Jiselle Dsouza

I attribute my success to believing that whatever I think I can do, I can actually accomplish. After my dad passed away, I was down and my grades slipped, but once I accepted my reality and put myself in a better headspace, I was able to succeed in school, my personal life, and help my mom through her grief. Not taking no for an answer and not falling into what other people think I can do has been my greatest strength. I've been able to help my friends start careers in computer science, real estate, and other fields because they saw that if I could overcome my challenges, they could too. My mentor taught me that there's nothing to fear from failure - he asked me what would happen if I tried running for the FBLA Rutgers board and didn't get it, and the answer was nothing. That lesson about not being afraid of failure has been transformative, because you can't win if you're not trying. Having a strong and secure network where we lift everybody up at the same time has been crucial to my success.

The best career advice I've ever received came from my mentor in FBLA when he encouraged me to run for the Rutgers board even though I told him I didn't have much experience and was never on the board in high school. He simply asked me, 'What happens if you try and you don't get it? Nothing.' That was my biggest takeaway - don't be afraid of failure, because you can't win if you're not trying. This advice has shaped how I approach everything. I've learned that whatever I think I can do, I can do, and not taking no for an answer and not falling into what other people think I can do has been my greatest strength. I want to be able to share that confidence and instill it in other women, because a lot of my friends are very smart but they just didn't believe that they could do what they could until either I pushed them or somebody else pushed them.

I would tell young women entering real estate and finance that my biggest achievement has been teaching people how to present yourself in a way that works with a lot of people. I think that's a very important skill that many women could use a lot more of. Through my experience at the New York Stock Exchange, I was able to start learning day trading just because I knew how to present myself and connect with the right people, even though I had little to no experience before then. I think the most important part of having a strong and secure network is being able to lift everybody up at the same time. I want to be able to share confidence and instill that confidence in other women, because a lot of my friends are very smart, but they just didn't believe that they could do what they could until either I pushed them or somebody else pushed them. Don't be afraid of failure, because you can't win if you're not trying.