Like Mark Twain, Sacha Savrimootoo '03 of Beau-Bassin, Mauritius, has "never let schooling interfere with my education."

Getting to know and learn from a diverse group of students at Bates has been as valuable as any course he has ever taken, says this econ major (who also plays a mean jazz guitar). "I have been inspired by the intelligence and wit of many of my friends from places as distant and different as Slovakia or Tajikistan or Brooklyn, N.Y," Savrimootoo says.  Moments of relaxation — playing tennis with friends, working out in the gym or lounging in the library with a good book — complemented his busy schedule.

His senior honors thesis, an analysis of the long-controversial notion that stock prices behave unpredictably by following a "random walk," has provided Savrimootoo with another meaningful experience. The thesis integrated much of the theory he had acquired at Bates with what he learned junior year at the London School of Economics studying finance, mathematics and statistics. Savrimootoo also exchanged ideas with his thesis adviser David Aschauer, Elmer W. Campbell Professor of Economics, whose knowledge of financial markets and their idiosyncrasies was instrumental in shaping his search for answers.

The experience of researching, writing and defending his thesis was intense yet enjoyable, he says. "The mystery and challenge of financial markets has a way of drawing you in and keeping you on the edge of your seat. There's many times when I almost fell off my chair in the early hours of the morning taking a first look at the results of some of my statistical tests."