On Friday, June 26, 2015, I attended the Thirty-Sixth Annual Commencement Ceremony at Murry Bergtraum High School. I was there to award the 2015 Financial Women’s Association Scholarship Winners. Being there got me thinking about my own time in high school. When it was time for me to decide which high school to go to my parents were set on me going to a Catholic High School. I took the exams to go to a specialized high school and got in, but they wanted me close to home. It was not until my older sister talked to a friend and we found out and thought about Murry Bergtraum HS.

It was a brand new school and the entire name is Murry Bergtraum HS for Business Careers and it is located at 411 Pearl Street, right across from police plaza. I wanted to study business and what a perfect school for me. My parents were not too sure I would have to take the train and go there and to say the were apprehensive is an understatement. In the end, it was decided that I would go. I got to attend a summer program before school started, and my mom went with me everyday. It was the way she made sure I stayed same.

At Bergtraum, I got to thrive educationally and personally, I was allowed to take all the best classes and take business classes. I also got to participate in activities and groups that allowed me to make friends and learn so much. I was then offered to be part of the Financial Women’s Association Mentoring program. At Bergtraum things are were very competitive you had to apply, luckily I got selected. I was assigned a wonderful mentor Jenene Karamon, she allowed me to intern at Merrill Lynch and do so many activities with the program. She is still my mentor to this day. When it came time for college, I wanted to go to NYU, and my mentor encouraged me and everyone at the school did. My parents again wondered about it, but they were very supportive. I applied for numerous scholarships one of them being the Financial Women’s Association. This was a first time scholarship, given based on GPA, activities, mentor recommendation, and all around accomplishments. I was lucky enough to be awarded the first annual scholarship.

Fast forward years later, and I know am the chair of the scholarship committee, and it is my turn to hand out those scholarships to those lucky students. They enter a small group of recipients for this award. I was lucky to receive it and go on to NYU and get a wonderful education. I thank the FWA for everything they did for me, and I am proud to be able to give back now.

At Bergtraum the motto is we are committed to producing the next generation of elite thought leaders through academic rigor, exposure to real life experiences and an awareness of one’s total self.