Mamekhady is a Junior in high school from Harlem, New York City who recently participated in FGI. We sat down with Mamekhady to learn more about her story and her experience with the program in this interview. Tell us a little more about yourself.
I want to start off saying that my name is Mamekhady, or Khady for short, and I'm currently a Junior in high school from Harlem. I love being in Harlem for one because of its rich history and liveliness, and I feel like that it has introduced me to so many opportunities like First Generation Investors. I really appreciate growing up here. In my free time I really like researching topics I'm interested in. For example, last week I was researching the different methods people use to pay for college because I'll be applying soon since I’m a junior in high school. I came across things I had never heard of before, like 529 plans and how they're used. Even though I'm not able to use these, I feel like it’s still useful information to know especially for the future. How did you discover FGI? I was enrolled in a residential summer program at Columbia University. And in this program, we took classes for academic enrichment, of course, but there were also classes that focused more on us gaining skills that will be crucial for the future. For example, there were classes like Public Speaking and Financial Literacy, which FGI hosted. I remember looking at my schedule at the time and financial literacy really stood out to me because I had never had a course where I was given financial advisory. I was just really excited about that. What was your favorite part of FGI? What I really liked about our teacher for FGI during the summer program was that he didn't just lecture the entirety of the class, but he got us to engage. For example, I remember this one time after learning a topic– I think it was about bonds and stocks and the differences between them– he assigned us into groups. There was a stocks group and a bonds group, and each group had to defend which was better using our reasoning and what we had learned in the previous lesson. And I really liked that about the class. They really got us to engage and wasn't just a lecture, you know? How did the program change the way that you had traditionally thought about finance and investing? How did it change your habits? I kind of already established this a little, but since I had not taken a course on the subject before, I wasn't well versed in it overall. I didn't have a set way of thinking about finance and investing and I didn't think that anything that I would be taught would apply to me now, and taking this course really changed that. Not only would it apply to me in the future, but it applies now. For example, taking FGI taught me about making better money choices and to stop spending so impulsively. It really allowed me to start budgeting more and keeping track of my money. FGI is an organization supported by donors and almost all volunteers. What message would you send to those who have supported, or are considering supporting a program like this? To those who have supported and continue to support FGI, I want to thank you guys so much for giving first-generation and low-income students like myself the ability to be more well versed when it comes to finance and investment. You all are helping not just me but all of us invest in our future, not just with money, but with knowledge. I know for me, personally, the donors have indirectly helped change my perspective on life even if they weren't in the classroom. To those who are considering supporting or participating in the program, you should 100%. Supporting the program really would allow it to expand, and even more people from underrepresented backgrounds can get involved in FGI. What are your plans, goals, or dreams? As for my family, nobody has ever completed college and I hope to change that. I've hoped to change that for as long as I can remember. I really hope to make them proud by investing in my future. Programs like this have really helped me make such investments in my future, not only with money, but with knowledge. And as far as long term career goals, I'm not really sure yet and I do not know what I want to major in. I just know that I want to have a STEM-based major and a minor in humanities. What else would you like to share? For one, I want to send a message to those who are about to enter the FGI program or are currently doing one. Don't be afraid to ask any questions. No question is a dumb question. Your teacher or advisor is here to clear up any misunderstandings you may have. And all in all, they're here to increase your financial literacy, so never be embarrassed to not know something.
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Tell me about yourself
My name is Chisimdi and I’m in the 10th and from Nigeria. I was in 9th grade when I did FGI. My hobbies are reading and playing soccer. I currently live in Washington, DC. How did you discover FGI? I discovered FGI in my school when they were doing the back to school night and someone had put up a poster. What was your favorite aspect of FGI? My favorite part of FGI was learning how to invest because I didn’t know you could actually make money by doing this. I thought if you made money you would just save money in the bank, but learned that you can invest it in stocks, funds, and ETFs. That was very interesting to know about. Dear FGI Supporters,
We are delighted to say that 2024 has started off well for us as we continue working towards our mission to teach high school students the power of investing and bring classroom lessons to life by providing students with real money to invest. We've spent the last few months engaging in meaningful conversations about the importance of equipping young people with the tools to take control of their financial futures, securing partnerships with fantastic organizations and schools, and preparing for our largest cohort yet! NEW YORK -- First Generation Investors (“FGI”), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that teaches high school students the power of investing and brings classroom lessons to life by providing students with real money to invest, today announced the appointment of Paul Germain to its Board of Directors.
