Career Development Day at Morgan Stanley

On July 24^th, Yes She Can trainees/mentees, volunteers, and staff were given a fantastic opportunity to participate in a career development day at the Morgan Stanley offices in Purchase, NY.  The day included an overview of Morgan Stanley and its culture led by Christie Belle-Gracia, a tour of the building led by Madison Zacaria, and a branch office visit with Ana Grandjacques.   Executive Chefs Alec Brown and James Duff completed the experience by providing a delicious lunch for everyone!

A highlight of the day was the fireside chat with Hillary Mercer CMT, FRM moderated by Dina Eidman. Hillary shared personal stories about growing up with autism and her struggles with masking and provided us with crucial information about inclusion, how to have a voice, and how to find your place in the world. She discussed the courage to be yourself and not care if you are judged.  She encouraged our trainees to tell people what they need, which is something Yes She Can staff promote in all of our training sessions.

Hillary told us, “Being honest and open is the greatest gift you can give any employer lucky enough to have you.”  Hillary shared her career advice with trainees hoping to find employment:

• Don’t mask early on is too exhausting
• Be your authentic self as soon as you meet someone
• Don’t mask yourself, but be courteous to others because your actions affect others.
• Everyone can teach you something. You can learn from every interaction
• You are who you are, and that is OK!

Hillary made a significant impact on everyone in the room.  The trainees were so inspired and shared the following comments:

“They had a speaker with the same diagnosis as me…she has a job at Morgan Stanley. It made me see that if she can get a job, so can I…She (Hillary) was inspiring. It feels good to see someone in the workplace like me. It tells me I can do that.” Camille

“I see pictures in my mind like the speaker does, and it takes me time to put them into words, like the speaker. Hillary understood that people expect both of us to speak faster. She encouraged me to tell people to wait a minute for me to put things into words.” Stacy

“I liked hearing her life story, about how she had lots of therapy so that she could learn to pass as a neuro-typical person, and then how she had to try to forget that therapy and be herself. I liked that she thinks being her true self is her superpower.” Sarah S.

Experiences like this open up a world of opportunities for our trainees.  They were able to explore jobs, interact with professionals from different backgrounds, expand their networks, and be part of an inclusive community.   We are genuinely grateful to Sharon Baanante, Dina Eidman, Christie Belle-Gracia, Lori Perillo, and the unforgettable Hillary Mercer for making our visit possible and living by the corporation’s core values.

This is just the beginning of a relationship between Yes She Can and Morgan Stanley.  We are working with Morgan Stanley’s Enable Division to determine ways to build a collaboration mutually beneficial to the Yes She Can trainees and the Morgan Stanley employees.  As Sharon R. Baanante, VP Asset Manager Diversity Equity and Inclusion Engagement, stated in a post, “Together, we are paving the way for a more inclusive future.”

For more details about corporate or individual volunteer opportunities, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Robin Davies-Small at robin@yesshecaninc.org