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Freshmen interested in finance, look sharp! Applications for, entrance to Academy of Finance accepted through December BY PATRICIA PROVEN Students who are looking for a segue into the business world might consider looking to Northport High School for a start. Through December 2005, the high school's Academy of Finance will be acceptung applications for enrollment of students who will be sophomores in the 2006-07 academic year. Northport-East Northport and New Hyde Park are the only public school dis- tricts on Long Island to offer the three- year international program, according to officials The program allows enrolled students to complete internships and job shadowships with small local businesses as well as national corporations. It also entails coursework that can translate into vollege credits for partic: 10th grade alongside their regular cours- es. Courses can be quite rigorous, Schwabish said. Students must also attend three job shadowships in financial ser- vices - through such businesses as banks. CPA offices and real estate agen- cies - and complete a 150-hour intern- ship at a company during the summer between their junior and senior years. These internships are paid. Students in the past have cooperated with such companies such as North Fork Bank: Chase Bank. formerly of Hicksville: and Daniel Gale Realty. Some of the bigger companies | include Citistreet. Mermmll Lynch, American Express. and __ UBS (formerly \Instead of flipping burgers for a summer, we got real-world experience in a business atmosphere.\ - ANDREW CABASSO ACADEMY OF FINANCE GRADUATE Students also participate in \Project Adventure\ for team-building and trust exercises. The program culminates with senior trips to the financial museum in Manhattan as well a fine dining experi- ence coupled with what Schwabish called \the back-of-Broadway show.\ She explained that while students are out being entertained with an on-stage musi- cal or play, they're also rum{i- pants - Graduates from the Academy of Finance also recenve a certifiwate in addi on to their ordinary diple: IMS At roally is a good segue into the tinancral services areca. - sad - Alison B Schuuhmh. aho drets the Students interested in the Academy of Finance may stop by the office at Room $212 in Northport High School, call 262-6877, or attend either of two information sessions that are typically scheduled for mid- to late fall. naung on the behind-the- scenes expense it took to get the show running. \We try to show them no matter what it is that you go into. even enter- tanment has to be financed.\ Schwabsh sard. The program's out-of-class work used to culminate with a visit to Wall Street and to the hlgh se howd s Agddk'lln ot binance and has also taken the heim ot the Academy ot Information Ie. hnology \What the hiuds are getting is a groat foundation in accounting. finance. banking economis. marketing and busi- ness TUs to teach them how to understand the world ot business in all the different sectors You're basimally giving them all sorta of tools to suceeed in life. trom sar ing and investing. to budgeting and bus ing a house ~ To participate in the program. apphi «aunts in their treshman year must have at lvast a B average. sgbmit recommenda:- on letters trom two trachers and a guud: ance counselor. meet with the program director, advisory hoard and participating mors for an interview. and write an essay Those accepted start the program in PaineWebber) The advisory board. composed of local and big-league compantes that help stu- dents find internships. meets once a month (Over the years. the number of young women in the program has increased dra- matically \When I1 first started t was really only boys.\ Schwabish said. \but I would say it's about equal now. I used to be male dominated because the field of finance is male dominated, but there are still plenty of temales that are in bus- ness\ The program equips any student with management skills needed to chmb the corporate ladder, she vaid, as well as entreprencurial shills to start ther own businesses New York Stoch Exchange. but «ince these places are now closed to the public due to secunty concerns since September 11. 2001. the Academy of Finance leaders are explonng other field trip pptuions. Due to the business-intensaive nature of the program. many AOF participants also end up joining the Business Honor Society - a community service organiza- tion that requires members to have taken at least three business classes and main- tain a 9O-or-better average - as well as DECA. a marketing and management club. Through DECA. members compete on the local. state and national levels in business-related activities, from role- playing and wntten tests to business plan presentations. \We tum over tons of tro- Academy graduate Carla Mezic receives 2005 Citigroup scholarship BY PATRICIA PROVEN anihpnrl High SQ hook Clas\y of 2005 graduate Carta Mezn has received 3 $244.04 aw ard from The Academy at - Caugroup Scholars Program. which _- provides goals. she said. \I'm undecided but am leaning tow ard business law. and indus- trial and labor relations is a good prepa- _- taon for law school and business.