Owen Holland has achieved results at races that he never thought he could pull off.

When Owen Holland ’25, of Newton, Mass., took an economics class in his first year at Colgate, he said it was the first time he had taken a course that truly helped to explain the world.

That course was Introduction to Economics (ECON 151), which helped him understand how economics was linked to the basic day-to-day actions of people. From that point on, Holland started monitoring the news closer than before. 

“After that class, I started reading the news more,” he said. “That class helped me understand why people were doing what they did — even the simple everyday life.”

In addition, the course reinforced his belief that economics should be the focus of his Colgate education.

Holland, a Colgate track & field distance runner, went on to declare mathematical economics as his major. He selected the subject because it combined his love for math with business, he said.

“I was thinking I would do something business related,” Holland said. “Economics is the closest thing. I thought I’d give it a shot and it worked out.”

Economics, however, is more than just numbers. Human behavior plays a significant role. Holland gained valuable insight into human behavior by taking courses like Advanced Macroeconomic Theory (ECON 357) and Games and Strategies (ECON 345) — which examines how people make decisions. 

“I like how economics relates decision-making to certain policies and it is interesting trying to understand people’s behavior and why they act a certain way,” he said. “From my major, I am interested in pursuing a career in finance because I see it as one of the best and most direct ways to have an impact on the world.”

In the Fed Challenge, students worked as a team to compete in a national competition that required analyzing the state of the economy and coming up with a monetary policy recommendation for the Federal Reserve, which judged the event. 

“This was probably my most crucial class to learning economics because it was very intense and helped me apply macroeconomic concepts to real world data,” Holland said. “That was probably the best class I have ever taken.”

The course taught Holland how to interpret data that the Federal Reserve uses for making policy recommendations. After learning theory in the classroom, Holland got to put it to use. 

Holland and other students launched a finance club called Scholars of Finance on campus.

Now, with one year to go before graduation, much has changed since Holland’s first semester. He plans to intern at Santander bank in Boston this summer. He’s nearly finished meeting the requirements for his degree. He has a much broader understanding of the financial world.

In addition, Holland has taken on endeavors outside of the classroom that have also helped him broaden his educational horizons. 

Last year, Holland and other students launched a club called Scholars of Finance. It’s a local chapter of a national organization that focuses on teaching core values to students who are interested in leadership roles in finance. 

“Colgate doesn't have a business school. But a lot of students want to go into finance,” Holland said. “We wanted a club that could teach what you could do with a career in finance. We wanted to help other students and help ourselves, too.”

The club has brought in different speakers, including Ross Overline, the co-founder and CEO of Scholars of Finance. Overline made an impact on the club, Holland said.

“He explained to us that all the world’s capital is in finance,” Holland said. “If you want to make an impact on the world, it’s a great place to do it.”

Economics, however, is not all Holland is studying. As a sophomore, he added a minor in computer science. His goal is to begin a career that combines computer science and finance.

“I never really want to pursue a career just in computer science. But I like how computer science challenges you to problem-solve,” he said. “It’s really fun writing out code and trying to solve a problem. I think it’s very stimulating.”

Plus, Holland said he’s networked with finance people who stressed the importance of a background in computer science.

“They said eventually everyone is going to need to know how to program,” he said. “It’s going to be really helpful for that. I want to find a way to combine it with my career.”

Along with his academic work, Holland’s role with the track team has provided another fulfilling experience at Colgate. 

After competing in cross country and track in high school, Holland wasn’t sure if he was going to continue the sport in college. When he enrolled at Colgate, he decided to give it a shot. And the results have been better than he imagined. 

“The experience has been amazing,” he said. “I have gotten times I never thought I could reach. I’m finally in position to be able to score in the Patriot League and compete with the top athletes. It has been a great ride. And I think one of the best parts is the relationships I’ve built, too. There have been so many great people who have come and gone.”

One of Holland’s highlights of the season came during the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic, where he ran a 30.54 in the 10k. It’s the eighth fastest time in Colgate history. He was also selected to the Academic All-Patriot League Team. 

Holland, who has a 3.9 overall GPA, said making the All-Academic team was an acclimation of everything he has done to become a better runner. 

“It was a proud moment because it represented all the work I put in off the field and all the achievements I achieved on the field.”