Influential Woman · Financial counseling

Stephanie Cortes

Financial Counselor, Congreso

Philadelphia, PA

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Associate's degree in Applied Health Science Degree Bachelor's degree in Healthcare Administration Degree Master's degree (graduating April 2026) Cert Certified Medical Assistant

Her Story

About Stephanie

My journey into financial counseling began unexpectedly when I was just 15 or 16 years old in high school, helping my school nurse with intake forms. The school doctor, Dr. Kokarni, noticed me and offered me a part-time job shredding papers at her office in Maplewood, New Jersey, making $7.50 or $8.50 an hour, which I was so excited about as my first job ever. She gradually gave me more responsibilities, from answering phones to scheduling, and then taught me how to take blood pressure before sending me to medical assistant school. She kept encouraging me to continue my education, so I earned my associate's degree in applied health science, then my bachelor's in healthcare administration, and now I'm about to graduate with my master's in April. Throughout my career, I've gained hands-on experience in various healthcare settings including chiropractic, private practice at a kidney center, data entry, and then moved into billing and financial counseling at Mountainside Medical Center, where I submitted Medicaid applications for undocumented patients and handled charity care applications. I then worked at Atlantic Health doing billing and state funding across different hospital units including ICU, cardiology, and emergency rooms. When I moved to Philadelphia about a year ago, I got hired at Jefferson for oncology, but then Congreso called me about a financial advocacy position in housing. I was hesitant at first because I had never done housing and wasn't sure I was a good fit, plus Jefferson had me at a cap because I didn't have my master's yet. But I took the leap and dove into financial counseling and coaching for housing, and I absolutely love it. At Congreso, I work with low-income families helping first-time homebuyers, assisting with foreclosures, credit rebuilding, and various programs. I help families who don't know that programs exist to achieve their American dream of owning a home, and I also assist those who fell behind during COVID-19 or lost their jobs. Congreso gives me the opportunity to work on different cases and really make a difference, and I'm truly happy where I am right now in my career.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Stephanie

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to my past experiences, especially with my mother. My mother definitely was an inspiration. We weren't the richest, and we weren't the poorest, but there were times where we did struggle. Seeing that growing up gave me the push to not only be more careful with my decisions in life, but also to assist that young girl that I was, that young mother struggling at that time. We went through a lot. We lost our home too, and my mother made a choice to pay the mortgage or feed her children. I can relate to some of my clients' situations, which is why I picked the job at Congreso, because I can relate to it. My mother has been my biggest inspiration, and I'm happy to assist when I can because most of my clients are single dads and single moms.

02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

You have to have compassion, you have to have the heart, and you have to understand that there's different circumstances for everyone. It's not just a happy ending sometimes. With especially the foreclosure industry, it may be a death in the family, depression, or it can be starting a new family and growing with happy clients. You definitely have to have compassion and understanding. One client may be happy, the other can be depressed and hurtful and hateful, feeling like no one wants to help them. But if you don't have the passion, you can't relate to them. You have to be their relief. A spouse may have passed away, and it happens so often where a wife or husband are left behind and they fall behind on their bills, or a couple just got together and got married and they want to buy their first-time house. It can be tough to manage sometimes depending on the cases that I have, but at the end of the day, I'm content with knowing that I'm still assisting someone, whether it's a long-term goal, happy goal, or a sad one at the moment. I'm content knowing that we are trying our best, I am trying my best to assist whoever is put in front of me. Because I am their balance, I am their peace at that moment, I am their clarity, and they put a lot of weight on top of me, but I go through it with them.

03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

I believe in my faithful God. I'm not an angel, I definitely am not, but all my work and all my steps and stones, I have let my faith in my God take over, and he has not failed me, not once. So I'm definitely very strong on my religion and ethic, remaining balanced with that. Faith and family take you far.

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