I graduated from Ashwood in 2012 and went to Camden Hills, where I mountain biked on the high school team and joined the Windplanners. In Windplanners, we financed a solar array using this method called a power purchase agreement which I thought was very cool. Margo Murphy was an inspiration during high school to a group of us who I know all remember her well. After high school I decided to go to Middlebury College in Vermont. I studied Economics and some Environmental Studies and did a lot of biking and skiing in my free time. I wrote my thesis, and then in my final semester did an independent study, on carbon credit markets. I graduated in November 2020 and then moved to Salt Lake City, UT for the spring. In SLC, I worked at Snowbird in the deli (General Gritts) with one of my best buddies from college. The fun (at least that type of fun) had to come to an end, and in June 2021 I moved to New York City. Currently I live in the Lower East Side of Manhattan with three college friends. I’m working as an investment banker in the consumer and retail group at Morgan Stanley, which has been a crazy experience. I’m learning a ton and there is a lot of environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing going on in consumer and retail (those wool shoes, AllBirds, and Oatly, the milk alternative, as examples). I’m super focused on working either in environmental finance or starting my own business that will progress my environmental goals in the future, but I might try to live abroad for a few years first. More to come!
In addition to his work in investment banking, Aidan runs his own photography business, Aidan Acosta Photography. He also kindly shared access to his senior thesis and independent study, viewable at these links.