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Tuesday, December 9, 2025
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Lehman College Students Empower First Generation Investors at New Directions Secondary School
December 10, 2025
Learning about finance turned into first real investments at the culmination of a financial literacy program held at Lehman College December 4. Three Lehman School of Business majors tutored New Directions Secondary School students on investing and personal finance concepts under a program run by First Generation Investors (FGI). The students’ capstone presentations showcased the skills and knowledge they gained throughout the course, laying out investment strategies to build generational wealth.
“Creating generational wealth is a major step in climbing the financial security ladder,” said Dean Dene Hurley, noting that early lessons in investing can support “lifelong career and economic success.”
As a bonus, each student was given $100 to invest in the strategy they presented to start building a portfolio.
Throughout the program, Lehman business students Muhdee Nawab, Samrin Alam, and Jeffrey Gomez served as tutors and near-peer mentors, leading lessons on budgeting, diversification, and long-term investing.
“We have been grateful to work with Lehman College and New Directions Secondary School in a partnership that reflects FGI’s near-peer tutoring model,” said Elisabeth Renikoff of First Generation Investors.
Each of the Lehman mentors brings strong experience to the table.
- Muhdee Nawab, a finance major, is already well-versed in coaching. As co-director of Portfolio Management for Lehman’s Financial Learning Group, he helps Lehman students practice stock analysis on the Bloomberg Terminal.
- Samrin Alam, also a finance major, has interned at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln, and held a consulting fellowship with IgniteU, a New York State business and educational development initiative.
- Business administration major Jeffrey Gomez has extensive corporate experience at Bloomberg, Wells Fargo, and Rudin Management, where he built skills in financial analysis and real estate.
This was FGI’s first partnership with a Bronx secondary school. When New Directions was selected for the program, student mentors from Lehman were the obvious choice. Assistant Principal Nazeema Baboolall praised the Lehman mentors as “punctual, professional, and patient,” and said their weekly presence “enriched the curriculum.”