RTSWS Mentor Handbook 2022 by Rock The Street, Wall Street

Mentor Handbook

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MENTOR HANDBOOK

A Letter from the Founder

Mission

Background

Traits of a Mentor

Mentor Meeting Logistics

Best Practices

Responsibilities of Mentors

Benefits to Mentors

Responsibilities of Proteges

Benefits to Proteges

Mentoring Across Differences

Covid-19 and Education: The Lingering Effects of Unfinished Learning

“Women Need Mentors Now More Than Ever”

Activity Checklist

Mentor Program Outline

Additional Topics for Discussion

Session 1: Introduction, Career Aptitude Test & Social Media Etiquette

Session 2: Resume Building & RTSWS Internship & Job Portal Intro

Session 3: Resume Review, LinkedIn Introduction, and Self-Advocacy

Session 4: Interview Skills, Self-Advocacy Pitch, & LinkedIn Profile Building

Session 5: Women in Finance and Finishing Tasks

Final Activity Checklist

Before You Go

Additional Resources

AT A GLANCE CONTACT Contact your Lead Volunteer with any questions. You can also contact RTSWS staff at programs1@rockthestreetwallstreet.com ROCK THE STREET, WALL STREET (RTSWS) WEBSITE www.rockthestreetwallstreet.com RTSWS INTERNSHIP & JOB PORTAL www.rockthestreetwallstreet.com/scholarship-internship-job-portal/ MARKETING MATERIALS www.rockthestreetwallstreet.com/get-the-word-out/ MOBILE APP (see page 26 for full instructions) app.rockthestreetwallstreet.com Be sure to save the app to your mobile phone home screen. It is not automatic. This is a web-based app, not the type of app you find in an app store. Watch this video: https://youtu.be/L3cFSWAuWS4

RTSWS SOCIAL MEDIA (QR codes on next page) LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/rock-the-street-wall-street/ LinkedIn RTSWS Student and Financial Pro Networking Group: www.linkedin.com/groups/7029520/ Instagram: @instagram.com/rtsws_ Twitter: www.twitter.com/RTSWS_ YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCUKCvfew0BGIoA1iaqmjviw Facebook: www.facebook.com/girlsrockwallst

EMAIL PICTURES/ SELFIES TO: pictures@rockthestreetwallstreet.com

SCHOOL CHAMPION CONTACT INFO:

SOCIAL MEDIA

www.rockthestreetwallstreet.com/scholarship-internship-job-portal We fully launched the Internship & Job Portal in August 2021. To date, over 100 internships and entry level jobs have been listed there. There are many opportunities listed including Summer 2022 Internships from the most respected financial companies in the industry.

SCHOLARSHIP, INTERNSHIP & JOB PORTAL

RUN, DON'T WALK TO READ UNDIVERSIFIED! www.thebiggendershort.com “I’m a betting woman and I bet that there are few if any books like this on the shelves of high school and college counselors across the US and Canada... anywhere for that matter. This book belongs on each and every one of their shelves as it describes the (heretofore mysterious) pathways to a career in one sector of finance, portfolio management. Populating counselors offices with this book would remind them, too, that these professions exist and are attainable to the young women they counsel.” - MAURA CUNNINGHAM, CEO and Founder of Rock The Street, Wall Street

STUDENTS: If you are interested in getting a free, digital copy of Undiversified, please contact Emily Whitcomb, Marketing Coordinator, at emily.w@rockthestreetwallstreet.com Order by the end of your second session or no later than March 1, 2022.

“Diversification is a core principle of investing. Yet money managers have not applied it to their own ranks. Only around 10 percent of portfolio managers—the people most directly responsible for investing your money—are female, and the numbers are even worse at the ownership level.” -Ellen Carr and Katrina Dudley, Undiversified Authors

Be sure to save the app to your mobile phone home screen. It is not automatic. This is a web-based app, not the type of app you find in an app store.

Benefits of downloading RTSWS app: See session schedules, view special announcements, get curriculum and attendance links, view important contacts, get communication and notifications from RTSWS and more. Watch this video for more info: https://youtu.be/UZRqN5gS_Yk

See page 26 for full instructions. Go to app.rockthestreetwallstreet.com to download. Open in Safari browser if you are iOs user, Chrome browser if you are Android user

Visit the new Rock The Street, Wall Street on-line store! When you buy a shirt, sweatshirt, water bottle, stickers, fanny pack, or any other awesome item we have for sale in our on-line shop, 100% of the profits are going to support RTSWS students. At the same time, you’ll be opening up a dialogue with those around you about girls and the M of STEM.

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A LETTER FROM OUR FOUNDER Dear Volunteer, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect and express our thanks to all of the volunteers across the U.S. and Canada who have been weathering the storm on the front lines of education. With your help, RTSWS has had another successful year of lifting the veil on finance with girls. You have been the one who kept your student(s) on course against all odds. Covid has had a major impact on public school student achievement, physical/development issues, enrollment/attendance, mental health, college readiness and enrollment levels in higher education. Graduating students who are college and/or career ready experienced the biggest drops of all. Students were unable to visit college campuses, engagement with high school counselors was reduced and fewer students took the ACT and/or SAT. Yet, in spite of all of this, together with you, we marched on.