\ The Academy of Finance gave her career - impetus. Mezic said. \It just recipients - $5.000) per year) foward kind of showed me college tution for - Past recipients of the AOF __ the ropes around tour vears and a eas a the economic renewable intern: Cmgroup scholarship structure of the ship opportunity with Citigroup or one of its affiliates 2001 - Trevor Burton & Albert Nun 2002 - Danie! Frake 2004 - Chelsea Richer & Kyle Geddes country. how things really are run by manage- ment, and\ how effective manage- beginning _ after - 2005 - Carta Mezic freshman year. Only 20 Academy of Finance students of about 3,000 appli- cants nationwide are selected for the scholarship each year. Northport-East Northport has \had one recipient every year since the program launched in 1995 (except for 2003), and, in 2001 and 2004, had two recipients each. Mezic said she will attend Comell University with plans to study industri- al and labor relations. As for her career make it or break for the company.\ she said. She also liked what she gleaned from her Chase internship, which exposed her to corpo- rate environment and corporate eti- quette. Watching her brother, Class of 1998 graduate Steve Mezic, participate in the Academy of Finance inspired her to get involved and she, in turn, encouraged younger students interested in business phies and awards,\ Schwabish said. Local graduates of the Academy of Finance have gone on to Wharton, Yale. Brown and Stern Business School, among others. \It gives them an edge because accredited colleges like to see a work- based internships.\ she said. It also does- n't hurt that students may earn up to 18 college credits within the Academy of Finance and up to 24 within the entire business department. The credits can mean ume and money saved as students pursue advanced degrees. The Academy of Finance typically gets at least 70 freshman applicants a year. but not everyone will be accepted. Although in prior years the program could only accommodate 25 and 50 students, this past year. 60 students were enrolled. Sull. space constraints in the schools present a challenge to ever-increasing enrollment. Schwabish sard Arthur Zapke. a Manst Coliege-bound Class of 2005 graduate. said that the Academy of Finance offered him lessons as basic as balancing a checkbook and as broad as setting personal financial goals and understanding international banking laws - The teachings | in - College Accounting. a second-year course. hinged upon a local issue. \We learned about Roslyn [School District] and how to pre- vent manipulauon of the financial sy~ tem.\ Zapke said. \When I first joined this program I was a bit skeptical, but :1 turned out even better then I could [have] thought possible. The people, students and teachers. were great and I learned so much that has to do with life outude of school. no maiter the career I choose.\ The internship experience is what most impressed - Class of 2005 graduate Andrew Cabasso. \Instead of flipping burgers for a summer. we got real-world experience in a business atmosphere.\ Cabasso said. \I actually used Microsoft Exeel and eren learned a few new pro- ment can kind of | a | Photo courtesy ofC. Mazic Carla Mezic is majoring in industrial and lad ati id she is toward a career in business law. to apply. \It's hard work but it gets you into the real world a lot faster than other high school kids,\ she said. lll demo co 90 -it ne ct clinic icc nn c n 1 n - - -_- grams while on the job. When we ail came back to school at the beginning of our senior year. everyone showed off how they used what we learned in class as part of their job, learned something new. and made a couple of bucks doing it. It really was a lot of fun.\ His peer graduate Keith Brady added. \The AOF has been a huge stepping stone for me. If 1 never entered in the 10th grade, I don't know where I would be right now. I am graduating this year and I truly feel that I1 am coming out of high school ready to take on the business major |_ at college, but a step ahead of everyone else.\ Brady said he liked how the material related to everyday life and what he learned from the final project, called the Hawaiian Pension Plan Project. 'This is where you research a single industry and the three big main players in it,\ Brady said, \and pinpoint all their different tech- niques for running a business. We researched: for-about-nine-days-until we resented on Powerpoint to the class. \The AOF was one of the best deci- sions I ever made in high school.\ Ce Sh Cont phots whic more duct his n E thing Nort ever 1806 vom puss dow sur lor t A Shee they wou arch toda S ones of n long Stre l‘ nve the whi OWI bot! into € Ket 1C01 Eng Un the
