A future in finance

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In the month of October, Eddie Warr wasn鈥檛 sleeping very much. He had just started a new full-time position as a wealth management assistant at Greenleaf Trust, while taking 15 credits toward his finance degree at 澳门六合彩官网直播 and raising his 4-year-old daughter, Cecilia. Top that with an earlier bout of appendicitis, emergency surgery and a few unexpected life changes, and it鈥檚 safe to say that Warr has mastered the art of perseverance. 

鈥淔ree time鈥 is not a phrase he is familiar with since enrolling at the Haworth College of Business鈥攂ut Warr is not one to complain. On the contrary, he is quick to express gratitude for all he has been able to accomplish.

鈥淚 feel like I wasted some years, and I don鈥檛 have any more time to take the long way around,鈥 Warr says. 鈥淚 want to get where I want to be. I know there are going to be stumbles and falls, but if I can be proactive about the things I want to learn, it will come back tenfold.鈥 

At 27, Warr has come a long way since beginning his educational journey. Growing up in foster homes and group homes throughout northern Indiana, he says he struggled with recognizing his own self-worth while also trying to care for his younger sister. As an adolescent and teenager, the only way he knew how to vent his frustrations was by acting out at school and the environments he was living in. 

鈥淚 took the easy road, and it ended in trouble,鈥 Warr says. 鈥淏ut then I began to look at the crowds I was hanging around, and something told me I was better than that. I wanted to make a change, and my motivation was my daughter鈥攌nowing that I didn鈥檛 want her to go through any of the negative experiences I had from not having parents.鈥

Coming to that realization was a turning point for Warr. He not only wanted to provide a good life for his daughter, he aspired to work in the financial industry and wanted to help others from similar backgrounds become financially stable. His ambitions led him to Grand Rapids Community College, where he earned an associate degree in accountancy before exploring four-year business schools. 

鈥淎s I researched Western, I realized that the programs, especially in business, are top-notch,鈥 Warr says. 鈥淲hen I found out the Haworth College of Business has its own career center, as well as other resources to help students, I knew this was a special place.鈥

Group of students standing at Greenleaf Trust
2019 Greenleaf Trust Scholarship recipients

As a transfer student, Warr wanted to take advantage of every opportunity he could find at 澳门六合彩官网直播. But, he didn鈥檛 always know which steps to take to apply for a scholarship or internship. 鈥淣o one around me had gone to college, so I was doing something new,鈥 Warr says. 鈥淚t can be intimidating completing a FAFSA and other things when you don鈥檛 have support.鈥 

He quickly found an ally in Bob Stewart, career development specialist at the Zhang Career Center. Warr says Stewart gave him the encouragement he needed to interview for a competitive Greenleaf Trust Scholarship. The award is for students from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds who wish to pursue degrees in finance or financial planning at 澳门六合彩官网直播. 

鈥淔or the longest time I felt like a failure. I had been turned down from so many opportunities, it was just drilled in my head to not even try,鈥 Warr says. 鈥淚t was Bob who said, 鈥楨ddie, look at everything you鈥檝e done.鈥 He gave me the wind in my sails by empowering me and saying, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 the harm in trying?鈥欌

That encouragement was the push Warr needed to interview for not only the scholarship, but an internship with Greenleaf Trust, which he landed as well. The deeply engaging experience allowed Warr to rotate through four divisions at the company: personal trust wealth management, operations, research and retirement planning. 

Photo of Eddie Warr in a suit and tie standing outside in front of Greenleaf Trust building.
鈥淭he internship was such a boost to my confidence; it has been so empowering,鈥 Warr says. 鈥淚 went into finance because I wanted financial literacy for myself and others. I never doubted if I had the smarts to do it; I knew I had the drive. But I鈥檓 just beginning to understand in depth what really goes into growing funds and making your money work for you.鈥 

Greenleaf Trust, which celebrated 20 years of awarding its scholarship to 澳门六合彩官网直播 students in 2019, also offers a graduate associate program for scholars. Those students go through a rigorous interview process and some, like Warr, get offers for full-time positions with the company.  

鈥淲hen I graduate, I will become a wealth management associate,鈥 Warr says. 鈥淚 love that I鈥檓 in a place with individuals who specialize in many different areas. I can walk into the building and there are people who practice law, CPAs and others who have spent their whole lives studying a certain sector of equities, and that is a fountain of knowledge. That is what makes me happy to go to work. I want to help people reach their goals, and I鈥檓 building the fundamentals to do that.鈥 

Life will likely not slow down for Warr any time soon. He looks forward to pursuing long-term career goals at Greenleaf Trust, including becoming a business development officer and serving as a mentor to future interns. Until then, he has his sights set on graduation in fall 2020.

鈥淚 want my daughter to see me with my degree in hand, and that鈥檚 what I value more than anything,鈥 Warr says. 鈥淪he鈥檚 going to have her stumbles and falls in life. I鈥檓 still going to hold her in my lap and say, 鈥楪et up and go do it,鈥 because life is hard and how you handle it is the only thing that matters.鈥