GROWTH We continued with our programming and actually signifigantly expanded our footprint in 2021. 2020 - 2021 29 high schools across 17 US cities 2021 - 2022 51 high schools across 26 cities in the US and Canada Oh Canada! Our very first international city - Vancouver. And, we have interest in bringing our programming to an additional 90 cities across the US and overseas in London, Sydney and Singapore. All of this growth has been organic. ALL OF IT. We haven’t spent a dime on marketing our program to the general public. Our growth is a direct result of word of mouth among each of our female financial professionals. Each and every one of you are to be credited with lifting us up and over our growth goals! Each and every one of you are to be recognized for expanding our network of schools, students, volunteers and sponsors. We had over 1,000 students across the US and Canada register for our Fall 2021 programming. That’s a record.

LOOK AT WHAT WE CAN DO WHEN WE PUT OUR MIND TO IT We, together, have created something better than a 3D metaverse. We are relating to high school girls (a tough demographic to engage in these matters, according to our west coast digital gurus), across the US and into Canada. These teenage girls, on the verge of adulthood, are learning HOW to have a personal relationship with money and about MEANINGFUL careers in the M of STEM - finance, fintech and economics. We salute all of you in making this dream a reality. Teamwork. Take a bow!

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8 PROGRAM ENHANCEMENTS Student CEO’s www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17939034142617926/ This year, too, we saw significant enhancements in our programming. We added the opportunity for some of our students to practice their leadership skills among their peers by becoming RTSWS Student CEO’s. These girls are responsible for assisting in student recruitment, taking note of attendance, food planning, participating in our CEO training sessions and our quarterly Student CEO Summits and for some, Instagram Takeovers, which presented a day in the life of RTSWS students on their high school campuses. We, along with the students, had so much fun with this. To see a few takeovers, click here. (www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17939034142617926/)

RTSWS Internship & Job Portal www.rockthestreetwallstreet.com/scholarship-internship-job-portal/ We also added the RTSWS Internship & Job Portal. It’s here where the rubber meets the road. Financial firms from across the US and Canada are posting their opportunities with us. RTSWS is fast becoming the “go to” place to find emerging female talent for the industry. Since fully launching in August, 2021, to date, 45 firms have offered or are currently offering over 100 internship and job opportunities. These firms include investment banks, fintech, venture capital, private equity, accounting, community banks, and more - basically the ecosystem that makes up the financial services sector. Below is just a sample of those listed.

FINANCIAL INDUSTRY INTERNSHIPS Analysts • Private Equity, Healthcare, Markets, Technology, Alternatives, Technology, Hedge Funds, Software Engineering Other • Internship to Chief Administrative Officer • Multiple Accounting entry level positions and career preview internships FINANCIAL INDUSTRY FULL TIME JOBS Analysts • Private Equity, Investment, Asset management, Financial, Technology,, Investment Research, Credit Risk Accounting • Staff Accountant • Staff Auditor Other • Campus Recruiting Analyst • Investigator • Corporate Development Analyst RockTheStreetWallStreet.com | Change WHO We Invest In To Change WHAT We Invest In

SPRING SEMESTER 2022 As you can see, we are beginning to have a true impact on the financial services sector as our students age up into college and into careers. Our students are 5 times more likely to choose a major/minor in Finance, Economics or related business field than the average female college student. This change starts in the high schools in which you and your colleagues are heading into to introduce the benefits of having an intentional relationship with money and a career in the M of STEM. Given the overhanging challenges COVID still presents, please be prepared to continue to pull back a bit on the skills and lessons we normally provide during our mentorship sessions. Focus on collaborating with your protege vs. being content driven. Your protege likely had no idea that being financially literate is critical to her independence, nor did she know that a profession in finance even existed before she met RTSWS in the fall sessions. Please always keep in mind, even when it appears they’ve come unprepared, that youth with mentors find more selfconfidence and self-esteem and are able to create bigger goals for themselves. Their behavior and attitudes improve. You will help them grow while closing social and economic opportunity gaps. This spring mentoring season we are emphasizing the importance of making a connection first and foremost with your protege. You will find an article in the following pages on the impact covid is having on teenagers. Please be sure to read it carefully and take heed. You will be serving as an inspirational mentor to your protege. She likely had no idea that being financially literate is critical to her independence, nor did she know that a profession in finance even existed before she met us in the fall sessions. And for those students who did know of the profession, you will help them to “not exit” finance or economics as a major when they get to college, where we still represent only two out of twenty in those classrooms. Thank you for all you do to move girls forward in the field of finance. If we change WHO we invest in, we’ll change WHAT we invest in.

Maura K. Cunningham Founder & CEO, Rock The Street, Wall Street

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MISSION 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. Mentor: A trusted counselor or guide Protege: One whose college and career path is furthered by a person of experience, prominence, or influence ●●● The Rock The Street, Wall Street Mentorship Program is designed to encourage high school girls to take a strong interest in their personal finances at an early age and to explore the possibility of a career in the financial services industry. We do this by offering a five-week series of classroom workshops and a Wall Street Experience Field Trip in the fall. In the spring, we pair those students who wish to be mentored with professional females in finance. Our professionals offer a firsthand (and very often, first-time) view into the world of business. The mentor provides guidance to their protege about savings and investments, presentation skills, resume preparation, college major/minor preparation, job preparedness and career interests. The goal of the mentorship program is to encourage girls to take charge of their financial lives at an early age and increase the number of women entering the financial services profession. Mentoring is a valuable resource in developing the protege’s selfconfidence, providing accountability for her goals, discovering her interests, and exploring professional aspirations. Get comfortable sharing ideas on life, leadership, academic and career goals, and overcoming obstacles. Our larger goal is to have the two of you stay in touch long-term as your protege grows into a college student and beyond. We know of RTSWS mentor/ protege relationships that have lasted for years, attesting to the effectiveness of a formal mentorship program.

