SIF Alum, Summara, found that her participation in Stocks in the Future was an investment that paid off! Summara was first introduced to Stocks in the Future in 6th grade, at Barclay Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore. Her teacher Mr. Lewis held Stocks in the Future lessons weekly, teaching students about stocks, bonds, savings, and mutual funds. As many know, Stocks in the Future is an incentive-based curriculum, encouraging middle school students to stay in school by teaching them about finances, business, mutual funds and stocks, while providing incentives for good attendance and grades. As Stocks in the Future dollars build in virtual portfolios, these investments are converted to real money when students turn 18, claim their portfolio from SIF, make a transfer from SIF to their own investment account, and thus, they are investors in the market. Summara was easily motivated by SIF to work harder for good grades and attendance. By the end of the program, she had earned enough money to purchase 38 shares of Sirius XM radio. Summara continued tracking her portfolio online and trading stock throughout high school. Typically, students can claim ownership of their stock within a year of graduating high school and turning 18. Stocks in the Future extended this deadline for Summara – since her family immigrated to the United States from Pakistan, Summara did not have the documentation needed to legally claim ownership of her stock. It took her more than two years to obtain the needed documents. “Villages in Pakistan don’t keep the same records,” Summara said, “They have old records that people have to dig through, not electronic.” Summara is no stranger to working towards a goal; the work ethic and financial savviness she honed through Stocks in the Future has served her for years. “I believe hard work equals success”, she said, adding, “I applied investing in other ways than just money, such as investing my time in certain organizations to fulfill a goal.” Since graduating from the SIF program, Summara earned a Bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame of Maryland University, with a biology major and a concentration in pre-med. She is currently studying for the MCAT and hopes to attend medical school in the fall of 2022. “Our health is a universal thing,” said Summara, “I want to help people feel better when they are the most scared and alone.” Summara is currently helping others in more ways than one – she recently taught her two older brothers the financial skills she gained from Stocks in the Future and now they are investing too. “I was lucky to have been introduced to it at such a young age,” said Summara, “This is the only place where I learned about investing in the future. Everyone should know how to invest.
SIF Alum Inspired
