Troy High School senior Hailey Laranjo is working toward her dream of opening her own business by participating in the Questar III BOCES New Visions: Business, Finance, & Marketing program, a half-day program meeting at Columbia-Greene Community College. One of seven New Visions programs offered by the BOCES, New Visions students gain valuable insight into career options from a real-world perspective. A 1-year, honors-level program, New Visions turns area businesses, healthcare facilities, and government buildings into classrooms for highly motivated, academically successful high school seniors.
Hailey says she’s always had a dream of opening her own business. This program allows her to explore many areas of business, receive college credit for her work, and enjoy a long list of field trips and out-of-classroom experiences throughout the year.
On October 25, Hailey and her classmates participated in Accounting Day at Siena College. The event featured a campus tour, a panel discussion with Siena accounting students, and an interactive team accounting activity. During the visit, students attended a panel discussing with partners from four local CPA firms – KMPG, UHY Advisors, The Bonadio Group and MMB + Co – who provided valuable insights into becoming a CPA and working at a public accounting firm.
Students also attended lectures by Siena Professor Dr. Maria Rice, discussing fraud examinations and forensic accounting, while Professor and Attorney Colin Dwyer covered the legalities and challenges of different forms of business ownership.
The day before, Hailey and her peers met with representatives from over a dozen colleges at Columbia-Greene Community College’s Transfer Fair. Hailey is pictured above with an admissions representative from SUNY Delhi, exploring potential pathways for her future education.
The New Visions classes visited the Federal Reserve Bank in New York City the week before. There, they learned about the Federal Reserve’s role in managing inflation and unemployment, regulating banks, and broader economic principles. The students toured the facility, participated in a workshop, and even saw the vaults containing gold bars. They also experienced the dynamics of commerce at the Oculus transportation hub, home to numerous retailers and dining establishments.
Looking ahead, Hailey plans to take a gap year after graduating in June to work and save money, before attending college to study culinary arts and entrepreneurship.
“I’m not sure where I hope my career takes me. I just hope to be able to make my ideas possible in a way that will be useful to others.”
ABOUT NEW VISIONS BUSINESS, FINANCE, & MARKETING:
New Visions: Business, Finance, & Marketing is an honors program of high school seniors from the Questar III school districts (Columbia, Greene, and Rensselaer counties). It is instructed by Michael Loomis, a CPA who brings 25+ years of financial, management, and teaching experience to the program. Class members are network with business executives, entrepreneurs, CPAs, financial planners, sales professionals, insurance brokers during the school year. They also visit local businesses and see how their business runs – how each department works together to accomplish company goals and objectives. More information about the program is available on the Questar III BOCES website here.