‘Language of numbers’ inspires graduate

Texas native Maci Perkins earns bachelor’s degree in economics with concentration in finance

By California State University, Bakersfield

May 15^th, 2025

From a young age, Maci Perkins has been fascinated with numbers and how they can be used to further our understanding of the world we live in.

“The language of numbers has always come easy to me,” she said. “I love the way you can put a table or graph together and see trends, see patterns.”

When the time came to decide what she wanted to major in at California State University, Bakersfield, Perkins — a Dallas, Texas native — opted for economics with a concentration in finance. Now she is preparing to graduate from the university this month with her bachelor’s in the subject.

“It’s really exciting to graduate. All my family is coming out from Dallas to attend,” she said. “It feels really good that I earned this.”

Perkins moved to California to attend CSUB in spring 2022 after being recruited to play volleyball for the university. Having graduated a semester early from her local high school, she was only 17 years old when she first came to the university.

Perkins lived in the student housing on campus her first semester before moving into a house she shares with a few of her teammates.

“It was a lot that first semester,” she said. “I was on my own out here. I had never even been to California before. Thankfully I had the support of the team and the coaches. After that initial adjustment, everything has been great.”

While it was a big decision to move to another state, Perkins felt CSUB would be a good fit for her after talking to coaches during the recruitment process.

“Hearing about the program and culture from Coach (Giovana Melo), I knew she was building something here and I really loved what she was doing,” she said.

Melo, who now serves as the associate head volleyball coach for the University of Oregon, said Perkins has been a vital part of the team at CSUB.

“Maci is a truly phenomenal individual whose dedication, passion and drive set her apart,” she said. “Her presence on and off the court made our program better, and I have no doubts she will bring that same excellence to everything she pursues in the future.”

Perkins has enjoyed developing relationships with the other players on the team, many of whom come from other countries.

“I’ve gotten to meet people who come from different backgrounds and learn about their experiences, which has been great,” she said. “I’ve become friends with girls I wouldn’t have met otherwise.”

A ‘young lady who shines’

Perkins’ educational pursuits have always been a priority, even with her busy volleyball schedule. One of the highlights for her was being able to serve as an intern for the Federal Reserve Bank in Dallas.

In summer 2023, Perkins was placed within the Finance Department and got to shadow members of the team that worked on financial planning and budgeting for the bank.

“I loved it. The people were amazing and so helpful,” she said. “They were teaching me a lot of things and making time for me, so it was just a great experience.”

Coming back to CSUB in the fall after completing her internship, Perkins took a data analytics class taught by Professor Abran Padilla, which turned out to be one of the most influential courses for her at the university.

While she originally considered working in finance, Perkins determined that it wasn’t what she wanted to do. It wasn’t until she took the course that she realized analytics was the pathway she wanted to pursue.

“I knew nothing about analytics until I was exposed to it in that course, and I just loved it. That made me shift my focus,” she said.

Professor Padilla said he enjoyed having Perkins in his classes and believes she has a bright future ahead of her.

“Maci is a cheerful and intelligent young lady who shines academically while presenting a smile to everyone who has the privilege of meeting her,” he said. “I know her success at CSUB is only the base of the mountain she will conquer both academically and professionally. I look forward to seeing the transformative future impacts she will have in the world.”

Perkins was able to return to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas in summer 2024 for a second, more hands-on internship.

“It was even better the second time around. I got to connect with a lot of people my age from other colleges,” she said.

Perkins was able to complete the internship while staying committed to her academic coursework and playing volleyball.

“I was juggling a lot on my plate, but it was all worth it,” she said about being on the team. “It’s been very rewarding. It’s definitely had its challenges, but I don’t regret it at all.”

After graduating from CSUB, Perkins will be moving back to her hometown to work full time at the Federal Reserve Bank as an internal controls analyst. She also plans to begin pursuing her master’s in analytics next spring.

While Perkins is excited about the future, she said she will miss CSUB and the relationships she’s established here, especially those with her teammates on the volleyball team.

“The people have made this experience really awesome,” she said. “You meet all these people that have been a part of your life for a couple of years and then you’re moving on and you don’t know if you’ll see them anymore. This is an exciting new stage and step in my life, but I’ll always fondly remember my time at CSUB.”