ING Americas & RTSWS Celebrate FinLit Month with Reimagined ACC for High School Girls & Alumnae

ING Americas & RTSWS Celebrate FinLit Month with Reimagined ACC for High School Girls & Alumnae

ING Makes Transformational Grant to RTSWS’s Career Platform Providing Access and Opportunity to Young Women Entering the Workforce

NEW YORK, April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Rock The Street, Wall Street (RTSWS), bringing the world of math and finance to diverse high school girls, and ING Americas announce a reimagined Student & Alumnae Career Center. 

With a grant provided by ING’s global community investment fund, ING Americas is the Inaugural Sponsor of the RTSWS Student & Alumnae Career Center. The grant will be used to transform the engagement and experience for alumnae and students seeking recruitment events, networking opportunities, internships, and entry-level positions. More than 70 financial firms post job openings with some also providing career fairs, training, and events for these cohorts, continuing to build networks and support as they advance in their careers. 

 

“We immediately recognized a natural alignment with Rock The Street, Wall Street which is helping to bring both gender and racial equity to the financial markets,” commented Gerald Walker, CEO, ING Americas. “At ING, we are focused on steering people towards stronger financial health through financial literacy education and career development. With this grant, we can ensure that the training and experience alumnae received as RTSWS students, continues to be supported as they enter the workforce bringing us a step closer to increasing the number of women in finance and math-related jobs.”

Rock The Street, Wall Street offers racially diverse high school girls additional opportunities to engage with math before proactively selecting college courses and, ultimately, their career pursuits. Importantly, RTSWS alumnae earn degrees in finance, economics, or related business fields at 5x the American national average for women in college. 

“Through this commitment, ING is helping women take their first steps in establishing finance careers by providing access to employment and networking opportunities,” commented Katharyn Meyer, Head of Financial Markets, ING Americas and a lead sponsor of this partnership. “For me, the love of math and finance has been encouraged by my teachers, parents, and mentors throughout my academic and professional journey. It is my hope to pass forward this gift of engagement and support to others with the help of ING and industry colleagues.”

Rock The Street, Wall Street demonstrates the benefits for active engagement with high school girls, as their graduates complete the program 71% more financially literate. 

With 25 years of Wall Street experience, RTSWS Founder & CEO Maura Cunningham turned her attention to empowering the next generation. “Understanding math and the power it can have, offers these talented students a seat at the table, diversifying and strengthening the workforce,” comments Ms. Cunningham. “STEM professions are exciting, purposeful and can lift families out of poverty in one generation.” 

Although women have surpassed men in earning college degrees, women are disproportionately represented in 6 of the 10 lowest-paying college majors, while 9 of the 10 highest-paying majors, all in the STEM fields, are dominated by men.

Throughout Financial Literacy Month, Rock The Street, Wall Street is participating in several industry events to raise awareness, thank volunteers, and recognize students and alumnae. Rock the Street, Wall Street is proud to have recently added ING Americas, Ninety One, and Bloomberg to their esteemed group of partner firms leading the way. Sponsors include Blackrock, Meta, J.P. Morgan, LPL, EY, Franklin Templeton, Invesco, Fitch, and Morningstar. Click here for the complete list.

“As we raise awareness during Financial Literacy month, I am grateful to our sponsors and volunteers for helping our remarkable students and alumnae,” Ms. Cunningham added. “We know there is a long road ahead, so it’s great to reflect on our wins and support as we move forward together. This generous grant from ING Americas will help RTSWS grow with our students and improve the girls’ experiences as they work hard to enter the financial industry – a major win for us all.”

Rock The Street, Wall Street is now in more than 60 high schools across 34 cities and has engaged more than 6,000 girls through its program. Completing the program, students’ comprehension of financial and investment concepts improves by an average of 71%, and their interest in pursuing a degree in finance, economics, or related fields is 5x higher than the national average of women attending college. 73% of RTSWS students are from BIPOC populations and 50% are from low-income households. Rock The Street, Wall Street is a 501c3, and operates in the US, Vancouver, and London.

About ING Americas

ING Americas is the brand name of ING’s wholesale business in the Americas region, and a part of ING Group N.V. (“ING”), a global financial services company of Dutch origin with a network spanning the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. ING has more than 58,000 employees and offers financial services to customers in over 40 countries.

ING Group shares are listed on the exchanges of Amsterdam (INGA NA, INGA.AS), Brussels and on the New York Stock Exchange (ADRs: ING US, ING.N).

About Rock The Street, Wall Street

RTSWS is an innovative nonprofit that brings the world of finance to high school girls, helping to provide financial and investment literacy before college and career selections are made. Aiming to increase girls’ interest in the financial industry, former Wall Street executive, Maura Cunningham, founded RTSWS, which has expanded internationally to bring STEM to young women in more than 60 high schools across 34 cities across the US and now in London and Vancouver. The programs leverage women leaders in the financial industry as volunteer instructors and coaches, and firms as sponsors. RTSWS helps students see themselves in key roles, expanding their reach and offers them the social capital and a flight path into the M in STEM careers. RTSWS alumnae earn degrees in finance, economics, or a related business field at a 5x the US national average for women in college.