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BACKGROUND Two out of three women state that they know little to nothing about finance. By reaching out to girls in high school, we commission them to take charge of their finances at an early age. We illuminate the relevance of finance in everyday life and encourage girls to study business and seek a profession in the financial industry. Women are vastly underrepresented in the upper ranks of finance and comprise only 2.5% of hedge fund managers, 8% of venture capital professionals, 9% of mutual fund managers, and 11.7% of private equity executives. Let's face it, financial naivete among women cuts across all socioeconomic classes. RTSWS is reaching young women in 26 cities across the U.S. and Canada through local public and private schools, introducing them to financial concepts such as savings, investments, budgets, stocks, bonds, derivatives, private equity and college/financial preparedness. We offer young women a pathway to financial literacy and career preparedness through financial hands-on projects in our workshops, role modeling, mentoring, strengths assessments, and real-life Wall Street field trip experiences.

TRAITS OF A MENTOR The following are the traits that RTSWS believes makes for a good mentor to a high school student: • Sincere desire to be involved in the life of a student • Respect for young people • Willingness to share • Ability to relate across cultural and economic differences • Active listening skills while suspending judgment and asking thoughtful questions • Ability to empathize with a young person • Skills in recognizing solutions and opportunities • Patience • Ability to guide conversations

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MENTOR MEETING LOGISTICS • To learn more about mentoring you can watch this video: www.rockthestreetwallstreet.com/spring-mentor-training/ Password: Ment@r2021! • Over the course of the spring semester, it is expected that the mentor/protege teams will meet five times. RTSWS will work with schools and volunteers to select mentoring dates. Make note of the dates of the subsequent mentoring sessions with your protege. • RTSWS will send meeting reminders to students & volunteers the day before each meeting is scheduled. • If you’re unable to attend a session due to a work conflict or unforeseen emergency, please notify your protege and your Lead Volunteer so your protege can be added to another group. • This year, mentoring may be done virtually or in person depending on your school and firm. RTSWS and the school will set up a routine meeting day and time and provide you and the students with a schedule and link if necessary. Please be sure you are in a quiet space with little to no interruptions. IF IN PERSON

IF VIRTUAL

• You will be meeting with your protege(s) in person in the classroom. Everyone will plan to find a quiet corner or table to work together with their protege(s) for the session.

• If mentoring is taking place virtually, 3 people must be present in all mentor /protege meetings, including breakout rooms.

• We recommend that you bring your laptop to these meetings in order to access some additional resources in the curriculum. ◦ Please Note: If you have a hot spot, it may be helpful to use as school WiFi is sometimes slow or inconsistent.

WHAT TO BRING TO YOUR MENTOR SESSION: Laptop, Pencil and Paper, Mentor Handbook REMIND PROTEGES TO BRING: Laptop or Smart Phone, Headphones

• This requirement is out of an abundance of caution for the security of both our volunteer mentors and our student proteges. This ratio can include any combination of students and volunteers, but must include at least 3 people. • You will join your session link as a full group and will then be split into breakout rooms with your assigned proteges, following the 3 person per group rule, to conduct the mentoring session. ◦ Please note: Proteges will be connecting from a classroom setting. The devices and setup proteges use to connect to the session will be different at each school, but we recommend the protege has headphones with a microphone to be able to communicate to you effectively in the classroom setting.

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BEST PRACTICES •

Expectations: Have a conversation about guidelines, importance of attendance, confidentiality, and the boundaries of the relationship.

•

Establishing Agreements: Help your protege work out a plan with clear tasks for achieving her goal (e.g., arriving on-time for class, asking more questions in class, applying to another program that serves her scholastic or professional goals, etc.).

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Communication with Students: Communicate with your protege about upcoming meetings. We encourage you to exchange contact information with your student to stay in touch regarding sudden changes or unexpected cancellations. Please select the method of communication you feel comfortable with, email is acceptable.

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Session Absence: Please let your protege and your lead volunteer know if you will be unable to attend a session. We will work to pair your protege with another mentor for that session.

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Two-Sided Conversation: Encourage your protege to ask questions about finance or talk about something they are interested in, find your common ground, share favorite hobbies, cities, books, Netflix shows, or music. Conversations don’t have to be solely career focused nor financial literacy based, but we highly encourage both.

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Uncomfortable Topics: If a question or topic arises that you are uncomfortable addressing, please don’t feel the need to respond. Thank the student for feeling comfortable enough to share that information with you (that is a huge compliment to the relationship you have built) and let them know honestly you don’t feel equipped to give a good response or the correct information. Please make note of the conversation and relay it to a RTSWS staff member. We will handle this situation confidentially and appropriately on a case by case basis.

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Moving Forward: Each party should reflect on her own learning from this experience. What is it she has learned about herself as a protege or as a mentor? How will she take what she’s learned to the next level? The intention of this component of the RTSWS program is for the mentoring relationship to continue beyond this academic year. Stay in touch with your protége, so that the relationship can continue to grow. Some of our previous mentors have set up job shadowing opportunities for their proteges or have stayed in touch long after the program finished.

