Following Her Footsteps Anonymous

As I walk into the kitchen, bleary-eyed, I can hear the television anchor announcing the latest news. I suddenly perk up upon hearing Maria Bartiromo's rapid reports on the latest stock market ups and downs, and I listen attentively as she questions the guest of the day. I blindly stuff eggs into my mouth as my eyes follow the ticker at the bottom of the screen.

Finally, I reluctantly pull away from the screen upon hearing my mom’s call of “we have to go now!”

For as long as I can remember, I have been immersed in the business world. My mother is a Certified Financial Planner, but every weekday morning, I wake up to her trading. While I lacked genuine knowledge of business for much of my early childhood, I wanted to cultivate my background into an experience.

I tagged along with my mother to attend the Money Show in San Francisco on a crisp August morning before my senior year began. This wasn’t my first time going there, but it was the first time I understood the panel speaker’s lecture. Two months before, I had signed up to take Financial Accounting 1A upon my mom’s encouragement. This class, in the course of teaching me how to create income statements and reports, taught me key terms that were vital to the stock market. I...