ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – TD Ameritrade has awarded Winthrop University’s Mary Grace Pruitt one of its NextGen RIA Scholarships. Only 12 undergraduates in the United States
received this $5,000 scholarship.
Pruitt, a financial planning major from Rock Hill, attended TD Ameritrade’s National LINC Conference in San Diego in February. She called it the “opportunity of a lifetime,” filled with endless networking opportunities, exposure to technological tools and resources and hearing stories and real-life experiences shared from thousands of successful financial advisors attending solely to invest in the NextGen RIA students.
“After attending this conference, I was in awe as I realized how much this company had invested in me,” she said. “I came across the application a few weeks later, and thought that it was yet another amazing opportunity this company provides as an investment in students. I applied, knowing the small odds of being 1 of the 12 recipients, and I’m humbled beyond words to receive this news.”
The NextGen RIA Scholarship program helps to promote careers in financial planning and attract talent to the industry.
This summer, Pruitt’s interning for 10 weeks alongside the senior vice president advisor at the Charlotte, North Carolina, South Park location of Merrill Lynch as part of Bank of America’s National Financial Advisor Development Summary Analyst program.
“I’m learning, growing and developing in a way that I believe will truly benefit my career for the rest of my life,” she said. “The investment that Bank of America and Merrill Lynch are making in students through providing this opportunity is truly unbelievable.”
Pruitt already has plans after her May 2020 graduation.
“I hope to begin my career within the financial planning industry and continue the steps that Winthrop has provided me in obtaining my CFP,” she said. “My goal is to find a career that enables me to invest in others, successfully guide them in achieving their financial goals and leave a lasting impact on my clients, my coworkers and my peers.
“I am a firm believer in the value of investing in others, and am grateful beyond words for all of those who have invested in me.”
For more information on Winthrop’s financial planning program, visit the website.
For more information, contact Nicole Chisari, communications coordinator, at 803/323-2236 or chisarin@winthrop.edu.