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Relax and Have FUN! This mentoring relationship allows young females the opportunity to develop social capital as well as begin to think about what their future might look like, and you’re able to play a role in that! Helpful Resource for Icebreakers and Questions: https://icebreakerquestions.info/ Virtual Engagement Resources: How to Get People to Actually Participate in Virtual Meetings (hbr.org)

25 Strategies to Engage Students on Your Next Zoom Meeting - Hooked On Innovation

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RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTORS • Acting as a resource for information about the financial profession and savings and investment concepts • Establishing the meeting agenda • Helping the protege identify and reach specific goals • Establishing trust with the protege and maintaining confidentiality • Listening actively • Challenging the protege to think and analyze options • Sharing unique professional experiences • Serving as a sounding board for ideas • Providing college and career guidance (however, you are not expected to be a college counselor) • Providing encouragement for building self-confidence and stronger self-esteem by serving as a solid role model • Offering constructive and meaningful feedback and critical analysis

BENEFITS TO MENTORS Serving as a mentor offers the following rewards: • The personal satisfaction of giving back to your community • A legacy of personal knowledge, insight and experience • Professional enhancement, higher visibility and prestige • Expansion of your community and professional network "Volunteering with RTSWS was a really rewarding experience. It was really cool because normally every day you come into work and you do a job and you don’t always see that tangible impact you are making on someone, but when you come into the classroom and you interact with these girls you can see right then how you are making a difference in their lives.” — RTSWS volunteer RockTheStreetWallStreet.com | Change WHO We Invest In To Change WHAT We Invest In

RESPONSIBILITIES OF PROTEGES Each protege is expected to: • Actively engage in conversation with their mentor, which includes responding to questions and a two way exchange • Stay in contact and communicate clearly with their mentor • Attend the scheduled sessions and notify their mentor 24 hours in advance if they are unable to attend their scheduled session • Help to establish the meeting agenda • Respect their mentor’s time • Be receptive to feedback and coaching • Assess their own individual needs • Openly share successes and failures • Take advantage of opportunities presented by their mentor • Follow through on commitments and goals set during the mentoring sessions • Admit mistakes and take responsibility for them • Be confident to tactfully and respectfully disagree with their mentor

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BENEFITS TO PROTEGES Here are some of the benefits your protege can expect from being mentored: • Assistance in defining college and career goals, strategies and options (but, keep in mind that RTSWS mentors are not college counselors) • Help in building confidence to grow beyond the usual expectations • Personalized attention geared toward specific needs • A sounding board for ideas and approaches • Referrals to experts with specialized industry knowledge • Recommendations for helpful articles and texts

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MENTORING ACROSS DIFFERENCES Since launching the mentoring program a few years ago, RTSWS has discovered several things that have proven helpful to the mentor/protege relationship. Some of the girls will be of different socioeconomic, cultural, and/or religious backgrounds. It can be a challenge to approach these topics. Please take the time to read an article by Ida Abbott, a professional consultant specializing in mentoring, titled “Breaking Down Barriers to Mentoring Across Differences.” You can find the article at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/breaking-down-barriers-mentoring-across-differences-ida-abbott/ The article illustrates how it can be limiting for the relationship to ignore the differences that exist between mentor and protege. You can open up these discussions by: • Being honest and letting the protege see both your strengths and weaknesses. • Not being afraid to show your vulnerability. By acknowledging your unawareness about certain situations, the protege becomes more at ease and less self-conscious about her own vulnerabilities. • Show curiosity. Invite her to open up about her culture. Turn your inexperience with her situation into a genuine curiosity and ask her about her life. Who is she? What is her life like? What motivated her to be a part of this program? • Being empathetic to her situation. What does she want to learn? How does she plan to use what she learns? What risks and obstacles is she facing? Withhold assumptions about what is “right” for her based on your knowledge and experience. • Adjusting your agenda to better fit your protege. Be adaptable to the protege’s responses and be open to speaking about topics you hadn’t planned. • Keeping humor in the conversation. If something was misunderstood, laugh about it instead of dwelling on it. • Treating the protege with respect. She will reciprocate.

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COVID-19 AND EDUCATION: THE LINGERING EFFECTS OF UNFINISHED LEARNING JULY 27, 2021 Only article excerpts included for space and length consideration, please find the full article at: https:// www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/covid-19-and-education-the-lingeringeffects-of-unfinished-learning

As this most disrupted of school years draws to a close, it is time to take stock of the impact of the pandemic on student learning and well-being. Although the 2020–21 academic year ended on a high note—with rising vaccination rates, outdoor in-person graduations, and access to at least some in-person learning for 98 percent of students—it was as a whole perhaps one of the most challenging for educators and students in our nation’s history.1 Our analysis shows that the impact of the pandemic on K–12 student learning was significant, leaving students on average five months behind in mathematics and four months behind in reading by the end of the school year. The pandemic widened preexisting opportunity and achievement gaps, hitting historically disadvantaged students hardest. In math, students in majority Black schools ended the year with six months of unfinished learning, students in low-income schools with seven. High schoolers have become more likely to drop out of school, and high school seniors, especially those from low-income families, are less likely to go on to postsecondary education. And the crisis had an impact on not just academics but also the broader health and well-being of students, with more than 35 percent of parents very or extremely concerned about their children’s mental health. The fallout from the pandemic threatens to depress this generation’s prospects and constrict their opportunities far into adulthood. The ripple effects may undermine their chances of attending college and ultimately finding a fulfilling job that enables them to support a family. Our analysis suggests that, unless steps are taken to address unfinished learning, today’s students may earn $49,000 to $61,000 less over their lifetime owing to the impact of the pandemic on their schooling. The impact on the US economy could amount to $128 billion to $188 billion every year as this cohort enters the workforce. Federal funds are in place to help states and districts respond, though funding is only part of the answer. The deep-rooted challenges in our school systems predate the pandemic and have resisted many reform efforts. States and districts have a critical role to play in marshaling that funding into sustainable programs that improve student outcomes. They can ensure rigorous implementation of evidence-based initiatives, while also piloting and tracking the impact of innovative new approaches. Although it is too early to fully assess the effectiveness of post pandemic solutions to unfinished learning, the scope of action is already clear. The immediate imperative is to not only reopen schools and recover unfinished learning but also reimagine education systems for the long term. Across all of these priorities it will be critical to take a holistic approach, listening to students and parents and designing programs that meet academic and nonacademic needs alike. What have we learned about unfinished learning?

