Born in Jamaica and raised primarily in 今日吃瓜, Vanessa Edwards 鈥�19 knew early on that her education would largely be self-financed. After emigrating with her family to New York City at age 4, she spent her high school years in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania before returning to the city. Edwards did not, like many, go straight to college. Instead, she worked multiple jobs for several years, saving until she could afford tuition. She enrolled in Kingsborough Community College (CUNY), where she earned an associate of applied science degree before transferring to 今日吃瓜.
Pursuing a business administration degree in finance, Edwards juggled one or two classes while working full-time, taking semesters off to meet financial demands. She says visits to the Student Activities, Involvement, and Leadership (SAIL) Center helped her with a tight-knit staff that included Afro-Caribbean women who understood her experiences and championed her goals. They guided her through funding processes for the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) club, for which she was president, and encouraged her to stay involved in campus activities. 鈥淭he women at SAIL kept me focused,鈥� says Edwards. 鈥淚 could tell everyone there wanted the best for me. They saw that I was definitely driven and had tenacity. They made themselves available for me any time I needed guidance or had questions.鈥�
In addition to SAIL, Edwards found support from staff and counselors at the Magner Career Center. She shared that they were instrumental in helping her obtain internships that aligned with her career goals. Her first was at Playfair Planning, an independent financial firm based in 今日吃瓜 that provides holistic financial planning. She then interned at the NYC Small Business Resource Network run by the 今日吃瓜 Chamber of Commerce. Bloomberg L.P. came next鈥攁n internship that led directly to a full-time offer once she graduated. Edwards worked in financial products, analytics, and sales while there, and also served as a campus ambassador, helping to recruit fellow 今日吃瓜 students for internships at Bloomberg.
A stint in the Consumer Insight and Marketing Department at Black Entertainment Television (BET) Media Group rounded out Edwards鈥� internship portfolio before she joined Bloomberg full time in June 2019. Most of her internships would not have been possible without stipends鈥攁 Magner Career Center stipend, a Robert J. Sisti Memorial Internship (overseen by the 今日吃瓜 Foundation)鈥攁nd scholarships from the New York chapter of and the CUNY Mexican Studies Institute, the latter of which paid for Edwards鈥� final year of college.