“We are thrilled to welcome Paul to our Board and believe he will provide invaluable insights into the curriculum and to our overall strategic direction as an organization,” said Stephanie Pressley, Executive Director of First Generation Investors. “With more than 30 years of leadership expertise and industry knowledge in the financial services sector at some of the world’s largest financial institutions, Paul will be a tremendous asset to our Board. We look forward to working together as we continue working toward our mission of teaching high school students the power of investing.” Mr. Germain currently serves as President of Stone Ridge Asset Management, a New York based asset manager with an alternative focus. Prior to joining Stone Ridge, he served as Global Head of Prime Services at Credit Suisse and as a Partner and Head of the Client Franchise in Prime Brokerage at Goldman Sachs. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Safe Horizon, the country’s leading service provider for victims of violence and abuse, where he also chairs their Development Committee. Paul has a BSE from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard Business School. “I am honored to join the FGI Board and am excited to get started, supporting the continued expansion of FGI,” said Mr. Germain. “My son greatly enjoyed volunteering at FGI and the organization’s mission and values deeply align with my own. I believe this organization can play a meaningful role in developing and nurturing the next generation of young investors.” About First Generation Investors Founded in 2018 by University of Pennsylvania students Alex Ingerman, Dylan Ingerman, and Cole Mattox, First Generation Investors (FGI) is an organization dedicated to providing underserved high school students with the financial knowledge and tools needed to take control of their financial futures. FGI is a school-based and volunteer-led program that teaches high school students the power of investing and brings classroom lessons to life by providing students with real money to invest. In the spring of 2019, FGI piloted the program with three local Philadelphia high school students. Since then, FGI has served nearly 2,000 students. Contact Stephanie Pressley First Generation Investors contact@firstgenerationinvestors.com 646-259-3243 For the first time, Amazon expands Stream it Forward to Amazon Music to join the effort to #RetireInequality alongside TIAA and Wyclef Jean. Read more here...
Dear FGI Supporters, Because of you, we are concluding another successful year at FGI! Your support has been essential in serving nearly 2,000 high school students to date! We are proud to share that we have deepened relationships and formally aligned with high schools and school districts over the last year to facilitate the scale of the program further. We partnered with the Philadelphia Board of Education, Columbia University Double Discovery Center, Durham Public Schools, Inspire Charter Schools, The Tulane Center for Public Service, the New York Board of Education, Accelerated Learning Solutions, the San Antonio Independent School District, and many independent high schools to expand our program to serve more high school students across the country! Our network of college tutors is the backbone of our organization, allowing us to activate programs nationwide. Hundreds of dedicated volunteers provided tutoring and mentoring services to students. We are truly grateful for the support from so many individuals and partners. Your commitment is invaluable and enables us to move forward and achieve our goal of providing financial education to high school students nationwide. FGI in the newsFGI expands in Durham Public Schools! FGI was mentioned in this Providence College student spotlight! Check out a recently published book about addressing wealth inequality, using FGI as the main case study! FGI was mentioned in a story featuring George Washington High School’s Investment Club. FGI announces partnership with the San Antonio Independent School District and Accelerated Learning Solutions. FGI in the Classroom Tulane Offers College Credits for FGI Volunteering First Generation Investors, Tulane University’s Center for Public Service, and McMain High School partnered to bring FGI’s program to New Orleans High School students. The partnership allows Tulane students from the A.B. School of Business to receive course credit and satisfy Tulane’s public service requirement for graduation, all while serving FGI and local high school students. Tulane's initiative of offering course credit to our volunteers sets a precedent for other colleges