Meet Romina Cava: Championing Student Input to Towards Carleton@100
As Carleton University prepares for its 100th anniversary, students have an opportunity to help shape what the university’s next century will look like.
Supporting that effort is Romina Cava, a grad student who is serving as the Student Engagement Lead for the Towards Carleton@100 Strategic Vision and Plan.
Through this role, Romina is connecting with students across campus to ensure their ideas, experiences, and perspectives are part of the conversation about Carleton’s future.
From Commerce to Finance
Romina recently graduated from Carleton’s Bachelor of Commerce program and has begun pursing a Master of Finance this month.
Her interest in finance developed through her coursework and personal experiences.
Having watched her parents run their own business and developing an early interest in investing, she quickly found herself drawn to the field. “I’ve always loved investing,” says Romina. “I opened my own trading account as soon as I was 19.”
While completing her undergraduate studies, she learned about Carleton’s Master of Finance program through a professor and was immediately interested in its CFA-focused curriculum and opportunities for continued learning. “Continued education is really important to me,” she says. “After attending information and networking events for the program, I knew it was something I wanted to pursue.”
Beyond finance, Romina is also interested in strategy, organizational planning, equity markets, and female representation in executive leadership, interests that align closely with her current work on the Carleton@100 initiative.
What Is the Towards Carleton@100 Strategy Initiative?
As Carleton approaches its centennial, the Towards Carleton@100 is about engaging members of the university community in a conversation about the future. The strategic plan is to explore a simple but important question: What should Carleton look like in its next 100 years?
Through consultations and conversations with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members, the initiative is gathering ideas and feedback that will help inform the university’s future priorities and direction. The goal is to create a strategy that reflects the collective vision of the Carleton community while building on the university’s strengths and values.
Why Get Involved?
Romina first learned about the opportunity through a professor who encouraged her to consider summer internship positions within the Sprott School of Business. While reviewing opportunities, one posting immediately caught her attention.
“I love finance, but I also love the strategy side of business,” she explains.
What stood out most was the initiative’s commitment to listening to students and creating an inclusive planning process. “This position is really about making sure student voices are heard,” she says. “It’s about making sure everyone is involved in the process and helping ensure the university continues to thrive for future generations.”
Connecting Student Voices to the Process
As Student Engagement Lead, Romina serves as a key point of contact for students who want to share their perspectives on the future of Carleton. Her work involves reaching out to student groups and individual students across campus, introducing them to the initiative, and helping connect them with the appropriate working groups involved in the consultation process.
“My goal is to include as many student groups as possible,” she says. “I want to make sure everyone has an opportunity to contribute and that there’s a piece of everyone’s perspective reflected in the strategy.”
Share Your Perspective
Romina is currently building connections with student groups across campus and looks forward to expanding engagement efforts throughout the fall term.
Students from all programs, backgrounds, and levels of study are encouraged to participate. Whether you have ideas about academic programs, campus life, student services, research, community impact, or the overall student experience, your perspective can help shape Carleton’s future.
If you’d like to learn more about the Towards Carleton@100 and share your thoughts and ideas, Romina welcomes the opportunity to connect. Email her here.