I am a Junior at the University of Connecticut and a proud member of the Opportunity Fund Project. Our program aims to bridge the gap for students, giving them a head start in their career-building journey by exposing them early in college to the world of investing. Recently, I had the privilege of reconnecting with my high school to speak with students about finance and investing and my experience since I graduated. This came about because I had shared with my professor, Steve Wilson, my great experience there and connected him with the teacher who ran the business program, Ms. Marshall.
Graduating from Tolland High School was a major milestone in my life. It was there that I first discovered my passion for finance. I joined the Student Managed Investment Fund Club, where we explored the world of investing, learned about the stock market, and developed investment strategies. We also participated in exciting activities such as the annual stock pitch competition. This club gave me a solid understanding of how investing works and laid the foundation for what I am now studying in college. Thanks to this interest, I knew I wanted to get involved in the Opportunity Fund Project. This unique program expanded my investment knowledge and prepared me to apply these skills in real-world scenarios. My investment journey will continue this fall, as I’ll be joining my classmates in managing a portion of the University’s endowment, which is both thrilling and a great responsibility.
In June, I returned to Tolland High School, along with classmates Kate Maliszewski, a sophomore, and Mitch Pascarella, a senior, along with Professor Wilson, to speak with the students about finance and investing. Our goal was to inspire them and show them that the world of finance can be an exciting and rewarding experience. We delivered an engaging presentation that covered many topics, with a special focus on soft skills and public speaking. Throughout high school, I noticed that students often focused on grades and academics, leaving little time to develop essential soft skills, such as public speaking. I shared my own journey of stepping out of my comfort zone to improve my public speaking abilities. I talked about the tools and activities that helped me, such as getting a part-time job where I interact with customers and fellow employees.
To make the session interactive, we conducted an activity where the students were split up into teams and had to pitch two companies to us, Yeti and William Sonoma. This gave them firsthand experience in researching and presenting their ideas, just like we do in the Opportunity Fund classroom. Then, the three UConn students voted for which was the more convincing team, and with it came the prize of first crack at the doughnuts! We also offered some feedback and advice which was well received. All of us were most impressed as the Tolland teams were comprised of all grades and seeing the enthusiasm and effort they put into the exercise was proof Ms. Marshall was successfully inspiring her students.
The feedback from the students was incredibly rewarding. One student said, “I learned that it is important to be good at public speaking for several reasons. Whether it’s getting a job or giving a pitch to professionals, public speaking is an extremely important tool everyone should have in their arsenal.” Hearing this made me extremely happy and proud to see that our visit had a meaningful impact. Another student came up to us at the end and said, “Thank you for coming to the school. There are not many opportunities for us to hear from professionals, and it means a lot to me.” This heartfelt comment made me reflect on the importance of our visit. It was truly inspiring to see how much the students appreciated our efforts and how we could make a positive difference in their lives.
Seeing the student’s enthusiasm and knowing that we inspired them was incredibly fulfilling. Hearing Ms. Marshall express her deep appreciation for our visit only added to my sense of satisfaction. “I couldn’t be happier! Great way to end the year and to get the kids excited about next year!” It reminded me of why I am passionate about finance and the importance of giving back. I hope our visit showed them that with hard work and determination, they can achieve great things in the world of business and beyond.
A special thanks to Mitch and Kate for taking time out of their busy summer to join me for this special event.
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