Lucas Winkler ’24, who majored in history, is beginning his career as an underwriting analyst for Walker & Dunlop, a national real estate finance and advisory services firm in Boston.
Winkler works with Walker & Dunlop’s underwriters to originate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac multifamily real estate loans. It involves underwriting the loan terms to evaluate its sensibility and conducting due diligence on the borrowers to ensure they are in good standing to repay the loan.
Having grown up in a family with a long history of working in real estate, Winkler knew he wanted to do the same by his second year at Haverford.
“During my sophomore summer, I interned as a financial analyst for a small real estate advisory firm called 3E Management. In my junior summer, I worked for Walker & Dunlop as an asset management intern in their Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) syndications group. Thanks to this second internship, I was extended an offer for the position I currently have now,” says Winkler.
Winkler was an active member of the varsity fencing team’s sabre squad — a sport he played competitively since middle school. Though he plans to retire from fencing post-graduation, he is pursuing other sports, like pickleball.
“History has always been my favorite subject since high school, and the study strategies and analytical skills I learned as a history major are extremely useful in my new job, and the historical knowledge I acquired is beneficial for navigating and interpreting the world around me,” he says.
Some of Winkler’s favorite courses were Visiting Professor of Economics Neal Grabell’s classes on management and accounting. Through the Quaker Consortium, he also took two courses at Wharton, including Alan Feldman‘s course on real estate development. This class, which involved underwriting, evaluating investment options, writing investment memorandums, listening to guest speakers, and attending networking dinners hosted by the Feldman, allowed Winkler to work with real-world financial scenarios and better understand the current real estate environment. Additionally, Edmund and Margiana Stinnes Professor of Global Studies James Krippner’s course on the history of Haverford College greatly influenced his senior thesis, titled “Haverford College Holds the Center: Navigating Issues of Free Speech and Anti-War Activism in the 1960s.”
Looking ahead, Winkler is focused on settling into his new life in Boston and developing a work-life routine. While he is still figuring out his long-term goals, he remains optimistic and open to future opportunities.
For his fellow graduates, Winkler shares, “I hope that they can achieve their post-graduate goals and aspirations. Life immediately after graduation is a big and sometimes uncomfortable transition, so we should continue to support each other as we have during our time as Haverford students.”
“Where They’re Headed” is a blog series chronicling the post-collegiate plans of recent Haverford graduates.