and universities to replicate, ultimately expanding the pool of tutors available for high school students The inaugural learning cohort featured 18 McMain High School students. According to McMain High School’s Financial Literacy instructor, Mr. Harold Bailey, Tulane University students consistently engaged in the presentation of information, and students felt comfortable asking questions throughout the program. “This semester was very encouraging, to say the least. To begin, teaching a financial literacy course offers a lot of pressure; there are just so many financial hurdles that could hamper a person’s financial success that you could be stifled with inaction from not knowing which direction to take with students to help them avoid financial pitfalls. But I know that having a financial program that speaks to investing is by far one of the more important topics to address. Also, having a liaison for both the program and college student body was helpful, especially knowing I had the support of others as a classroom teacher.” Morehouse and Spelman Tutors lead FGI in Atlanta This year, we partnered with Accelerated Learning Solutions (ALS). This full-service school management company helps provide students with a non-traditional pathway to graduation and post-secondary success. Through this partnership, we had the pleasure of working with Skyview High School in Atlanta, Georgia with tutors from Morehouse and Spelman Colleges. Russell Cockerham, lead tutor of Morehouse College, and his team of tutors worked with Skyview students, going above and beyond to teach FGI’s program. Skyview students reported that they gained knowledge essential to beginning investing, and gained a short-term and long-term vision for managing their personal finances. Thank you to the students, teachers, and ALS’ leadership for working through First Generation Investors to provide students with this opportunity. The learning cohort of 20 submitted team-oriented Capstone projects which allowed students who struggle with literacy to invest without barriers. “Thank you to all the tutors from Morehouse, Spelman, and the First Generation Investors. The time we spent here and the knowledge we've gained have brightened our future so much more. With your help, we were able to enhance our investing skills and expand our knowledge about the financial industry. We have gained valuable insights into managing our current and future finances. We are committed to sharing our newfound knowledge with others seeking to learn. Thank you for all your hard work and support.” - Skyview Students Azariah, Andrea, Jerriona, Taylor, and Jenn’e Furthering the missionCareer Day at Brandywine Global This summer, Brandywine Global hosted a Career Day for FGI students at their office in Philadelphia. The event included interview preparation and workshops that helped students learn more about careers in investing. The Career Day was possible through the Brandywine Global team, including Stephen Rainey, Andrea Holland, John Nelson, and Patrick Kaser. Valley Forge Financial Services Practicum for FGI Students Four former FGI students completed the Valley Forge Financial Services Practicum this summer. Our students participated in an interactive Zoom discussion featuring experts from various financial services sectors. Through the Practicum, Valley Forge’s Mission is to provide a diverse group of students with equal opportunities to develop an understanding of financial services, establish a network with career mentors, and practice essential workplace skills -- all while building their resume. The FGI participants were among Valley Forge’s 2023 Class of 29 students representing 23 schools and Universities. Welcoming Paul Germain to our Board of DirectorsRecently, the board welcomed Paul Germain, President of Stone Ridge Asset Management. Prior to joining Stone Ridge, he served as Global Head of Prime Services at Credit Suisse and as a Partner and Head of the Client Franchise in Prime Brokerage at Goldman Sachs. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Safe Horizon, the country’s leading service provider for victims of violence and abuse, where he also chairs their Development Committee. Paul has a BSE from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Like most nonprofit boards, ours consists of talented people who care about our organization's mission and are willing to dedicate time to providing strategic guidance and oversight. We thank Paul for joining us in our efforts. Thank you for a great yearWithout your help, we wouldn't be where we are today. We are excited to see what the future has in store for us.