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19 As we analyze the cost of the pandemic, we use the term “unfinished learning” to capture the reality that students were not given the opportunity this year to complete all the learning they would have completed in a typical year. Some students who have disengaged from school altogether may have slipped backward, losing knowledge or skills they once had. The majority simply learned less than they would have in a typical year, but this is nonetheless important. Students who move on to the next grade unprepared are missing key building blocks of knowledge that are necessary for success, while students who repeat a year are much less likely to complete high school and move on to college. And it’s not just academic knowledge these students may miss out on. They are at risk of finishing school without the skills, behaviors, and mindsets to succeed in college or in the workforce. An accurate assessment of the depth and extent of unfinished learning will best enable districts and states to support students in catching up on the learning they missed and moving past the pandemic and into a successful future. Students testing in 2021 were about ten points behind in math and nine points behind in reading, compared with matched students in previous years. While all types of students experienced unfinished learning, some groups were disproportionately affected. Students of color and low-income students suffered most. Students in majority-Black schools ended the school year six months behind in both math and reading, while students in majority-white schools ended up just four months behind in math and three months behind in reading.8 Students in predominantly low-income schools and in urban locations also lost more learning during the pandemic than their peers in high-income rural and suburban schools (Exhibit 1). Broader student well-being is not independent of academics. Parents whose children have fallen significantly behind academically are one-third more likely to say that they are very or extremely concerned about their children’s mental health. Black and Hispanic parents are seven to nine percentage points more likely than white parents to report higher levels of concern. Unaddressed mental-health challenges will likely have a knock-on effect on academics going forward as well. Research shows that trauma and other mental-health issues can influence children’s attendance, their ability to complete schoolwork in and out of class, and even the way they learn.15 What is the path forward for our nation’s students? As districts consider competing uses of funding, they are juggling multiple priorities over several time horizons. These priorities encompass four potential actions for schools: 1.

Safely reopen schools for in-person learning.

Reengage students and reenroll them into effective learning environments.

Support students in recovering unfinished learning and broader needs.

Recommit and reimagine our education systems for the long term.

Across all of these actions, it is important for districts to understand the changing needs of parents and students as we emerge from the pandemic, and to engage with them to support students to learn and to thrive.

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WOMEN NEED MENTORS NOW MORE THAN EVER by Andie Kramer, Jul 14, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a far more negative impact on working women than men. Women have disproportionately lost jobs, disproportionately reduced their work hours, and disproportionately increased the time they spend on child care and household responsibilities. As Claudia Goldin, Professor of Economics at Harvard, has observed, “the [gender] inequalities that existed before the pandemic are now on steroids.” Women need help, especially those just starting their careers or changing careers. One valuable source of help is strong, effective mentors. Mentors can provide a great deal of help in guiding women through the new and unprecedented challenges they confront. Recognizing the value of mentoring, many companies have established robust formal programs to pair junior employees with more senior managers. They recognize that effective mentoring relationships help junior employees develop leadership skills, increase self-confidence, improve emotional intelligence, and navigate gender-specific obstacles to career advancement. When senior managers—both women and men—are available on a one-to-one basis to regularly listen to younger women’s questions and concerns and to share their experiences and insights, women are more satisfied at work and more likely to have successful careers. Indeed, 25 percent of employees who participated in a mentoring program had a salary-grade change, compared to only 5 percent of the workers who did not participate. Companies with formal mentorship programs also recognize that mentoring is not a one-way street. It benefits mentors as well as mentees. Mentors can improve their leadership skills while they are giving back by helping the next generation adjust and thrive in their careers and personal lives. One study found that 87 percent of mentors and mentees feel empowered by the relationship and reported greater confidence and career satisfaction. And, it turns out that mentees and mentors are both promoted far more often (5 times and 6 times, respectively) than those employees without mentors. Companies with formal mentorship programs also benefit, which explains why 71 percent of Fortune 500 companies offer such programs. For these companies, mentorship programs provide an effective way to assure job-relevant knowledge is passed on to new hires, style and attitudinal differences between generations are bridged, and employee retention is increased. Mentorship programs also promote diversity, which has been found to improve team morale and the bottom line. Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations found that mentoring programs boosted minority representation at the management level by 9 to 24 percent (when compared to a -2 percent to 18 percent boost with other types of diversity initiatives). The same study also found that mentoring programs dramatically improved promotion and retention rates for minorities and women—15 to 38 percent as compared to non-mentored employees. As we come out of the pandemic that has created working conditions unlike anything we’ve seen in our lifetimes, young women with a mentor have a very valuable leg up on those who don’t have a mentor. The

