On the Monday before winter break, the National Center for Girls’ Leadership (NCGLS) at Stuart hosted a virtual Women in Leadership career lunch featuring four Stuart alums and a current parent with careers in business. Students cycled through Google Meet breakout rooms that were hosted by leadership endorsement candidates and guests shared their career journeys, lessons learned from mistakes, and reflections on their Stuart experience. Virtual panels like these have allowed Stuart Country Day to give current students access to more experts within the alumnae community who would not normally be able to attend in person. 

This year’s panelists included: 

Anna Verhaegen ‘13, an ETF product strategist for U.S. iShares Megatrends, International, and Sector ETFs.

Roz O’Connor ‘89, managing director, family wealth director, financial advisor and founding member of The RBK Group at Morgan Stanley.

Ka’Neda N. Bullock, CFP, MBA, AIF, APMA, is a current Stuart parent and founder/president of Master Plan Investment Group, a comprehensive multi-generational wealth management and corporate retirement plan advisory firm based in Pennington.

Dawn Jones Anuszkiewicz ’88, president of Good Samaritan Medical Center, a Healthgrades 5-star, top 50 acute care hospital located in Lafayette, Colorado.

Karen McKeon ‘95, head of FCC Anti-bribery and Corruption at Credit Suisse – Americas. 

Here are some reflections from the student hosts:

Nyla Flamer (Ka’Neda Bullock): I learned to invest in stocks in things you know. If you buy from something (i.e Nike) then you should also consider investing in them so you can gain from the company.

Eva Nester (Anna Verhaegen): I was hosting the group for Anna Verhaegen, and I learned a lot about enjoying the things you love to do and letting them continue to be a part of your life even if your career path doesn’t necessarily have to do with them. She was also talking about how life ends up taking you to the places you need to go and you don’t always need to have concrete plans.

Lavanya (Karen McKeon ’95): I noted a quote shared during the discussion, “I owe so much to Stuart. I didn’t start out at Stuart. I was struggling at my previous high school. I feel like Stuart turned me around, they helped me get into college and prepare for that. I feel like Stuart and the all-girls environment prepared me so much for college and life. The transition to college was so smooth. Having the extra confidence of being a girl helped me in my job and college. It prepared me like no other. It was an amazing overall experience”

Stuart Country Day School is a leading PreK to grade 12 private school in Princeton dedicated to the education of girls. To learn more, visit www.stuartschool.org/.