A question that has captivated me since a very young age is “What does it mean to have a good life?” Some say that wealth and fame are what people should strive for. Others, that a leisurely life is what would make them happy. As I’ve grown and experienced new things, I’ve come to the conclusion that relationships are the most important things in my life: my relationship with Christ, with family, with friends, and perhaps, one day, a woman I will deeply cherish. I believe that the Jesuit Mission at Boston College will provide me with the tools to not only become financially stable, but also to further develop these relationships. My vision of a “good life” would combine my personal ethics with my interest in business. That would involve finding ways to be successful in the corporate world without stepping on others to do so. Dan Price is the founder and CEO of credit-card processing company, Gravity Payments. Price reduced his annual salary from $1,000,000 to $70,000 in order to pay all of his one hundred and twenty employees that same salary. Many influential members of the corporate world said that he was doomed to fail and that we’d see this as an example of how generosity isn’t compatible with business. However, his decision led the company to flourish! Even though Price was earning much less than he could have, out of appreciation for his generosity his workers were loyal and committed to doing their best for the company. I’d like to follow in Price’s footsteps and establish a business so successful that I could dedicate a large portion of the profits towards helping others. To me, having a “good” life means finding balance in my work so that success and generosity don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

My dad’s first bank account was with a credit union in Pennsylvania where he grew up, and where my grandfather still does his banking. When I was trying to decide where to put my own money, I quickly learned the difference between a bank and a credit union. While a bank is a for-profit company focused on generating dividends for their investors, credit unions are nonprofit cooperatives who serve and are run by their own local members. Credit unions offer the same services as banks, but with a people-first philosophy. Members serve on their boards and committees working to provide affordable credit to everyone within the union. They offer lower rates on loans and higher earnings on deposits. They also provide programs to educate people about banking. Essentially credit unions put people before profits and work hard to promote the financial well-being of their members. I opened my first savings account at Jovia Financial credit union. I only had $300, but I quickly learned how to manage money effectively. My uncle saw I was becoming interested in finances and he began teaching me about strategic investing. We spoke about long-term versus short-term investing, day trading, short selling, and more. The idea that I could use research to predict the behavior of stocks, build a portfolio managing unknown risks, and actually make a profit was thrilling to me and I immediately wanted to try. So he set up an investing account for me, using the money I had earned the previous summer packaging bagels for a local deli. It was suspenseful every time I checked my portfolio and challenging to learn how to anticipate market outcomes. I felt a huge adrenaline rush when I saw my first net profit of two whole dollars! Making money was fun, but I was inspired to use my new skills for a greater good. My uncle helped me set up another portfolio this summer to raise money for the American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA). My father was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in 2000 so I welcomed the opportunity to give back to the nation's oldest nonprofit dedicated to brain tumor research. I founded a club called “Trading for Charity” and our members quickly got to work. Fundraising was a challenging experience. I came up with an idea to send half of each donation directly to the charity so donors could be confident that the ABTA would receive at least a portion of the funds, even if we ended up losing money in the market. We put the other half into our group fund, using day trading in the hopes of making a profit. The capital and profits earned would also be donated to the ABTA. Already, this account has received $1000 in donations. I’ve learned a lot about investing such as risk assessment and how to research changes in the market. Additionally, I learned how to educate potential donors about how our investment strategies would increase the value of their donations outweighing the financial risks. Our venture moved more slowly. We knew we were responsible for everyone’s capital and carefully deliberated on all of our decisions. This experience opened my eyes to how the stock market can be used to multiply the impact of charitable giving. After working on this project, I can now imagine a future in which I combine my passion for the stock market with my desire to help causes that are important to me.

As a Christian, I strive to live with integrity, upholding ethical principles. I’m also interested in business - a field notorious for selfishness and greed. Clearly, my values conflict with many in the corporate world. But what if I could change that? My goal is to establish a large business that dedicates a large portion of profits to helping others. Rather than hoarding an ever-growing money pile, we would focus on our environmental, social, and financial impact, pursuing a world that Christ would be proud of. I want to merge ethics with entrepreneurship, taking courses like Energy and Society, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and Corporate Social Responsibility. One entrepreneur, Dan Price, cut his salary from $1,100,000 to $70,000 in order to pay all employees that same salary. People say generosity isn’t compatible with business, but his company’s revenue tripled. My perspective would include environmental protections, charitable giving, and social justice.