RTSWS solves for a few problems: Girls often opt away from STEM, Math in particular, at young ages. This group strives to strengthen technical and mathematical skills, teach financial lexicon, and create solutions to overcome the gender gap in math and investing, with a woman leader actively involved in teaching each program. Leadership statistics of powerful investment firms repeatedly demonstrate a lack of gender diversity in the C-suite and as money managers. The nonprofit deploys technology and in-person training to improve the diversity in talent slates and increase qualified candidates reflecting all aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion, expanding the talent pipeline for interested and engaged investment, technology and FinTech firms.

Contacts:

ING Americas
Melissa Kanter, + 646 424 7021
Melissa.Kanter@ing.com

Rock The Street, Wall Street
Kimberly Weinrick, + 917 224 5335

RTSWS Heads to Toronto!

RTSWS Heads to Toronto!

Distinguished Alumna from Preston High School, RTSWS Founder Maura Cunningham Addresses the Graduating Class of 2023

Distinguished Alumna from Preston High School, RTSWS Founder Maura Cunningham Addresses the Graduating Class of 2023

“Thank you for the generous introduction, it’s such a privilege for me to be with you today — backin myold neighborhood.

Looking out at this talented group of young women, there is such a bright story that each of you are already starting to create…

You have this remarkable foundation. I see your families and they are proud beyond measure as you reach today’s important milestones, and also of what is next for each of you…

Welcome parents– I have a grown daughter myself, and know this extraordinary moment well– congratulations to you too!

As mentioned, I’m Maura Cunningham, Founder & CEO of Rock the Street, Wall Street– and proud graduate of Preston High School, Go Panthers!

Graduates, you may know our school emblem has the phrase Virtus Mille Scuta, Latin for: Virtue is 1,000 shields.

I didn’t really pay attention to that as a student, although it served me well since my own graduation here, through college, Wall Street, and then being Founder of an impactful nonprofit.

Growing up here in the Bronx, the 5th child of two Irish immigrants, I always loved the constant hum of activity right outside our doors on Calhoun Ave. As a child, I would step outside my front door and have 5 to 15 neighborhood friends to play with. And play we did- kick the can, hide and seek, hop scotch, jump rope and red rover were just a few of the games. We had our own cosmos here in Throggs Neck that extended from St. Frances de Chantal to Preston High School for the first 17 years of my life- all of about 4/10 of a mile.

As I got older, starting at around your age, I grew excited to learn about far away places. Sister Susan, my favorite Sisters of the Divine Compassion who taught here at Preston was my Area Studies teacher. She assigned our class a project of reading the local newspaper- The New York Times- for the entire semester and to cut out articles and2 stories that interested us and share with our classmates why we found it interesting. It was at that moment that I became a newshound.

That, coupled with my affinity for math (taught by another favorite teacher of mineSister Veronica)- led to being counseled to major in accounting and business.

While accounting can be great, after my first semester, I knew I had to find something else with numbers. And so, I took my first economics class as a college sophomore and that was it- Economics to me was the KEY TO THE MYSTERIES. It had so much going for it- government and social policy, history, money flows, financial math and more… So after college, Wall Street was the natural next step for me… .

From Calhoun Ave, I commuted all the way downtown, and I mean, waaaaaay downtown, to the southern tip of Manhattan- where Wall Street is. I took the express bus on Harding Ave to Grand Central Station and then had to hop on the 4 or 5 subway train for the second half of my commute to the Wall Street stop. At my job, I cut my teeth on trading floors and had a 25-year career in finance. I grabbed the reins at work whenever I saw an opportunity and was given increasing responsibility in varied sectors of finance including Capital Markets, Real Estate Syndication, Mortgage-Backed Securities and financial and wealth management– basically a lot of Wall Street jargon that simply means managing money and risk….

I see, too, that back in March, a few Prestonites went down to the NY Stock Exchange to ring the market bell. Wasn’t that exciting? I can tell you, it’s an exciting profession to be a part of.

As your story begins to unfold, and you continue to understand yourself, the world, and everything that lies beyond, remain aware. This awareness can lead to a happier life, more peace, and understanding for others and the world around us.

And If I can offer one piece of advice to all of the young women in this room it is this…be proud of what you’ve achieved here today. But, never think that because you earned gold stars on your exams here and throughout your academic career thus far, that in your profession, your managers will ever HAND you opportunities because of your good performance. YOU HAVE TO STAND UP AND ASK FOR THEM. Let me repeat that…

This is a major mistake I see WAAAAAAY too often in the world of business- women waiting to be asked to apply for their next position up. Or, waiting until they think they meet 100% of the qualifications needed to get that promotion.

GO GRAB THAT OPPORTUNITY. LET YOUR COLLEGE TEACHERS AND THEN YOUR JOB MANAGERS KNOW THAT YOU WANT THAT OPPORTUNITY. THEY CANNOT READ YOUR MINDS. AND I GOT NEWS FOR YOU, TOO, ON THE QUALIFICATION FRONT – MEN APPLY FOR THE NEXT JOB UP WHEN THEY HAVE ONLY 60% OF THE QUALIFICATIONS. DOES THAT SURPRISE ANYONE?

