Dope! Lauren Simmons is the ONLY Female New York Stock Trader
You understand how rare it is for a black woman to be the first woman of any kind to do anything in this country??
Salute to this woman for defying the odds at such a young age.
Working in an industry where you are one of very few women can be challenging enough — but imagine what it's like to be the only woman on staff.
That's the case for New York Stock Exchange trader Lauren Simmons. The 23-year-old is an equity trader for Rosenblatt Securities, and she is both the youngest and the only full-time female employee to hold that position at the NYSE.
"When I tell people what my job is they are always surprised," she tells CNBC Make It. In fact, Simmons says that if you had told her five years ago that she'd end up working on Wall Street, she wouldn't have believed the news herself.
Simmons moved to New York after graduating from Kennesaw State University in December 2016. The Georgia native had interned at a local clinical treatment center in college while earning a BA in genetics with a minor in statistics. She had planned to pursue a career in the medical field, but after realizing that medicine wasn't her passion, she started searching for opportunities in other industries.
Simmons started applying to positions in finance — she had loved numbers since high school — and eventually secured her current position at Rosenblatt Securities by applying to an opening posted on LinkedIn.
"The one thing that I love about numbers and statistics, and kind of one of the reasons I came to the New York Stock Exchange, is because numbers are a universal language," she explains. "When you put them on a board it connects everyone, which is probably one of the reasons why the New York Stock Exchange is so iconic."
She started her role in March 2017, but says her employment was contingent upon passing the Series 19, the exam all floor brokers must pass to earn their badge.
"I had a month to take the exam," says Simmons, "and when I tell you a lot of people did not think I was going to pass, they really did not think I was going to pass."
The exam is rooted in financial principles and concepts. Despite her math background Simmons had not studied finance in college, and had to hit the books — hard. When she passed ("It shocked everyone"), she says it eased her doubts about whether she could manage the role. It also proved to the men on the floor that she was equipped to work alongside them.
Simmons says the best advice that she can give to anyone trying to prepare for a career on Wall Street, especially women, is to not limit themselves.
"Be uncomfortable and go after what you want," she says. "Apply for the job — you have no idea what lies behind the door. And if you don't get the job, it's OK. Apply for the next job and move forward. Don't let that be a stop in your career, your life or whatever you want to do. I think it's important to just keep going." -(Courtney Connley, CNBC)