Our Story

We began Wall Street Connection in early 2021 as a stock pitch competition at St. Joan of Arc Middle School in New Orleans focused on exposing overlooked New Orleans students to the world of thesis-driven investing. The winners of this competition, in partnership with Stash, won real money to be invested in the companies they drafted investment memos about. Since then, in order to broaden our impact, we have expanded our focus to building pathways to gainful careers and economic prosperity through corporate and personal financial literacy.

We are an organization of passionate financial services & advisory practitioners and advocates that are committed to helping overlooked youth understand and access the financial services & advisory sector through corporate and personal financial literacy. In turn, we believe access to and understanding of financial services & advisory will result in the continued advancement and development of overlooked communities.

Wall Street Connection Leadership

  • Investment Banking Analyst at the Royal Bank of Canada;
    Babson College Class of 2023

    Curtis is currently an Investment Banking Analyst at the Royal Bank of Canada, which is the largest bank in Canada where he worked the last two summers. During the summer of 2020, he was a private equity secondary investments intern at Adams Street Partners, a global Chicago-based firm with $40bn+ of assets under management. As a full-tuition scholarship recipient at Babson College, Curtis proudly served as the President of the Babson Black Student Union, which seeks to increase community on campus. Curtis grew up on the Southside of Chicago in a low income neighborhood which has greatly shaped his intense desire for growth and generosity due to the generosity of successful people around him. Curtis hopes to take advantage of the opportunities afforded to him so that he may give back and reduce socio-economic hardship throughout the country with a focus on financial literacy.

  • Stanford MBA Candidate;
    Babson College Class of 2018

    Chris was previously a private equity investment professional at H.I.G. Capital, a globally renowned alternative investment firm with $50bn+ of assets under management. Prior to H.I.G. he was a GP-led secondaries Investment professional at HarbourVest Partners and consumer & retail investment banker at Rothschild & Co. Chris earned his bachelor of science in Business Administration (concentrating in finance), magna cum laude, from Babson College, where he received a full-tuition scholarship and was honored as a Gilman Scholar by the Governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards. Supplemental to his work in private equity investing, Chris proudly volunteers as a Mentor at Minds Matter Boston, an organization focused on uplifting underrepresented minority youth. Chris is also an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Although Chris grew up, in the historic Treme neighborhood in New Orleans, under some unfortunate extenuating circumstances, he was always surrounded by strong role models & mentors who emphasized having an entrepreneurial and inquisitive mindset.

  • Social / Political Professional; Philander Smith College 2018

    Jamila Mame is a driven community organizer and campaign strategist who has dedicated her career to advocating for social justice and equity. Born in Ethiopia and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Jamila's multicultural background instilled a deep appreciation for diversity and inclusivity.

    Jamila graduated from Philander Smith College, earning a political science degree with a psychology minor. She then returned to Minnesota to work for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party as an organizer, where she gained valuable experience in political campaigning and community organizing.

    Throughout her career, Jamila has been involved in numerous campaigns, and she is particularly proud of her work on passing the first-ever Rent Stabilization Campaign in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Women's Foundation of Minnesota-Ripley Memorial Foundation, where she contributes her expertise in community engagement and advocacy.

    Currently, Jamila works for College Track, a national non-profit founded by Laurene Powell Jobs, using her experience and skills to support socioeconomically disadvantaged youth as they navigate the college admissions process. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, practicing yoga, and reading about social justice issues.

  • Educator, School Operations Manager, Chairman of the Advisory Board of Wall St. Connection; University of New Orleans 2017 & 22

    The life and growth of Donald Hess has been a journey of perseverance and devotion to his passions and values. Hailing from the 7th ward of New Orleans, Donald grew up experiencing many of life's challenges and tribulations throughout his childhood, but managed to overcome many obstacles due to the strong support and foundation provided by his family. Donald excelled academically in classrooms, but struggled behaviorally for various reasons. Often labeled a "problem child", Donald was forced to change schools often in search of a place to be accepted and nurtured.