NAF Senior at Coral Gables High School Uses Academy Experience to Give Back

My name is Khareem Oliver. I’m a senior in the Academy of Finance at Coral Gables Senior High in Coral Gables, Florida.

I would like to thank NAF for giving me this opportunity to speak to you tonight, and I would like to also thank the educators, family, and friends who have helped me on my journey thus far!

I was raised by a single mother who had little college education but still managed to provide for my brother and me.

Growing up, I was very unsure of what the future may hold, but I knew I wanted to do something fascinating with my life, something that would help my community.

From a very young age, I had a special love for and connection with animals, but when my family moved into a new apartment, the landlord didn’t allow pets.

This led me into thinking of ways I could be around animals. So in 2007, I began volunteering for a local PetSmart adoption center.

At the time I was just seven years old and too young to volunteer without parent supervision, so my mother would literally wait in her car every single Saturday so that I could volunteer.

I worked hard, and eventually I became the Youth Volunteer Coordinator. This position allowed me to recruit new volunteers and teach them how to care for and adopt out pets to forever homes.

When it came time for high school, I got accepted into every magnet school I applied to, but I still wasn’t sure how I could integrate my love of animals with my education and career.

I ultimately chose Coral Gables for its NAF Academy of Finance.

As a freshman I was a bit shy, but it wasn’t until my sophomore year that I began to really take advantage of the opportunities provided by NAF.

On a recommendation from a friend, I entered a dual-enrollment entrepreneurship class that was linked with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship. In this class, I was asked to think of a problem that I wanted to solve and create a business plan outlining my idea.

My business idea, called Find or Found, is a smartphone application and website that helps pet owners find their lost pets. Owners can search lost pet postings from different sources on our platform, and owners can receive GPS notifications when their pet is found in real time.

Find or Found won first place in two business plan competitions, winning a total of $8,000 in seed money, and I’m excited to continue developing it. Working on the business plan has taught me so much and made me more and more interested in learning about business.

The support I have from everyone in my academy prepared me to pursue entrepreneurship and broaden my skillset. In my junior year, my NAF teacher and mentor, Mrs. Carranza, recruited KPMG employees to help our academy prepare for internships by conducting individual mock interviews.

That helped me get accepted into the monthlong Banker’s Camp internship program, which placed me at Biscayne Bank. In this position, I was able to experience both sides of the bank— corporate and local branch—and it deepened the knowledge of finance that I had built through my courses.

Through the program, I also received my American Bankers Association Teller Certificate after taking classes at Miami Dade College, where bankers served as our professors.

As a senior this year, I became Vice President of the Academy of Finance. I completed team and individual culminating projects that showed my understanding of my NAF courses, and I’m so proud of how far I’ve come.

In the fall, I’ll attend Florida International University. I plan to pursue a degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing and minor in computer programming and graphic design. My goal is to use these skills to build a business that employs members of my community and teach them about leadership, responsibility, hard work, dedication, and helping others.

I would not be able to stand in front of you all with such accolades and goals if not for my NAF academy. Our teachers, advisory board members, and business partners are incredibly supportive of my classmates and me. They believe in us, mentor us, and give us the guidance and confidence we need to uncover our talents.

I’m excited for college and to build my career, and I can’t wait to see the amazing things my peers will do with the education and opportunities NAF has given us.

Because of NAF, I know we are future ready. Thank you.