Know, too that anecdotally, for every 10 men that let their managers know they want to be promoted, only 1 woman will make it known. Let’s change that right here with this Class of 2023 graduates. Let this be the class that when you come back for your high school reunion in 5 years from now, you make it a point to ask each other- “OK, who among us has let it be known repeatedly that they wanted that next golden ring? Who has asked for those new challenges, new growth experiences, new promotions?”

I loved my work, though I was often the only woman in the room… so you can imagine, I used some of those shields almost every day. (I should mention here, too, that if you find yourself to be the only woman in your college class, as I did in my college math classes, view this as an opportunity. Don’t be intimidated. Instead, sit toward the very front of the class. You’ll get to know the professor well and that way as he/she sees that you’re engaged and will make a note to call on you. The men in the classroom will think you know your stuff and may come to admire you. Find one or two among your classmates with whom you can form a study group. It makes a difference in getting through and it’s more fun.

I had one terrific mentor and frankly, some that were the opposite– so again, I knew that with the shields of Integrity, Hard Work, and Curious Mind, I could have the time of my life, and successfully navigate the difficult spots that one encounters during the course of attending college and then, a long career. Mentors are important throughout your life. Find someone you admire and ASK them to be your mentor.

Wall Street felt like the Center of the Universe. On good days, I knew my hard work lifted me up a rung on the economic ladder.

But, on other days it could feel like a faraway planet, interesting to observe, though cold, and sometimes brutal. Through it all, though, the math, the constant stream of news and the excitement of watching in real time the impact events around the world had on the investment markets, plus the work ethic of my colleagues, won the day and brought me more than two decades of success. And with those achievements and in time, it became clear that it was time for me to give back.

I want the next generation of high school girls to open their minds to the limitless possibilities associated with STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) careers- specifically- to harness the power of math and finance. To have high school girls really understand basic financial and investment skills. I want to lift the veil on the fact that financial math is nothing more than 6th grade math and that a career in finance is rewarding, impactful and gets you a seat at decision making tables.

I also want to provide girls like me who knew not a soul on Wall Street when starting out- with the social capital and access to people, internships and jobs that are usually reserved for sons from powerful families… I’ve got another secret for you… aptitude is sometimes not enough. One needs access, too, to be successful.

I was the first college graduate of my family, and the way I see it, STEM professions are exciting, purposeful and lift families out of poverty in one generation.

We can diversify these STEM talent pipelines by motivating young women entering the workforce, changing and strengthening each field and creating a new narrative for STEM studies.

So as you get started, let’s look around this room: the talent, ideas, new ways to think, your own influence, leadership and strength, and dare I say your grit, right here, today is truly inspiring…

So my love is news & math and more recently providing girls like me with the tools to become financially independent.

In your case, what drives you? Where do you want to have access? What do you want to see achieved?? What might you study next…

At Rock The Street, Wall Street, we have Student CEOs for each student cohort… and now you are each a CEO – of your future… that can sound trite. We’ve heard versions of this, but let’s take a moment to consider what it truly means –

You make your decisions. You control what you focus on, You choose what courses you’ll take in college. You choose where you volunteer. You decide who you spend time with. How much you study…

You can go into any room knowing you have the support and foundation of this school, and your trusted friends and families. We’re all rooting for you!

While many say you have your whole lives ahead of you, which you certainly and excitedly do– I think of it another way,

I like to look at it holistically: EVERYTHING we try, we have the opportunity to learn, fail, try again and again and further build ourselves. I played both softball and basketball when I was here. Through sports, I learned how to take a face plant on the field and get right back up and get back in the game. That lesson was never lost on me for the rest of my life.

As WE grow, we can also remember to help our family and friends who have sacrificed for us, who may be having a tough day or difficult situation while we are making progress in our own lives pursuing our goals.

There is a wonderful world out there where we can continue to learn– we’re lifelong learners… We’re graduates of Preston High School… I can’t wait to see what you choose to do– There is no stopping you!”

Pew Survey Highlights Mixed Views on Workplace DEI Efforts

Pew Survey Highlights Mixed Views on Workplace DEI Efforts

A Pew Research Center survey reveals that while 56% of U.S. workers view diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts positively, relatively few prioritize diversity in their own workplaces. The study, conducted among 5,902 workers, found significant divides in perceptions based on demographics and political affiliations.

Key findings include:

  • DEI Impact: A majority say DEI measures like fairness in hiring and DEI trainings have a positive workplace impact, though women and Democrats are more likely to hold this view.
  • Diversity Priorities: About 32% of workers highly value racial and ethnic diversity, and 26% prioritize gender diversity at work. Women and Black workers are most likely to value diversity across measures.
  • Accessibility: Half of workers consider accessibility for individuals with disabilities very important, with women and Black workers placing greater emphasis on this.
  • Demographic Challenges: Many believe being a man or being White offers advantages in the workplace, while being a woman, Black, or Hispanic often poses barriers.

The survey highlights both support for DEI and the challenges of achieving equitable inclusion across diverse workplaces.

Source: Pew Research Center

https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/05/17/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-workplace/