The situation could be interpreted different ways. On the one hand, the student could be perpetrating an outright satire that's hostile anti-trans trolling, e.g., if trans people can change their name/pronouns for any reason or no reason at all, why can't I do so to benefit myself? On the other hand, the student could really be trans and is really trying to come out. They believe they need to explain themselves (i.e. publicly justify why/how they are trans), but they feel vulnerable or embarrassed about their actual reasons/feelings (which are surely private), so they give a reason that sounds like it makes sense within a capitalist society — in which case, they're still making some kind of satiric comment about male privilege, but they're also a young trans person who might be socially awkward, doesn't know how to come out, doesn't know what the reception will be, and is testing the waters or rehearsing how they can come out for real post-graduation. It's a bit easier to walk back a performatively capitalist trans-coming-out than a gooey emotional trans-coming-out, if they get cold feet after the fact. That might be a kid's thought process.