Thank you for being part of this journey and Happy New Year! Tell me about yourself My name is Lisa Weah. I am a freshman in college and I’m from Syracuse, New York. What I like to do in my free time is read, write, spend time with my family, and go to church. I've also always wanted to become a neurosurgeon. Right now, I'm taking like a break from that and I decided to go into nursing first because the path to medical school and through residency is long before I would start working with patients. I also realized that, with the home nursing shortage right now, the workforce needs more nurses. My older sister is a nurse and I know a lot of people who are nurses as well. A focal point for me right now is trying to re-adjust my path because I attended a four-year school up until just recently. So, I had to come back home after going to Ohio, sit down, and think about what I wanted to do. I'm going to a community college starting in January to take liberal arts, science, and math requirements to become a more competitive applicant. Then, I plan on transferring to a nursing school in New York City. It would be nice to get a lot of hands-on experience and also be able to immerse myself in campus activities. I want to know that I'm getting the best out of my education and be prepared to go directly into the workforce. All I care about is making the world a better place and also providing for those who can't provide for themselves. How did you discover FGI? I found out about FGI during my junior year of high school. COVID had just ended and I had a new teacher that year who wanted to prepare us for the future. She started asking me if I was interested in investing and, at that time, I was considering majoring in economics, so I told her that I was interested in learning about marketing, business, and economics. She recommended FGI and mentioned that Syracuse University was holding a chapter. Once I signed up, I realized that it was the perfect thing for me because I'm a first-generation college student and I've always wanted to invest. My parents weren't able to teach me much about financial literacy only because their knowledge is limited and after the pandemic, I was just focusing on so many other things that I wasn't sure if I was ever going to be able to get started with investing. But I realized that FGI was perfect and I even told it to my teacher and he was like, yeah, you should do this. What was your favorite aspect of FGI? My favorite part was doing the capstone because it allowed us to apply our knowledge and see how far we came and how much we performed. It was nice for me to realize that I knew more because I do plan on investing - I just recently made my Public account [students set up investment accounts using Public.com]. Making the portfolio was another favorite part because I remember the amount of attention and detail that went into it and how I looked up different stats like the risk of each stock. I actually ended up putting most of my money in a couple of mutual funds and treasuries. I also invested in both Apple and Johnson & Johnson. I liked making the capstone because having a chance to explain my portfolio was really nice. I got to show everyone what I learned and how grateful I was that I got to be a part of the program, which everyone appreciated and enjoyed. What was your biggest discovery or learning during FGI? I really enjoyed that the students tutoring were so open with us about their majors and school experiences. Not all of them had majored in finance, and they told us about why they were doing FGI and why investing is important and I related to that. Also, I really enjoyed the lesson plans because it was a time to talk about all the bits and pieces of investing. I got to learn about stocks, bonds, markets, mutual funds, and hedge funds. I realized that what I knew before wasn't the full story. I also enjoyed just coming every week and being split out into our own groups. Every single week we would do full group lessons first and then branch off into our little groups. My instructor Julia was super nice and the other students in the groups were nice as well. How did the program change the way that you had traditionally thought about finance and investing? I realized that a little goes a long way and the sooner you start, the better. Over time, the market will basically give you interest over what you've put in and that can be really big depending on if you've invested a lot, or it can be like little if you only invested a little, but either way it’s still money. I definitely will save more and put that towards investing because my plans are geared towards starting a family and making a living... I want to be able to live comfortably and also take care of the ones around me. Anything else you would like to share to those who have participated in or supported a program like this? I think more students should consider doing FGI because you go in knowing nothing and come out knowing almost everything. You get to meet people who care about finance and you hear their side of the story, and I think that it's eye-opening because sometimes people don't know what they want to do when they grow up. Meeting with people who have a degree in Finance isn't so bad because there are a lot of things to learn and it can be really difficult without help. It’s great to meet people who know finance. Full article: https://indyweek.com/news/durham/a-new-program-in-durham-public-schools-aims-to-teach-students-about-investing/ |
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