Ballads and Balance Sheets: Veteran Addis Sansone ’​​24 Finds Personal and Professional Success at USD

Addis Sansone ’24 (MSF) is not your typical marine veteran. He loves order and discipline, which brought him to the military and to seek out a career in finance, but he is also a passionate individual who expresses himself through poetry. He didn’t think there was a place that could foster both parts of his life. So he was surprised to find that in 10 short months at the University of San Diego (USD), he found the resources, the community and the support to not only earn his master’s in finance and secure a job, but also to publish his first book of poetry.

Finding His Voice

Growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina, Addis credits his mother with teaching him the value of perseverance and his stepfather with teaching the value of discipline. But as he matured, he would often struggle to express his emotions.

He graduated from UNC Charlotte with a bachelors in economics before joining the United States Marine Corps as an officer. While going through officer training, Addis also began his first relationship. He started writing poetry as an outlet for his overwhelming emotions of falling in love.

Addis served for four years, some of which were overseas in locations such as Japan and South Korea. Although he loved his time in the Marines, the frequent moves and long distance eventually contributed to the end of his relationship. To process the heartbreak, he continued to write poetry, exploring his experiences of happiness, expectations, fear, jealousy and hope.

Balancing Love and Logic  

When the time came to transition out of the military, Addis decided he would pursue both of his passions: poetry and finance. Although they may seem like opposites, and certainly not typical next steps for a military veteran, for Addis these pursuits worked in harmony to help him find balance.

“Because I often work better in high pressure situations, I like to level that out with things that bring me mental clarity where I can sit with my thoughts and work through them,” he reflects.

Addis was eager to learn more about finance in a professional setting. He did research on his own, but was determined to find courses that could make him an expert. During officer training he’d been stationed at Camp Pendleton just north of San Diego and had fallen in love with the area. He soon found the Master of Science in Finance program at the University of San Diego’s Knauss School of Business. Classes in the program would cover topics he was already interested in, such as equity valuation, alternative investments such as real estate and crypto, and corporate finance. 

“I’m incredibly grateful for how it turned out with the coursework and professors,” he said.

Publishing Poetry While Crunching Numbers 

When Addis started at USD he had two goals: transition into a finance career and find a way to publish his poetry. Luckily, at USD he found the resources to do both. 

While the Master’s in Finance program connected him with career opportunities, he was also connected with an illustrator for his book, and the USD Writing Center helped him with the publishing process. 

In April, Addis published his poetry book, Sunflowers, described as “a collection of poems from a marine who fell in and out of love.” And to show support, USD’s Military and Veterans Program held a special event on campus so he could share his work with friends, peers and the USD community. 

Soldier, Student, Poet, Analyst

Juggling the publishing process and graduate school in just ten months is a task many couldn’t handle, but according to Addis, he got through it with the strong connection and camaraderie he built with his fellow finance peers.

“I built a network that is indispensable,” said Addis. “We bonded over studying and were able to vent to each other when things got hard. There was a lot of support within the program.”

Alongside the friendships he was able to develop, another favorite aspect of his time at USD was the strong relationships he was able to foster with his professors.

“All of my finance professors were truly invested in the students and our success. They brought current events into the classroom, making everything applicable to real life.” 

His finance professors also helped push his career along. When he expressed interest in the research that Carl Weise, an adjunct professor, was doing, the professor connected him to a company where he eventually got hired as an intern.

According to Addis, “All the professors actually care, whether or not you’re their student, which really shows the culture and integrity USD maintains.”

Through the support of the USD network, Addis is on track to accomplish both of his goals. Having successfully published his book, he will be graduating this May before starting his career in the summer. After completing his internship in April, Addis was able to secure a job at Tecolote Research as a Cost/Financial Analyst.

“The finance program 100% prepared me for my goals. Not only in my career but personal goals. The coursework taught me things I’ll directly be doing at my job, and I’m excited to apply my knowledge.”

— Jessica Applonie