What’s next for the Class of 2026: Nisan Basciftci

“What’s next for the Class of 2026” is a series that features Lafayette grads—where they’re headed, and the mentors, resources, and experiences that inspired their future path. Stay tuned for more stories throughout April and May.

By: Kelly Huth

Major/minor:

Dual major in math and economics, minor in data science, and a concentration in financial policy and analysis (which recently became a minor at Lafayette)

Destination/future plans: 

Nisan Basciftci ’26 will be a trading analyst at J.P. Morgan’s interest rate options desk. She received an offer with the same team she interned with in summer 2025.

Involvement on campus:

Basciftci says she is thankful she could be involved in a good mix of everything at Lafayette. She is recognized as a four-year Marquis Scholar and Fellow. She serves as the current president of Women in Economics Business Club (serving as president for two years, treasurer for one, and a member for four). 

“I really take pride in that role, because the executive board transformed that group into a professional, women-led network for those interested in economics and finance. We recently became an official club through the Student Government process.”

“Women in economics see the group as a safe place where they can talk about the challenges of being a minority in economics, or finance, or business, any of those fields. They can ask for professional or career guidance through the mentorship we do between upperclassmen and underclassmen.”

For younger students, Basciftci makes herself available for coffee chats to offer guidance for those considering careers or doing research in those areas.

She is also a Whitman Fellow (2022-26), a research role where she serves as team captain for a group of six; a member of the economics honor society Omicron Delta Epsilon; and a member of the math honor society Pi Sigma Epsilon. 

She worked her first year for the Academic Resource Hub as a mentored study group leader for microeconomics and intermediate microeconomics, and has continued to work as a peer tutor for microeconomics, intermediate microeconomics, and financial accounting (2022-25).

She has been a member of Hanson Center’s RAISE (Representatives to Advance Inclusive STEM Education) since 2023 and hosted a workshop at the 2023 conference. She stayed active as a member of the women’s club volleyball team (2022-26).

The experiences that mattered most:

She notes that Lafayette’s small class sizes had a great impact on her career. 

“Since I’m an international student, I have friends all over the world. Everyone I talk to, they’re shocked by the small class sizes we have and that I know my professors. Getting to know my professors on a personal level allowed me to find a lot of opportunities at school, outside of school, and to have great mentors.”

After taking economics lecturer Ute Schumacher’s class, she remembers Prof. Schumacher suggesting she connect with Gladstone “Fluney” Hutchinson, associate professor of economics. Even though she wasn’t taking a class with him at the time, Basciftci set up time with Prof. Hutchinson to learn about his career and talk about her goals. That connection led to a summer research position and a four-year role as a Whitman Fellow.

“He gave me a chance, and I’ve been working with him ever since,” Basciftci says.

Through that role she obtained on-site experience, talking with people in communities impacted by political and economic challenges. She went to Baltimore the summer after her first year to research Highway to Nowhere, working to develop projects to help restore the area. 

“We were thinking of the people who were actually going through those experiences, people who had to move because of certain policies that were racially discriminatory,” she adds.

Later research took them to the Bahamas, where Hutchinson pushed the students to think beyond the numbers and data points, to really consider the people, the backgrounds and experiences, emotions and sensitivities of economic development. 

In January 2025, she led a group of five students in Moldova on post-Soviet economic development, where they met groups and tried to understand their challenges. The Lafayette cohort tried to make recommendations based on what would be most beneficial economically.

Basciftci is grateful for those experiences—opportunities to travel, to analyze issues and make recommendations, and present in front of economists and European Union representatives.

“I think that’s huge because I’m only an undergrad student,” she says. “I don’t have a Ph.D. or master’s in what we’re doing. I’m just getting my bachelor’s degree this May, and I got to meet European Union representatives because they were interested in what we had to say as a Lafayette research group.

“Those on-site experiences and small class sizes are the key things that made Lafayette Lafayette for me.”

