Waqas Chaundhry

Waqas Chaundhry is a senior at John Dewey High School in Brooklyn, New York, where the first Academy of Finance was started in 1982. As a student in the Academy of Finance, Waqas takes classes specifically tied to Finance, and has had a paid internship to help expose him to the business world and to provide him with valuable work experience.

“The NAF curriculum at my Academy was very beneficial,” says Waqas. “The curriculum at my Academy mandated that we take computer courses, such as Excel and PowerPoint, economic courses, world finance courses and accounting. The curriculum made me more familiar and wiser on the economy, stocks, Excel, and PowerPoint which I used a lot of during my internship at NAF.”

Waqas’ internship was at the National Academy Foundation, where he helped to update the Web site, work on Academy data projects, and do research projects. Waqas credits his class experience with preparing him for an internship, because the curriculum informed him about the business world and provided some of the skills necessary to work in an office. His internship, in turn, provided additional experience that he feels helped prepare him for a future career, including interacting with diverse people, working as a team, and public speaking through presentations he gave to staff members.

Waqas feels strongly that a NAF Academy opens up so many doors and it is just a wonderful program. He feels the Academy of Finance is helping to prepare him for a career and he has many opportunities that an average high school student does not have. From working on Microsoft Excel in his internship to meeting the Chairman Emeritus of Citigroup, Sanford Weill, Waqas says the experiences have been tremendous. He recommends being part of a NAF Academy to help students develop knowledge, skills, professional relationships and professionalism.

“My NAF experiences, from the internship to the courses, will be a very memorable experience,” says Waqas. “I learned and I continue to learn so many new things that I know I will utilize in the present and the future.”