At the United Center, the Chicago Bulls, fintech firm Plus500, and the Greenwood Project teamed up to equip Black and Latino college students with real-world financial knowledge, mentorship, and access to careers in finance (Photo Credit: Tacuma R. Roeback).
Thanks to the Chicago Bulls, fintech firm Plus500 and the Greenwood Project, a group of college students spent the day learning how financial literacy can change lives and not just balance sheets.
Held at the United Center, the event blended career advice, real-world insights, and hard-earned lessons. They heard from former NBA player Eddy Curry, who moderated the session, and a lineup of professionals from Plus500 and the Bulls who succeeded in the finance, sales and tech sectors.
For Curry, who now works for the National Basketball Players Association, where he mentors NBA players, being a part of this program and discussing the importance of finance and career success was personal.
“Financial illiteracy affects people from all ages, and literally, like whole families,” he said. “With just a little bit of literacy…you can begin to change the narrative. You can begin to change the pattern in families.”
Curry stressed the importance of passing on hard-earned wisdom on a subject that affects everyone from every walk of life, from celebrity athletes to everyday people.
“You just don’t have to have it all right now,” Curry told students. “You learn how to get the cool stuff and take the vacations and get the cars without affecting the principal. That’s some of the stuff we don’t really understand…growing up where I grew up.”
Eddy Curry, who moderated the panel hosted by the Chicago Bulls with Plus500 and the Greenwood Project (Photo Credit: Tacuma Roeback)
Breaking Barriers in Financial Services
The event was part of a summer enrichment experience for students from the Greenwood Project, an organization that prepares Black and Latino college students for careers in financial services.
“The bridge from college to career has really collapsed,” said Greenwood Project CEO Kwesi Smith. “And at Greenwood, we’re rebuilding that bridge.”
According to Smith, only 46% of Black and Latino college students graduate, and among them, 60% are unemployed or underemployed a year later.
“That’s not a talent issue,” he said. “It’s a system failure.”
The Greenwood Project targets financial services because it’s a high-paying industry with historically low Black and Latino representation. Through training, mentorship, and partnerships like this one with the Bulls and Plus500, Greenwood aims to launch students into “high trajectory” careers with strong earning potential.
“Our goal is to generate $100 million in new economic mobility every year,” said Smith.
From Compliance to Coding: Paths Into the Industry
Panelists Zayna Ibrahim, Ryan Byrne, and Daniel Forero (Photo Credit: Tacuma Roeback)
Panelists shared how they navigated their own paths into finance:
- Michele Bogdan, senior compliance officer at Plus500, said she entered the field through a friend’s recommendation and has stayed for decades. She emphasized the power of networking: “The work ethic you have now is going to translate into lifelong success, but you also have to know people, right? It is what you know, but it is who you know too.”
- Ryan Byrne, head of Platform Partnerships at Plus500, described his approach to encountering doubt on his path: “Lots of different new things have come up for me in my career, and you just have to give your best shot. There’s nothing else you can do. Try not to worry about it.”
- Daniel Forero, a senior backend developer at Plus500, started coding at 12 and hasn’t looked back: “This is the only thing I am good at,” he joked before noting how finance continues to draw his interest through its complexity and constant learning.
- Zayna Ibrahim, director of Season and Inside Sales for the Bulls, encouraged students to “network with intent” and prioritize life outside the job: “Work is great. We hope you love your career. It’s not your entire life. And so, are you prioritizing your mental health and your physical health on top of that? And how is that scheduled outside of your nine-to-five?”
Students Inspired to Define Success for Themselves
Students participating in the panel (Photo Credit: Tacuma Roeback).
Students walked away motivated to dream bigger—and smarter.
Gavin Reid, a rising senior at the University of Chicago, praised the authenticity of the panel: “It was a perfect example of how willing professionals are to speak with us and how eager we are to learn from them.”
Zoe Lafontant, a student at Oberlin College, said she’s now more intentional about speaking up. “Be a little more aggressive in the way you approach networking,” she said, citing advice from Greenwood leadership. “I’ve started to push myself to ask questions first, to get my hand out there first.”
Chris Stinson, a participant from Aurora, Illinois, shared how the Greenwood Project changed his trajectory: “It opened countless doors that I don’t know if I would’ve gotten without joining.”
Creating Opportunity, One Scholar at a Time
Eddy Curry with a Greenwood Project student (Photo Credit: Tacuma Roeback).
Smith put it best: “These roles in financial services can create millions in lifetime earnings and really break the cycle of poverty. We think we make a difference, one scholar at a time, one career at a time and one generation at a time.”
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