How Lafayette shaped your future:

In her first year, she was unsure of her path and turned to Gateway Career Center’s CareerTracks, a program that offers students a chance to visit employers within a specific industry. She opted for the consulting track, and though she met wonderful people, she realized it wasn’t for her. She wanted something analytical.

“But that was great for me because knowing what you don’t want to do is the first step in figuring out what you actually want to do.”

The following year she applied for the Abram I. Bluestein ’69 and Ilene S. Gordon Internship Endowment through Gateway, which provided funds that enabled her to attend the Expanding Diversity in Economics Summer Institute at University of Chicago in summer 2023. It was an experience she wouldn’t have been able to do without support from Gateway.

“Gateway made that possible for me, and having that on my resume has opened up so many opportunities for me,” she says, noting she worked with and met Nobel laureates, and presented her work in front of Ben Bernanke, former chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve. “That would not be possible without Gateway, and I’m really grateful to Gateway for giving me the opportunity.”

Why Lafayette?

Basciftci is grateful she chose Lafayette for the abundance of opportunities it offered. “Looking back I never had anyone say ‘no’ to me when I needed help with something at Lafayette. Whenever I need help and reach out to someone, even if they can’t help, they connect me with someone who can.”

The close-knit alumni network is incredibly important and impactful. 

“The alumni network has helped me so much,” she says, noting a connection made with John Bolton ’13, who works at J.P. Morgan and became a mentor for her during her internship and job search.

“He always took the time to check in, see how I’m doing, how the internship was going, and if I needed anything,” Basciftci says. “He was the first person I told when I got my return offer.”

The people who inspired you along the way:

Basciftci is grateful for the faculty and staff who impacted her journey.

“Profs. Hutchinson and Schumacher always made me go out of my comfort zone in everything we’ve done, and I really appreciate that because it helped me grow immensely.” 

Michael Kelly, associate professor of economics, supported her while she was trying to make big decisions about her life. Before she’d even taken his class, she found herself trying to decide between two internship offers sophomore year. She had limited information and two days to make a choice. She emailed Prof. Kelly requesting time to talk since he held a similar role before coming to Lafayette. She reached out on a Sunday while Kelly was traveling, but he replied quickly saying they could meet the next week.

“‘I only have two days’ I told him, and he immediately sent me a Zoom invite link,” Basciftci says. “We hopped on a call and talked for three hours. He told me everything he knew about the companies, the roles, and helped me make that decision, even connecting me with alumni.”

She was grateful for his efforts and later took two classes and an independent study with Kelly. Now, they meet weekly and trade books to read and discuss.

Rosie Bukics, Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Professor of Economics emerita, has become a role model because of her strength and confidence.

“She showed me I can be a successful woman in this male-dominated field,” she says. “Anytime I was feeling insecure, she gave me the reassurance that I’m smart and capable, and me being the only woman in the room, in whatever room, shows me I was there for a reason.”

Last year Basciftci went to Bukics’ office because she felt anxious being one of only a few women in a class and felt weird asking questions. Bukics’s answer was swift.

“She gave me her number and said ‘Whenever you feel that way, call me. I will remind you how smart and capable you are. If someone makes you feel that way, you have to have the confidence to prove them wrong.’” Basciftci says. “I always keep that advice with me.”

Holly Akers, senior associate director of employee relations and outreach at Gateway Career Center, helped to connect her with people and opportunities.

“I love her,” Basciftci says. “She connected me with people, alumni, and helped me so much with everything. She’s the reason why I have the mentors like John I have today.”

Advice for future Leopards:

It’s relationships like those that Basciftci encourages future Leopards to start making as soon as they arrive.

“Meet your Gateway counselor your first year—it’s never too early. I think it was the second or third week when I had a Zoom call with my Gateway counselor,” she says of Laura Wallace, assistant director and Gateway career counselor. “It creates a path for you.”

Her other tip? “Don’t be the first person to leave the classroom once a class is done.” 

She says it’s important to stay a few minutes to talk to your professors and get to know them. “It’s the start of a connection that can grow immensely throughout your four years at Lafayette.”