HUSKY SPOTLIGHT: SARAH-MAUDE FORTIN
May 29, 2024 | Women's Tennis
For Sarah-Maude Fortin, two things were essential for finding the perfect college fit: a great business program and a great tennis program.
When she was researching schools to attend in the U.S., the Montreal native split the responsibilities with her father. He was tasked with finding good business schools. She was searching for schools with impressive tennis programs.
They happened upon a school that had an incredible reputation for both -- the University of Washington.
Fortin, a senior, is double majoring in Finance and Accounting for Business Professionals and is affectionately referred to as the "finance bro" on the team.
"I love my classes and I love finance," Fortin said. "A lot of people joke around that I'm a finance bro but I actually really like it."
The senior plans on pursuing a career in investment banking and corporate finance and already has a job lined up after June graduation back home in Montreal.
Through UW's Foster School of Business and RSOs (registered student organizations) on campus, Fortin has taken advantage of many of the university's resources to help her get to where she is today.
Growing up deeply involved in the world of tennis, diving deeper into the world of finance and business while at Washington helped Fortin not only ignite her passion for the field, but discover just how far her goals could take her.
HEAD COACH THOUGHTS
"SMF has been one of the most consistent and hardest working players I have ever worked with," Head Coach Robin Stephenson said. "Whatever she puts her mind to she will find a way to make it happen. She has been such a great leader by example and has lived the values of the program to the highest degree every day. I am so grateful for her loyalty and her love for this program and everyone that she has crossed paths with. I am so proud of her growth over her four years and am so excited to see how she continues to thrive in the future. She has left her mark here at UW and the future of the program is better because of her."
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— Washington Women's Tennis (@UW_WTennis) May 29, 2024
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>> https://t.co/xu0zjDT7Vy#GoHuskies x #BetterTogether pic.twitter.com/5y6Usu5bif
POST-COLLEGE OPPORTUNITIES
Fortin has spent the past two summers interning at banks, starting her sophomore year of college.
She joined an investment banking club while at UW, which she noted has provided her plenty of opportunities to expand her knowledge of the field.
In investment banking, there's a long recruitment process that starts very early, Fortin explained, so getting ahead is key. She was recruited for an investment banking opportunity the spring of her sophomore year that didn't begin until after her junior year.
"If I didn't have Foster and the investment banking club, I probably wouldn't be in the position I am today in terms of the opportunities I've gotten in finance," Fortin said.
GOALS: AN EVOLUTION
Fortin has been goal-oriented for as long as she can remember, dating back to when her parents would ask her what she wanted to do in the future at age 5.
"I love working hard and I love setting goals for myself and achieving them," Fortin said. "I've been like that my whole life. Tennis obviously amplified that, but I've always known what I've wanted to do, even if it's evolved over the years."
At one point in time, Fortin wanted to be a professional tennis player. An architect. A biochemist. Over the years her goals have shifted and, with the help of her father who works in finance, she has discovered that finance is the right place for her.
"The road for me to get to where I am today has changed a lot over the years," Fortin said. "I've always liked having a goal or a road laid out in front of me, even if that path is always evolving."
The cutthroat nature of the sport — feeling like she would need to win to survive — was a part of the reason Fortin turned away from her previous goal of playing tennis professionally. This, combined with a desire to put forth more efforts academically and professionally, helped her come to the conclusion that her senior season at Washington would be her final as a tennis player.
"I love competing so much but I didn't want it to become something that I needed to do to survive and take fun out of it because of the pressure," Fortin said.
FOUR YEARS OF WASHINGTON TENNIS
Earlier this season, the Huskies celebrated the class of 2024's four seniors in a match against Stanford. Fortin is the only senior who has competed at Washington all four years of her career.
"I feel like I'm a totally new person but also the same person simultaneously," Fortin said, about how she has grown over the past four years. "The core of who I am in terms of my values, my personality, my goals — I don't think that has changed — but my way of viewing things has changed."
Fortin moved to Washington with goals of pursuing professional tennis at the forefront of her mind, but as the years have progressed, her goals have shifted into pursuing a professional career in finance while also competing in tennis at a high level.
"Having this change in perspective to wanting to pursue finance has changed how I see and approach tennis, but the passion is still there and the desire to go out there and improve every day is still there," the senior said.
THE DAWG CULTURE
As the player with the most experience in a Washington jersey, Fortin really began to feel a sort of responsibility to set an example and step up as a leader on this year's team.
"Every year, each team has had something special and different, but the teams have changed a lot," Fortin said. "Especially this year — three new girls, two new coaches, it has created a whole new dynamic and it's been really fun."
"This team and program has given me so much over the years — in experiences, memories, people — that it's so hard to point out specific moments that are my favorite," she said.
Thanks to positive role models at the beginning of her career and throughout her time at UW, Fortin felt that she has been passed down helpful advice for succeeding at a high level both in the classroom and on the tennis courts.
Her advice to younger student-athletes: Keep an open mind and plan ahead.
"You don't want to get to the point of being ready to graduate and have no idea what you're doing after that," Fortin said. "I'm glad that I've been working to figure out what I want to do so now that I'm getting ready to graduate I feel very ready, but I've definitely met people on the other side who are almost scared to graduate because they don't know what they want to do. I would tell the freshmen to keep their options open, keep an open-mind for new opportunities in school and in life, and think ahead.
