By Brandon Noguera
On Friday, April 29, the Academy of Finance hosted its annual Spring Mentoring Day, a day in which students can learn from their mentors and apply their takeaways to their future careers. Both the junior and senior academy classes were able to communicate with business leaders, guest speakers and other individuals with strong backgrounds in business and finance.
Community leaders such as Samantha Grenier from Northwell Health, Josh Printz of Citizens Bank, Peter Caputo of ERA Caputo Realty and John Perrone from State Farm Insurance gave personal advice about the business and finance world to the academy juniors and seniors. The mentors provided specific techniques they utilize in the work field, how they made it to their current positions and why they chose their careers. They also went over resumes with each student in the academy and provided intel on the important components to include.
“At first, they didn’t really tell us much about what we were going to be doing, only that we had to dress professionally, so I felt a little confused and nervous, but once we were settled in and sat down, we gave introductions,” academy junior Alexa Marquardt D’Arcangelo said. “They had people from many different professions come in and talk to us about what they do, why they do it, what got them there. They also looked at and reviewed our resumes which was nice to hear feedback on what could potentially help us get better opportunities.”
Source from @nhpbusiness
Junior Roby Shaji and his fellow FBLA members engage in conversation with their mentor; FBLA members discuss business tips and tricks with the mentor.
Previously, New Hyde Park academy students, Samantha Greiner, Tim Leonard and Lisa Pagliaro discussed the significance of the academy during their time in high school and how it contributed to their current positions in the workforce. With this being said, the mentors enforced their connections with the academy and the workforce by urging academy juniors to meet their required 60 hour work-experience over the summer. Internships can also be established from Mentor Day, which truly provides students with opportunities and advantages in the workforce.
“Over the summer, I’m a lifeguard. It’s the best job I’ve had so far, due to factors such as making good friends and having an available job when I come home from college. They pay really well and it’s always great to have lifesaving skills,” academy junior Sean Rodgers said.
“After meeting with several people, I learned that what you participate in high school including courses, sports, clubs and other activities is actually really important and could really help you gauge what you want to do in life. Some of my friends also got summer internship opportunities from the mentoring session as well,” Marquardt D’Arcangelo said.
In the end, the annual Spring Mentor Day served as another success. From starting with the basics and introducing themselves to establishing internships with students, the mentors truly made Spring Mentor Day a valuable experience for the academy juniors and seniors in 2022.