At this point in your life, what achievement are you most proud of?

When I graduated, I made it my life's mission to drive positive change through the financial system. Looking back on that goal six years later, I feel like I have made positive strides. I am truly so blessed to be able to work in a field that I absolutely love and find rewarding, and for a firm that sees the value in mission-aligned investing and contributes positively to some of the world’s most pressing issues that we face today. Because at the end of the day, the more capital that is provided toward positive solutions, the more positive societal and environmental outcomes there may be.

I am so grateful that the work I help produce can aid in the decision-making for our mission-driven clients who use their capital as a force for good. I am one small piece of the puzzle, but I am a piece!

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were an undergrad?

There are really only a few things I would tell my younger self. It was rewarding figuring out life as I lived it, trying out what worked for me and what didn’t, and I wouldn’t change anything about that experience. However, one thing I really wish I had taken more seriously was spending more time trying to figure out a skill I really liked and was good at. I really cannot understate this enough; while having a deep passion for one particular area of focus is obviously really important, it is equally important to be able to successfully apply it. Whether that was Excel, ArcGIS, financial modeling, or another skill. And I'm not saying to have it mastered! But I really went through college knowing I was interested in sustainability, but not sure how to really apply it. 

In today’s age of competitive jobs, specifically within the sustainability space, I would have told myself to pick really any marketable skill and work toward getting good at it. It really is such a competitive advantage. To get a good sense of what your specific skill set could entail, I would suggest looking up job postings that interest you, or finding someone within a specific industry that intrigues you, and seeing what it is that allows them to be successful in their role, or what that role really looks for. For example, my degree in environmental conservation and sustainability was very scientific and policy-focused, which is exactly what I wanted and signed up for. However, after realizing I wanted to potentially work full time in the investment industry based on the fellowship experience, I advocated to take an investment-focused course at UNH so I could understand and apply basic-level finance knowledge and tools to my sustainability interest.

What advice do you have for students interested in your field?

Sustainability is truly embedded in everything, even where it is not obvious. Meaning, no matter what career path you choose to pursue, there can always be a sustainability aspect to it. 

It was daunting for me my freshman year knowing I wanted to make a positive difference but not knowing how exactly I wanted to do that. One thing that helped me narrow this down was interning in different fields to get a sense of what I liked, and what I didn’t like. Internship experience is SO important because you can pivot if you decide the field isn’t for you! 

Some of the most successful students that I've had the pleasure of meeting and working with took the initiative to have as many experiences as they could during their college career to get a sense of what field they could see themselves being happy working in. And even though you don’t need to know what you want to do or who you want to be after graduation, try to figure out what skills you’re good at, what interests you the most, sustainability-related or not, and go from there! I find that identifying a skill or two that you excel at really goes a long way, and again, can always be applied in the sustainability world. Your time at UNH is really what you make it – so make the most of it!

What do you miss most about UNH?

It’s hard for me to think about one thing that I miss the most, considering there is so much! 

I miss the food at HoCo and always being greeted warmly by Paul. I miss walking through campus to my classes during peak fall and spring seasons. I miss the gym, my friends; I miss it all! But most of all, I miss all the memories I made with my friends. Take full advantage of your time at UNH because it goes by faster than you think!

What's ahead for you?

My goal now, and always will be, to make a positive impact on the planet and all of the inhabitants within it, especially in a day and age where environmental and social issues appear to be more exacerbated. 

The statistics are quite staggering. According to the UN Environment Programme, one million of the world's estimated 8 million species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction. Close to 90% of the world’s marine fish stocks are fully exploited, overexploited, or depleted. And there is so much more! It can sometimes seem overwhelming hearing these statistics and seeing these climatic and societal changes happen right before your eyes, and yet, feeling like you’re not doing enough. That’s part of the reason why I really love the space I’m in. We can be part of the solution by helping our clients who are interested in mission-alignment provide capital toward all different types of solutions, rather than needing to just focus on one impact theme. In the next 5, 10, 15+ years, I hope to continue helping our mission-aligned clients pursue the positive impacts that they set out achieve in their portfolios.

Tell us one unique or remarkable thing about yourself.

My partner and I have been working to build a garden of native species – we are novice gardeners but currently house over 30 native plants in our yard! Our goal is to provide additional food sources and shelter for pollinators and other wildlife!