Makayla Myers (BS ’24) aims to work in marketing, especially at a luxury goods company, after graduating from NYU Stern Undergraduate College (UC). A “people person,” Makayla enjoys getting involved in her hometown community of Bayonne, N.J., her School community, and her church, visiting homeless shelters for mothers and children during the holidays. Not surprisingly, she aspires to a marketing position that allows her to interact directly with consumers, she said recently, “helping companies cater more efficiently to the behavior of their consumers.”

“For many years, attending NYU was a dream that seemed out of reach,” Makayla explained. Receiving a scholarship made that dream come true. “With this scholarship I have the ability to get the education I have always wanted, live in the city I’ve hoped to live in, and forge a path for a future I did not think was possible.”

Makayla valued the UC’s first-year Cohort Leadership Program, aimed at facilitating conversations about topics like culture that students may be hesitant to bring up in the classroom. “The class provided tools to help me navigate my college transition,” she said.

Along the way, Makayla has learned that being a Sternie means striving for excellence. “In such a rigorous program, success is not only academic, but mental. By pushing myself to excel, by getting involved in the Stern community, and by aiming to be my best self–that is what defines a Sternie.”