The lessons that athletes learn from playing sports are often transferable to life, whether it’s working as a team, seizing the moment, or taking risks. Jason Pearson (BS ’25) has played baseball since he was five, captained his high school varsity team, and pitches for the NYU Violets. Perhaps that’s where he learned to seize opportunities. When Pearson received the Chris Gallea Scholarship as a junior in the NYU Stern Undergraduate College, he heaved a sigh of relief and was determined to make the most of it. “Receiving this financial aid releases the burden of having to finance my education. Being a student in Stern is the best situation possible from access to premier curricula and, like-minded, successful peers to alumni to build my network,” he told his donor.
 

Pearson hails from a middle-class family in Monroe, NY, about 60 miles from New York City. His parents are both retired; his father, a former firefighter, who rushed to the World Trade Center on 9/11. With four children to put through college, the Chris Gallea Scholarship “really relieves the pressure on them,” Pearson said. He has worked side jobs since he was 15 and currently tutors and occasionally picks up a shift at Banana Republic or Moncler to help pay for his education. The financial aid allows him the freedom to enjoy School events and explore New York’s neighborhoods—in addition to his daily routine of taking the subway to the ferry to get to daily baseball practices on Staten Island after a full morning of classes.
 

Jason Pearson on the field

When Pearson entered Stern, he was aiming to pursue a career in wealth management and was able to snag an internship at Morgan Stanley in that area after his first year, an experience he calls “amazing.” In the second semester of his sophomore year, however, he found himself enthralled with fintech. “Once I took the tech class, I just fell in love with it. Computing and data science really spoke to me. I’m drawn to where the world is moving whether it’s AI or virtual reality or Web 3—the untapped potential and how it will impact business.” Pearson said he is awestruck when he realizes that some of the leading-edge research he reads for class has been authored by his professors.

“Being a Sternie means being a part of a competitive and interactive environment. Coming from a suburban high school, I love how large and diverse the community is. At the same time, with baseball I have a family of 40 brothers. The pride I feel in identifying myself as a Stern student is extreme, and I cannot imagine having gone anywhere else.”