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21 problem, of course, is that many women work at companies without formal mentorship programs, are in entrepreneurial roles without senior people to serve as mentors, or they lack access to senior people with whom they can establish a mentoring relationship. People don’t need to be limited to one mentor. It is entirely possible to have multiple mentors with different skill sets and life experiences. In fact, I have found that the very best mentorship relationships develop organically. You don’t need to go out and ask people directly to serve as your mentor but you can watch the relationship grow with proper care and feeding. Even if your company offers a formal mentorship program, it can be beneficial to have a mentor outside of your company and, frequently, outside of your industry. Many clubs, groups, and trade associations offer mentorship programs that help women advance in their careers. Another source for obtaining a mentor is through WLMA, the Women’s Leadership and Mentor Alliance. At the date of this writing, WLMA is rolling out its 2021 mentoring program. WLMA pairs mentors and mentees across industries and professions. The WLMA program is done remotely and it is open to women wherever they are located and at all stages of their careers. Based on the information provided to WLMA in a detailed questionnaire, mentees are then paired with mentors with similar interests, availability, and objectives. While the WLMA program lasts six months, it has fostered many long-term relationships. For women in the early stages of their careers or making a career transition, an experienced senior mentor (whether formal or informal) can be of enormous benefit. The opportunity to discuss candidly and confidentially concerns, difficulties, and aspirations with an empathetic experienced person makes a profound difference in women’s career trajectories. While it is not a mentor’s job to directly promote a mentee’s career, mentors with deep career experience and keen people skills can make a world of difference in how mentees see their careers, the obstacles they face, and effective ways to deal with other people. For a mentoring relationship to be truly successful, mentees must be committed to the process, make a sincere effort to accurately convey to their mentors their situations and aspirations, and carefully evaluate the advice they receive. Mentees need to honestly let their mentors know if the relationship is working for them and if it isn’t, what needs to change. Mentees must also maintain a positive mindset and recognize that their mentors will be most engaged and helpful if they are enthusiastic, forthright, and engaged in the process. The best mentors are good listeners, good questioners, and good strategic thinkers. Poor mentors think they know all the answers and respond to any issue with specific advice as to how their mentee should behave. Good mentors know their limitations and are frank about them, but they also know how to reach out to others who may be better suited to deal with a particular issue faced by the mentee. Mentoring is a cooperative partnership that works best if there is candor and honesty on both sides. Mentors should be cheerleaders for their mentees—providing encouragement, reassurance, and positive suggestions. One way or another, all women should get involved in a mentoring relationship—as mentors, mentees, or both.

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ACTIVITY CHECKLIST Use the checklist below to track key activities in the RTSWS mentoring program. Both mentor and protege downloaded the RTSWS Mobile app and saved it to their mobile phone home screen. It is not automatic. This is a web-based app, not the type of app you find in an app store. www.app.rockthestreetwallstreet.com/ Watch this video for more info: https://youtu.be/L3cFSWAuWS4 Mentor Completed RTSWS Mentor Training Video Mentor Received Protege’s Name and Grade Mentor Received Date/Time of Sessions Mentor Received Location of Sessions Protege Took Career Aptitude Test Protege Registered on the RTSWS Internship & Job Portal and reviewed the current listings. • https://rockthestreetwallstreet.com/scholarship-internship-job-portal/ Protege Uploaded Resume to RTSWS Internship & Job Portal Protege Created LinkedIn Profile (if 16+) Protege Joined RTSWS Student and Financial Pros Networking Group on LinkedIn Reviewed the Book Undiversified: The Big Gender Short in Investment Management, by Ellen Carr and Katrina Dudley • www.thebiggendershort.com Protege Delivered Self-Advocacy Pitch Mentor Completed RTSWS End of Course Survey

Protege Name:

Protege Email:

Dates & Times: Session 1 Session 2 Session 3 Session 4 Session 5

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MENTOR PROGRAM OUTLINE Session 1 • Introduction • Career Aptitude Test • Review Graphic: Social Media Etiquette • Challenge: Have your protege begin listing clubs, activities, accomplishments for resume building Session 2 • Introduction to RTSWS Internship & Job Portal • Review Article: Ten Tips for Building Your High School Resume • Begin Building Protege Resume • Challenge: Have your protege continue working on her resume for review in Session 3 Session 3 • Review Protege Resume • Upload Resume to RTSWS Internship & Job Portal • Introduce Mentor’s LinkedIn Page • Self-Advocacy • Review Article: Five Steps Women Can Take to Self-Advocate • Challenge: Have your protege develop a 2 minute pitch advocating for herself and why she is worthy to be mentored (Spoiler alert: She IS worthy, but she needs to practice TELLING others!) Session 4 • Protege Self-Advocacy Pitch • Review Article: 5 Interview Tips and Job Interview Questions for Teens • Practice Common Interview Questions • Begin Building Protege LinkedIn Profile (if 16+) • Challenge: Continue building protege LinkedIn profile and join LinkedIn RTSWS Student and Financial Pros Networking Group Session 5 • Finish Protege LinkedIn Profile • Complete Any Unfinished Tasks • Women in Finance • Connect • Challenge: Have your protege connect with at least 5 people on LinkedIn

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ADDITIONAL TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION • Academic development and ways to improve the path toward college • College and/or job applications • Scholarship applications • Student / teacher / professor roles and interactions • Studying practices • Resource recommendations • Stock/bond market performance • Entrepreneurship • Saving and investing • Goals and progress toward goals • Networking • Job shadowing • How the financial exclusion of women negatively affects families and entire communities • Female representation in math and finance • Building confidence

