GULFPORT, Miss. (November 10, 2021)—Through Hancock Whitney’s exclusive partnership with Rock The Street, Wall Street, a select group of Gulfport High School girls recently saw firsthand what it’s like to work at the largest bank based in Mississippi from women leaders in the company well versed in success.
Nashville, Tennessee, based nonprofit Rock The Street, Wall Street (RTSWS) provides financial and investment education focused on creating interest in banking and finance careers among diverse populations of female students. Hancock Whitney’s participation in the program with Gulfport High School (GHS) marks the first time RTSWS has been available in Mississippi.
Gulfport High School girls enrolled in Rock The Street, Wall Street recently visited Hancock Whitney’s Gulfport corporate headquarters to learn about career opportunities from successful bank leaders.
The field trip to Hancock Whitney’s downtown Gulfport corporate headquarters was a key component of the three-part RTSWS financial education and investment curriculum, which also includes fall workshops and spring mentorships with female banking professionals. GHS female students participating in RTSWS toured main areas of the bank and took part in a panel discussion with female executives at various stages of their financial careers in different areas of Hancock Whitney.
“This was a great experience, especially in terms of careers within the bank. It gave me something to look forward to through college and what I want to do in the future,” said GHS student Latisha Hardy.
Female Hancock Whitney executives talk with Gulfport High girls about different career tracks within financial services.
Hancock Whitney panelists discussing diverse career opportunities in the financial industry were Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Laura Sullivan Ethridge; Senior Vice President and Personal Trust Director Susan Grice; Senior Vice President and Corporate Counsel Nita Kuhner; and Senior Vice President and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Director Tamara Wyre. The women shared anecdotes about their career tracks, day-to-day demands of their respective roles, and education and skills important in their chosen fields within financial services.
“I felt like I made a lot of really good connections and relationships with people that can help me get to where I need to be in life, and motivate me and mentor me along the way,” added Alex Crockett, also a GHS student.
RTSWS statistics show that women make up only 2.5 percent of hedge fund managers, 8 percent of venture capital partners, 9 percent of mutual fund managers, and not quite 12 percent of senior private equity professionals. According to Hancock Whitney leaders, RTSWS is one way the bank can help give girls a better understanding of how many different career opportunities are important in the financial arena and encourage young women to consider academic degrees in finance, economics, or related fields.
“At Hancock Whitney, we embrace a lifelong learning philosophy of financial education—providing people the right information at the right time to help them make milestone financial decisions,” said Wyre, who previously managed a Hancock Whitney investment portfolio focused on companies with strong gender equity at all levels. “Starting early to help students better understand financial services is a critical part of that process. We’re honored to help guide these Gulfport High girls in recognizing how much they can contribute to an organization’s success through different types of careers in financial services.”
After working 25 years on Wall Street, RTSWS CEO Maura Cunningham founded the program in 2013 to encourage interest in math related fields among female students, especially girls from underserved communities. Students graduating from the RTSWS program average a 95 percent increase in their financial literacy and are five times more likely than the national average for undergraduate females to pursue degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. More than 3,000 girls have gone through RTSWS to date.
An RTSWS smartphone app further enhances students’ educational experience during the program. For more information on Rock The Street, Wall Street, visit www.rockthestreetwallstreet.com