Frankel Testimonials

About Me

At the time I participated in the Stuart Frankel & Company NYSE Program, I had just completed my junior year at SU. I am a dual major in finance and public relations, in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, and I am earning a minor in economics.

My journey towards a business degree started when I was 11 years old and began mowing lawns for a neighbor. What started as a simple weekly task grew into my own lawn care business within a few years, as I branched out and gained more customers. Along with this business, I also held other jobs growing up, such as a Little League Baseball umpire and a server at Grasso's Restaurant.

I grew up just outside of Rochester, N.Y., in Fairport, and graduated with high honors from Fairport High School in 2000. I was a captain of my high school Math Team and was selected to the All-Monroe County 'A' team as a senior. My enjoyment of and skill in mathematics contributed to my later interest in finance as a career. My life would not be complete without sports. I was a two-year member of the varsity volleyball team, earning All-County honorable mention, and I also enjoy playing various other sports. In addition to these activities, I also was an anchor and executive producer of our high school's "Morning Show Live," a television show broadcast throughout our school and local community.

Since coming to SU I have participated in a wide range of activities and work. I have been a Literacy Corp tutor, mentoring young children in the Syracuse community. I have worked for Carrier Dome Operations and have been a Resident Advisor, holding each position for two years. I have participated in DanceWorks, a student-run dance organization that presents an annual performance three nights each year. I have also extended myself to the larger Syracuse community, as I have volunteered at the Syracuse Veterans Affairs Medical Center and also helped set up a middle school mentoring program called Balancing the Books. As an outlet for my love for sports I have played intramural football, basketball, and volleyball and was a member of the intramural volleyball championship team for three consecutive semesters.

To satisfy my interest in investments and the securities markets, I have been a member of the SU Investment Club since I came to college. This experience has been enriched by the club's trips to New York City and the New York Stock Exchange. I also am a founding member of the Syracuse Xi Tau Chapter of Delta Sigma Pi, a national business fraternity and next year will serve as president of the Whitman School's chapter of Beta Gamma Sigmna, the national business honor society. During 2002, I interned at two different financial firms--Morgan Stanley and Sagemark Consulting. Both of these internships complemented my previous coursework and Investment Club experience.

Reflections on the Frankel Program Experience

This program had the most impact of any three days of my college career thus far. I've been a part of many activities during my time at Syracuse University, so that statement carries a high degree of significance. But right from the beginning, when we had lunch the first day in Manhattan, I knew I was in for an exhilarating experience.

Looking back at the three days of the program, I am amazed at how much I learned and was exposed to. As a group of three students and two SU faculty members, we met with industry executives and learned of the array of career possibilities within the securities industry. I learned about hedge funds, pension funds, private money management, and all sorts of other financial industry information. Not only was I able to listen in a small group to someone discuss his or her career path and current job, but I could freely ask questions as well. I came out of this program with much more knowledge about the finance industry than what I had previously learned from textbooks.

Although I learned a great deal of concrete industry information, I believe the true value of my experience came from items not described on an itinerary. I was exposed to a business culture that I had never had the opportunity to be a part of. I had very personal interaction with so many people who provide a model for where I want to be someday in my career. This part of our trip was not written down anywhere, nor did I fully expect everything that happened. Stuart Frankel and his business friends did an excellent job providing insight and guidance to us, whose careers had barely begun. I especially admire Mr. Frankel himself, who ate five meals with us and shared his own thoughts on not just becoming a success in our career, but a great success in all aspects of life.

When I met many of the business people during the program, I could not help but listen to them and notice similarities to myself. I am the type of person who has high expectations for myself, much like some of the people I had conversations with. I found it enlightening that I now had numerous role models who were willing to share their experiences.

I truly appreciate the generosity that Stuart Frankel displayed and all the time he spent, along with the generosity of the many others who were responsible for making the program a success. This was definitely three days that I will never forget.