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SESSION 1

Introduction, Career Aptitude Test & Social Media Etiquette Meeting Date, Time & Link: Protege Name & Contact Info:

1. Introduction: Take time to introduce yourself and meet your proteges. Ask questions of the students and share your story, it doesn’t have to be 100% finance related, feel free to share about your family and personal interests as well. Helpful Ideas: Icebreaker Questions • www.quizbreaker.com/ice-breaker-questions • What song describes your life right now? • What would be your dream holiday if money was no limit? 2. Take a Selfie or Virtual Screenshot: We love to see pictures of everyone, take a picture together and email to: pictures@rockthestreetwallstreet.com. Even Better: Add a note about your first session! 3. Career Aptitude Test: Help your protege with the Career Aptitude Test and have them share the results with you so you can discuss. • Career Aptitude Link: www.123test.com/career-test/index.php • This should take approximately 10 minutes. • Encourage your protege(s) to send the results to herself so she can access it in the future. • Have a conversation about careers your protege is interested in and if they lined up with the results of her test. Pay close attention to careers in accounting, economics, and finance.

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Holland Personality Type and Sample Careers

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28 4. Social Media Etiquette: Review the image below: “Tips for Students: Digital Citizenship and Internet Safety”. Have a discussion about the importance of mindful social media posting and the long-term effects on professionalism and job opportunities.

CHALL

ENGE!

For the next session, ask your protege to begin creating a list of clubs, activities, and accomplishments they can use to start building their resume. If they already have a resume started, have them bring it with them to review with you.

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SESSION 2

Resume Building & RTSWS Internship & Job Portal Introduction As our students and alumnae grow, we are working with them to meet their career goals. We encourage them, as well as our corporate sponsors and employers, to utilize our RTSWS Internship & Job Portal. This is a great opportunity for students to view and apply for internship and job opportunities from some of the most respected financial companies in the U.S. and Canada. It is also a great place for companies to source new talent. https://rockthestreetwallstreet.com/scholarship-internship-job-portal/

1. Introduction to RTSWS Internship & Job Portal: Have the protege create an account on the Portal and review the opportunities posted. • Internship & Job Portal link: https://rockthestreetwallstreet.com/scholarship-internship-job-portal/ • Talk to the students about the opportunities that financial firms are posting on the site, be sure to include internships.

2. Review Resume Article: Ten Tips for Building Your High School Resume. Have your protege read the article or review important pieces of it together, depending on time available. https://www.teenlife.com/blog/10-tips-building-your-high-school-resume/ 3. Build Protege Resume: Work with your protege to begin building her resume. Take the list of activities, clubs, accomplishments, and accolades and begin formatting them into a resume. • It may be helpful to review high school resume templates by doing a basic internet search. • If your protege already has a resume, take time to review it together. Look for things like consistency, action verbs, formatting. You can begin working on a cover letter with your protege.

CHA

E! LLENG

Have your protege continue to work on her resume for review during the next session. We will ask you to work with your protege to upload her resume to the RTSWS Internship & Job Portal during the next session.

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SESSION 3

Resume Review, LinkedIn Introduction, and Self-Advocacy 1. Review Resume: Review your protege’s resume and make any final edits and changes. 2. Upload Resume to RTSWS Internship & Job Portal: Have the student login to the RTSWS Internship & Job Portal account she created in the second session and upload her completed resume to the portal. • RTSWS Internship & Job Portal link (see image on next page): https://rockthestreetwallstreet.com/scholarship-internship-job-portal/ 3. LinkedIn Introduction: Talk about LinkedIn and the importance of the platform for professional networking. Share your LinkedIn profile with your protege and let her see the information you include, the format, and how to use the platform for networking purposes. • Visit the RTSWS LinkedIn Page and join the RTSWS Student and Financial Pros Networking Group if you haven’t already. Encourage your protege to join the page once she has created a profile. She will be creating a profile in Session 4 if she is 16+. 4. Self-Advocacy: Start a conversation with your protege about what self-advocacy is and why it is an important skill to learn, practice, and implement. Traditionally men are better at self-advocacy and this is a contributing factor to women missing out on promotion and job advancement opportunities. This is a skill that must be practiced. • Review Self-Advocacy Article: 5 Steps Women Can Take to Self-Advocate www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2020/08/25/five-steps-women-can-take-to-self-advocate/? sh=68a52e3f7d56

CHA

E! LLENG

Have your protege prepare a 2 minute pitch convincing you why they are worthy to be mentored. Acknowledge with your protege this will be uncomfortable, but the practice is key to being successful. They will be giving the pitch to you during the next session.

Please make sure it is clear: They ARE worthy to be mentored, but they need practice TELLING others!

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SESSION 3 RTSWS Internship & Job Portal

SCHOLARSHIP, INTERNSHIP & JOB PORTAL

Show students the drop down menu to register.

