By Shaina Levin, Business Manager
These past few months have been some of the most stressful months I’ve ever experienced but also the most insightful. With stress levels constantly elevated, I found myself facing new challenges day after day due to the quick shutdown of Yeshiva University, and almost everything else around me. The transition to online classes and learning to be flexible was challenging, and mid-June I was faced with a situation many of my peers also found themselves in: the search for summer plans.
Being interested in tax accounting as a potential future career, I wanted to find an engaging opportunity that would fit with my summer class schedule, and that would push me out of my comfort zone. After discussing with the Career Center, I was lucky enough to receive offers from professors reaching out asking me to work on research projects with them. From the start, I felt that I was in good hands when it came to relying on Yeshiva University and Sy Syms School of Business to help me with my summer plans.
This summer, while I am not immersed in online courses, I spend my time working with Professor Len Fuld and students Barak Cohen (SSSB ‘22) and David Mirsky (SSSB ‘21) on a practical, useful, and imperative tax accounting research project. As Professor Fuld explained: “Too many people who suddenly are on their own have no idea how to handle any financial matters, from the simplest things, like opening a bank account, to planning for retirement, so I felt this would be the perfect opportunity to help them as well as provide a great learning platform for these really motivated students who may have lost summer internships due to COVID.”
Our research involves creating a practical guide to help individuals who have either been separated, widowed, divorced, or someone who has never had to deal with finances before and is now thrown into a new and confusing financial situation due to the coronavirus. Our research covers a range of topics such as opening bank accounts, budgeting, managing debt, and investing. As students, we understand how complex and daunting managing finances can seem, so we simplified the topics with step-by-step instructions and include clear and concise explanations of the topics covered. By the end of the summer, we hope to compile our research into a comprehensive guide, easing the stress of financial responsibility.
Each week, we gather on Zoom to discuss questions and concerns we have. With the professor’s insight and guidance, we learn more about taxes, writing skills, and daily financial advising skills that we wouldn’t learn in the classroom. Despite the stressful situation that the world has been thrown into, YU and Sy Syms School of Business have accommodated myself and many other students, helping them have a meaningful and worthwhile summer experience. As a student who has benefited from the University’s dedication and hard work, I would like to say on behalf of myself and all the other students — your hard work has paid off, thank you!