US Army Veteran Daquane Mays on His Non-Traditional Path to Success

From a NAF Academy of Finance to the United States Army to being homeless to working for a leading national investment bank, Daquane Mays’ story reminds us that there are many different paths to future success.

Daquane was born in Queens, New York and grew up in the Bronx. At the beginning of their junior year at the Bronx School of Law and Finance, students are given the option to focus their studies on finance or law. Because of his teacher, Mrs. Batt, Daquane decided to pursue finance. Before that, he said, “I didn’t know a thing about it.”

Things were going well. He joined the High School Fed Challenge team as part of the NAF Academy of Finance. Aligning with NAF’s educational design, this citywide competition brings real-world economics into the classroom and gives high school students a chance to visit the New York Federal Reserve Bank. Daquane and his team acted as monetary policymakers and New York Fed economists judged their final projects.

But as he progressed to his senior year, things started to take a turn. “I was going through personal stuff, and being told that I didn’t have what it takes to be one of the top students in my class,” Daquane said. “I decided to prove them wrong and have a kind of ‘in your face’ moment.”

That year, he received the Excellence in Finance award and joined the National Honor Society.

“What next?” A question every high school student asks themselves during their senior year. For Daquane, it was enlisting in the United States Army. For him, serving in the Army represented something different and challenging. Four days after his high school graduation, he packed his bags and headed to Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training in Fort Benning, Georgia. From training, Daquane was sent to Afghanistan, where he served for a year. He completed his service in Fort Polk, Louisiana and later enlisted in the National Guard.

After leaving the US Army three years after entering the service, Daquane had to readjust to civilian life. “I was homeless for six months, staying all over the south with friends and cousins and sometimes in shelters. While I was down in Florida, my grandfather suggested I go back to school.”

Daquane was hesitant, but with help from his grandfather, he made his way back to New York City. He worked as an overnight stocker at the Dollar Tree and volunteered with the Department of Labor as he researched what college would be best for him to continue studying finance. He chose St. John’s University in Queens and “realized from day one on campus that [he] was not a traditional student.”

It’s a feeling he realized many other veteran students could relate to. He made connections to other veterans through student organizations and forged his path as a successful student. Like many NAF graduates, he knew that internships were key to preparing for the workforce. He impressed the Department of Labor so much that his volunteer work became an internship. Throughout his college career, he also interned at St. John’s, World Financial Group, and Guggenheim Partners. Continuing to find opportunities to serve his country, he worked as a Finance Fellow at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum when it opened.

May 21, 2017 was a big day for Daquane. After years of perseverance and hard work, he became a college graduate. One day later, he started a full-time job at Oppenheimer, a leading national investment bank, as an operations specialist. Outside of Oppenheimer, he manages a small production company that he started.

But this is just the beginning of Daquane’s story. In the near future, he plans to complete his MBA and become a Chartered Financial Analyst. In his spare time, he hopes to stay connected with his friends from the Army and travel around the world (especially to Japan) to learn about different cultures. We can’t wait to see what’s next for Daquane on his path to success.

Do you know a NAF graduate who is a US military veteran? Email alumni@naf.org so we can continue to honor those who have served by sharing their story.