Past Events
Scroll down to discover The Avenue's past highlights!
The Secret of Greatness
Carol Rattray and Ritu Banga are co-founders of the website Zoomdojo.com, a college to career initiative. They shared their expertise in helping young people find success through accomplishments and making the most of life’s challenges. They encouraged The Avenue participants to set goals and adapt to change while giving them tools to constructively shape their career paths, such as Zoomdojo’s Resume Builder.
Ms. Rattray was previously a Managing Director in the Tokyo office of the Whitney Group, and Vice President in the Capital Markets Group of Bankers Trust Company. She is an active investor and advisor to start-ups, and involved in promoting education. Ms. Banga is a trustee of Marymount School, New York. She has served as a board member of the Asian University for Women Support Foundation, playing a key role in launching this university in Bangladesh. She has worked in product management, marketing and sales and as an early entrepreneur.
We invite you to visit their website: https://www.zoomdojo.com/ to learn more.
The World of Medicine
Jane A. Driver, MD/PhD, a research physician at the Boston VA Medical Center, gave an insightful presentation about the history of health care in the U.S., the dignity of human life, and the role of medicine to ensure this is carried out. Dr. Driver is a member of the Division of Aging, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School where she teaches medical students, medical residents, and geriatric fellows.
The Human Person
Dr. Melissa Moschella, PhD, Assistant professor at Catholic University, a Harvard graduate with a Master's in Philosophy from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, and a PhD in Politics from Princeton University gave an enlightening presentation about The Human Person. Some of the discussion topics were about the meaning and consequences of our daily decisions and actions and how do our choices make us more or less free.
Life as a Professional in the Arts
Pianist Vivian Choi is a renowned artist whose performances are recognized worldwide. She shared with us her daily routine and gave us advice on how to persevere in achieving your passion. The first prize winner of the Maria Yudina International Piano Competition, Vivian Choi has won top prizes in international piano competitions in Italy, Russia, Holland and Bulgaria. Her debut album was released in the St. Petersburg Musical Archives Northern Flower label in 2012 with critical acclaim.
Media and Marketing
During the session on Media and Marketing, we went for a tour at the FOX Channel’s headquarters in Manhattan and met with Lauren Green, news anchor and correspondent, who serves as a religion correspondent for FOX News Channel's. Prior to this, Ms. Green served as a news anchor for "FOX & Friends," where she provided daily news updates for the morning program. Ms. Green shared her insights on work-life balance, media and journalism in this fast-paced, globalized society.
The Secret of Greatness
Author and leadership expert, Margot Morrel, spoke about her first book, Shackleton's Way, which has sold over 300,000 copies, is available in 10 languages, and was on the bestseller lists of The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek. Ms. Morrell has been profiled in The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and The Globe and Mail and has appeared on the NBC Nightly News, CNBC’s Power Lunch, A&E Biography, BBC and on radio programs around the world. She is a regular speaker at business conferences, universities, and corporate leadership courses.
Public Speaking and Presentation Skills
Terri Carron, an image and fashion consultant from Connecticut came to speak to Unit I about public speaking and presentation skills. After graduating from NYU, Terri worked in television and independent film production. The students benefited from Terri's specific advice about posture, projection, and content when presenting material to an audience of any size, from a classroom to a courtroom. They gained practical experience by reading short articles while being videotaped and then assessing each other’s presentation, pointing out the right use of the techniques they had learned. Amidst a lot of laughter, they gained confidence with the encouragement of their peers and Terri’s expert guidance.