As part of Catholic Charities of New York’s participation in the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), our Alianza Division has partnered with Youthful Savings for a series of lunch-and-learns where young people meet experts who provide key insights that they can use to build bright financial futures. A session held on August 5, 2026, for high school students, held at Guttman Community College, focused on career readiness.
Students heard from a panel of professionals from a variety of fields. Led by Youthful Savings CEO Somya Munjal, the panel included Nick Cetrulo from ADP, school counselor Chaunta “Clay” Clayton, Jaspreet Kaur from the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, Michael Radovich from the Northeast Financial Network, Michael Ivany from the College of Staten Island CUNY, and Isabella Cho, a 15-year-old who started her own greeting card business on the Youthful Savings platform.
Topics included the diverse career paths of the panelists, how higher education factored into their career success, and the impacts of AI on the job market. New York City Councilmember Shanel Thomas-Henry also stopped in to discuss her path to becoming both an elected official and an entrepreneur, and how young people can leverage politics to create change.
