Sheila Mullan

Sheila Mullan ('82) is in the money, so to speak.

"I am a senior bond reporter at Market News International, covering the U.S. Treasury bond market," she said. "That is considered the safest debt market on earth, so whenever there is instability in another market, say plunging stocks, or sliding emerging market debt, trading accounts can buy Treasuries. So it's a pretty exciting and wide-ranging beat."

She said the most challenging aspect of her job is interviewing sources, even though they're often right in front of her.

"The hardest part is reaching traders to interview them when the market is plunging or rallying because they're very busy just then.

"A wire service is minute-by-minute news, so you must get the news somehow. But it's also a lot of fun because it's very exciting."

Her career in finance led to other benefits, as well.

"I met my husband, Kenneth Barry, at a party thrown by another reporter who then covered the New York Federal Reserve Bank money supply briefings, as I did then. We had a New York Fed guard as the disc jockey at our wedding."

She said is grateful to the School for its help in providing her with good experience, including jobs at the Colorado Daily, CU alumni publications, a summer internship in Washington, D.C., with syndicated columnist Smith Hempstone and a part-time public relations job.

"There were many great teachers: One of the most influential teachers for me was Frank Kaplan, who taught international journalism. Other good ones were Bill McReynolds, who taught critical writing; Sam Archibald, who taught journalism law; and Ron Claxton (MA '75), who taught editing and whose internship book helped me get the syndicated columnist internship."

She said she corresponds with another former News-Editorial major, Jenny Herring ('82), and a more recent arrival in New York City, Broadcast News graduate Jennifer Tierney ('02), but her early-career mobility has made it hard to keep up with other former classmates.

"The onus is on you to keep in touch when you've moved around a lot. Since graduation, I've lived in France, Denver, New York, Alabama, Pittsburgh, New York, Hong Kong and now back to New York and New Jersey."

Mullan said Kaplan should shoulder some of the blame for that.

"He said, ‘Travel, people, travel. You must get out and see the world.' I think I have that verbatim. Travel and living overseas not only broadens one's horizons, but it makes you appreciate what you have at home.

"Many of us have been born in the U.S., which is a stable democracy with a relatively stable currency. We take for granted that our currency will hold its value, basically. This is not a small thing.

"Having lived in Hong Kong through the severe Asian financial crisis that began in 1997 and seen terrible fallout from big currency declines, I would never take that currency stability for granted again." sheilamullan@hotmail.com