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SESSION 4 Interview Skills, Self Advocacy Pitch & LinkedIn Profile Building

1. Protege Self-Advocacy Pitch: Have your protege deliver her 2 minute self-advocacy pitch. Be sure to acknowledge that this will feel uncomfortable, but highlight the importance of practicing this skill repeatedly in different settings. Give her feedback on strong parts of her pitch and constructive criticism for areas she could improve. 2. Review Interview Tips Article: 5 Interview Tips and Job Interview Questions for Teens www.snagajob.com/blog/post/job-interview-tips-for-teens Have a discussion about first interviews, appearance, professionalism, questions, preparation, and expectations. 3. Practice Common Interview Questions: Use some of the common interview questions included in the article to create a mock interview. Have your protege brainstorm and practice some responses with you. • Helpful Idea: Have her interview YOU first. She can learn a lot sitting on the hiring side of an interview. This will give her an example when it is her turn to answer questions. 4. Build Protege LinkedIn Profile: If your protege is 16+ have them create a LinkedIn profile. Add a picture and pull components from her resume to complete her profile. Connect with your protege on LinkedIn. • Action: Have your protege (and you!) join the RTSWS Student and Financial Pros Networking Group if they have not already. • If your protege already has a LinkedIn profile, look at companies and pages they should consider following based on their interests, goals, etc. Work with your protege on crafting a professional LinkedIn message asking for assistance looking for scholarship, internship or job opportunities.

CHALL

ENGE!

Have your protege continue building her LinkedIn profile and joining the RTSWS Student and Financial Pros Networking Group

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SESSION 4 LinkedIn Profile Checklist

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SESSION 4 LinkedIn Profile Checklist cont.

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SESSION 5

Finishing Tasks and Discussions 1. Finish LinkedIn Profile: Review your protege’s LinkedIn profile and help her finish anything left outstanding. 2. Unfinished Tasks: If there were topics that you did not get to spend enough time on or wanted to dive deeper into, take this time to work on those items. If your protege has special projects she would like your help with college or scholarship applications, job applications, college choice decisions, etc., take the time to work with her on topics that are useful and relevant to her current situation. 3. Women in Finance: Discuss some of the following questions about yourself with your protege. • What are the most important aspects of your role? • What do you enjoy most about your job? Least? • Who do you partner with in your role? • How does this partnership help you be more effective? • How do you balance personal and professional life? • When have you had to self-advocate in your career? 4. Connect: Make a plan to stay connected over the summer and into the future.

E CHALL

NGE!

Have your protege connect with at least 5 people on LinkedIn. This could be you, people in her community, or public figures.

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FINAL ACTIVITY CHECKLIST Use the checklist below to track your engagement with key activities in the RTSWS mentoring program. Protege Took Career Aptitude Test Mentor has reviewed the RTSWS Internship & Job Portal and the listings Mentor has communicated with their HR Department to post any Scholarship, Internship, & Job opportunities to the RTSWS Portal Protege Registered on the RTSWS Internship & Job Portal and reviewed all the current listings. • https://rockthestreetwallstreet.com/scholarship-internship-job-portal/ Protege uploaded their resume to the RTSWS Internship & Job Portal • www.rockthestreetwallstreet.com/resumes/ Protege Created LinkedIn Profile (if 16+) www.linkedin.com/company/rock-the-street-wall-street Protege joined RTSWS Student and Financial Pros Networking Group Protege delivered Self-Advocacy Pitch Protege and Mentor have connected with Maura Cunningham on Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/mauracunningham007 Protege made a plan to stay connected with you Protege took RTSWS End of Course Survey

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BEFORE YOU GO, WE RECOMMEND… 1. Join our LinkedIn Student and Financial Professionals Networking Group www.linkedin.com/groups/7029520/ 2. Check out the Rock The Street, Wall Street Internship & Job Portal www.rockthestreetwallstreet.com/scholarship-internship-job-portal/ 3. Seek out podcasts, books, websites, online courses or videos about finance, savings, investing and the economy. Here are a few relevant podcasts with hundreds of episodes to explore: NPR’s Planet Money, The Fairer Cents: Women, Money and the Fight to Break Even, So Money with Farnoosh Torabi, The College Investor Audio Show. 4. If students are more quantitative and technically inclined, consider majors in math and careers in quantitative analysis - good preparation for analyst positions in fixed income, credits, hedge funds, etc. 5. Do a Google search on “College Majors for Financial Careers” - there are useful websites on college, general articles, etc

www.girlswhoinvest.org Girls Who Invest is a non-profit organization that prepares undergraduates at U.S. colleges and universities for careers in investment management. There are internship opportunities and Summer Programs available in college with Girls Who Invest. You must also have your RTSWS student release form filled out completely and correctly to be considered. If you choose to apply, please let us know via email. We will reach out to GWI to let them know the individuals who have applied that are alumnae of RTSWS.

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CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL RESOURCES WEBSITES Career Girls • www.careergirls.org Girls Who Invest • http://www.girlswhoinvest.org Napkin Finance • www.napkinfinance.com CNBC and The Wall Street Journal are great places to keep an eye on the financial markets Investopedia • www.investopedia.com Yahoo Finance • finance.yahoo.com The College Investor • www.thecollegeinvestor.com/audio-show

BOOK Undiversified: The Big Gender Short in Investment Management, by Ellen Carr and Katrina Dudley • www.thebiggendershort.com/

PODCASTS The Fairer Cents: Women, Money and the Fight to Break Even www.thefairercents.com NPR’s Planet Money • www.npr.org/sections/money HERMONEY • www.hermoney.com/t/podcasts Money Nerds • www.themoneynerds.com So Money with Farnoosh Torabi • www.podcast.farnoosh.tv

GOVERNMENT Janet Yellen • www.home.treasury.gov/about/general-information/officials/janet-yellen Gender Policy Council • www.whitehouse.gov/gpc Women in Public Finance • www.wpfc.com/

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