Rock The Street, Wall Street Deepens Connections Between High School Girls and the Financial Industry
Rock The Street, Wall Street expands its financial and investment literacy program to 31 high schools and launches internship/job portal. Program alumnae improve investment and financial literacy by 92% and are 4.8x more likely to pursue degrees in finance or related fields.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Rock The Street, Wall Street, a nonprofit organization that provides a year-long financial and investment literacy program for girls, is expanding its footprint to 31 high schools across 18 U.S. cities for the 2020-21 academic year. Rock The Street, Wall Street (RTSWS) also launched a new job/internship portal for its students and alumnae that allows RTSWS sponsors to post opportunities, strengthening the support structure for girls interested in pursuing finance careers.
"Financial institutions are starting to recognize that if they want to hire more women, the work has to begin earlier than college," said Maura Cunningham, Founder and CEO of Rock The Street, Wall Street. "We have to change high school girls' mindsets about math and expose them early to finance career options to truly transform the future talent pool for the financial industry."
Rock The Street, Wall Street is serving as a bridge for change—connecting female financial professionals with high school girls to teach hands-on workshops about finance and investments, as well as provide mentoring relationships. RTSWS alumnae demonstrate a 92% increase (3-year average) in financial and investment literacy and are 4.8x more likely than the national average to pursue a college degree in finance, economics, or a related field.
"Changing girls' negative perceptions around math is critical. Rock The Street, Wall Street enables girls to learn from women who work in finance, providing real-life role models at a pivotal time," said Cunningham. "We help girls see finance-focused fields of study as compatible with a career that has a positive impact on the world. Regardless of their desired career path, girls walk away from our program with a better understanding of why math is so important to their future livelihood."
RTSWS hit a new fundraising record of $1 million this year, during a period in which the COVID-19 pandemic shed new light on the critical urgency for financial literacy. The organization is funded by a variety of major corporations, financial institutions, and financial associations, including:
- TD Ameritrade
- Invesco
- Waddell & Reed
- LPL Financial
- AllianceBernstein
- Brown Brothers Harriman
- Broadridge Financial Solutions
- Fitch Group
- CFA Society New York
- HCA Healthcare
- J.P. Morgan
- Mediant
- RBC Wealth Management
- Roark Capital Group
- BlackRock
- Women's Bond Club
- Franklin Templeton
- PNC Bank
- CarVal Investors
- Nissan
- TPG
- State Farm
- Diamond Hill Capital Management
- Värde Partners
- CME Group
- Phoenix Club of Nashville
- Johnson Investment Counsel
- 100 Women in Finance
To date, RTSWS has impacted the lives of more than 2,300 girls.
About Rock The Street, Wall Street
Rock The Street, Wall Street is a financial and investment literacy program designed to spark the interest of a diverse population of high school girls into careers of finance. Girls learn about positive money management habits and the capital markets, while simultaneously seeing the real-world application of the math content they learn in the classroom. RTSWS programs are funded by sponsors. Volunteers are female financial professionals who go into local high schools to teach finance and investment, serving as real-life role models and mentors for girls. RTSWS programs provide a strong focus on the barriers that need to be removed and the types of interventions that lift students' interest, commitment, and ability to persist in the M of the STEM fields. Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., RTSWS programs are in 31 high schools across 18 U.S. cities in the 2020-21 academic year: Ann Arbor, Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Kansas City (MO), Kansas City (KS), Minneapolis, Nashville, New York City, Omaha, Philadelphia, Raleigh, San Diego, San Francisco, and St. Louis. RTSWS is a 501(c)(3) organization.
SOURCE Rock The Street, Wall Street
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