Derrick

Growing up in Flatbush, Brooklyn my parents worked hard to provide the basic necessities in life for me and my two sisters. I’m currently a rising junior at Binghamton University. It’s been a long struggle for me to get into Binghamton. In high school I worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken to pay for my college applications, college visits, and SAT prep classes. I researched and applied for colleges alone. Beyond shouldering the financial burden, I faced the hurdle of convincing my parents, who were against me leaving home and going away alone for college thinking it was sufficient that I go to any local college. 

My career goal is to work at a company focusing on investment banking, private equity or emerging markets. Eventually I want to get my MBA. I hope to earn this degree from a top business school. With this degree I will become more knowledgeable and be better able to run a company someday. I believe the NYNY fellowship program can help me accomplish my goals and the program will give me the confidence that I need to be able to obtain an internship and a job post college. I hope to gain a better understanding of myself in terms of what career path I should follow and discover my strengths and how to use them. Ultimately, I hope to gain a network of professionals that will help me to further balance this uneven playing field faced by first-generation college students.