Jennifer Montgomery, 2023 NAF Alumni Award Winner, Shares Her Story of Determination and Resilience

Thank you, everyone. It’s an honor to be up here tonight accepting this award. 

I’m the sum of many parts, and I give credit to NAF for several of them. I’m an entrepreneur and operate my own digital marketing firm —I Am Jennifer Mo Consulting — and a certified financial counselor. I’m also an alumna of the NAF Academy of Finance, and an engaged member of NAF’s Alumni Leadership Council. 

But let me let you in on a little secret — even though planning is now part of my everyday life and livelihood, where I am today was never a part of the original plan.

To understand where I am, you need to understand where I came from. Growing up in Detroit in the 2000s meant facing major socioeconomic barriers. The schools I went to — in fact, the entire school district — were under-resourced and students did not receive the support they needed. 

But just because those barriers were there didn’t mean we had to accept them. I and many other students aimed to overcome them and determine our own futures.

When I was a kid, I had dreams and aspirations, but the dreams I had didn’t seem to align with someone from my background. I dreamed of graduating from college, even though college didn’t seem like an option, much less an expected part of my future. No one in my family attended college, and no one had the knowledge to guide me through the admission, selection, and scholarship processes.  

I also aspired to be a Certified Financial Planner, but the financial world is normally pretty wealthy and white-male dominated. When I was growing up, I didn’t see a lot of people like me in it. 

So what changed? Back in 2008, I was introduced to the NAF Academy of Finance. NAF teachers and directors came to my high school and presented the opportunity to reach long-term success, through a great educational experience, paid internships, and mentorship. This exceeded what was available at my high school at the time. 

Pursuing finance through NAF definitely wasn’t was not part of my original plan. When I embarked on this journey, it definitely wasn’t easy. Getting to my NAF academy every morning meant waking up at 4 a.m., catching three different buses to travel 20 miles across the city. It was exhausting, it was hard work, but the opportunities NAF provided changed my life. Now, I had a plan that I felt confident in and helped me get ready for my next steps.

Everything I’ve done has been impacted by NAF and by the amazing mentors and teachers I found there. I want to thank one teacher in particular. Mrs. Brenda Ivery-Hall, who taught me in my senior year. Mrs. Brenda Ivery-Hall didn’t mess around! She was stern, but that was by design. She challenged us because she knew we had to be twice as good and knew what we would eventually face leaving high school. 

Mrs. Brenda Ivery-Hall did everything to ensure that every senior received an internship and that all of us were prepared beyond the classroom. After graduation, she stayed in contact with all of her students. She advised my career, helped me to pursue leadership roles, built a local alumni network and sparked a lifetime of board involvement. 

I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am for the time I got to spend with and learn from Mrs. Brenda Ivery-Hall, and I know I’m not the only one. She passed away a couple years ago, but the impact she has had on my life and on the lives of so many other students shines on to this day. 

One of the most significant advantages I got from NAF was the opportunity to get ahead, or at least compete on a level playing field. When I was in the program, there were a few young professional Black women who were mentors and advisory board members. Seeing women who looked like me who were so clearly at the top of their field, so put together, accomplished and confident, it inspired me. If they could achieve so much, maybe I could, too. 

Seeing this representation changed the way I envisioned my own potential and plan for the future. Today, I strive to offer other students that same experience. If I can help one student see herself in a new way, then I’ve paid forward everything that NAF has given to me. 

As a NAF alumni, there are so many ways to get involved. Whether you’re mentoring students, creating internship opportunities, or joining your local alumni leadership chapter, you have the ability to change the lives and futures of students and help guide the future of NAF’s mission and vision.

My advice to current NAF students: Don’t just look at your current situation. Imagine your future self and what’s possible. Visualize what your dreams are. Focus on the road, not the roadblocks. You’ll find a way, or you’ll make a way. Don’t limit yourself. Just do the work. One of my favorite sayings is, ”Make it happen!” and those words are very true to how I live out my dreams. 

You’re in the right place, surrounded by the right people! Take advantage of the resources. The network is powerful. The teachers are powerful. Take advantage of every work-based learning experience, every internship, every conference, every mentor, every advisory board member – this will help shape your future. Just stay connected to colleagues who share the same kind of interests that you’re having through NAF… all of it can help create a great path to ensure you are future ready. Take it from me. There’s a whole world open to you.

Before I go, let me tell you one last thing about plans: They change. But your dreams don’t have to. Earlier, I told you that I dreamed of being the first person in my family to graduate from college. 

After high school, I enrolled at Eastern Michigan University. I made it most of the way through the program, and then life happened. Between some personal matters and the fact that my career was taking off, I wound up leaving before graduation. My plan changed. But my dream didn’t. 

Next month, I’m finally completing my bachelor’s degree in Marketing at Eastern Michigan. It’s been a long road, and it definitely wasn’t what I imagined when I started this journey, but I’m still getting there. So don’t let a change in your plans change what you want to achieve. Take it from me: it’s never too late to go back and make your dream a reality. 

Trust me. It’s worth it. Even if you have to catch three buses to get there.