Portraits of Empowerment Course in Bloomberg Lab
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This year, the Portraits of Empowerment: Leading with an Economic Mindset trimester course is being held in Kent Place’s state-of-the-art Bloomberg Lab. Taught by Alicia Rodriguez, Economics & Financial Literacy Coordinator and Middle School math teacher, and Anna Conti, Associate Director of the Ethics Institute, the course combines instruction in economics, ethics, and leadership.
The class was first offered in the Upper School last year. This year, students have the unique opportunity to learn in Kent Place’s brand-new Bloomberg Lab. The Lab — located in a high-tech space in the Center for Innovation — has 12 Bloomberg Terminals that provide access to professional documents, a range of news sources, and cutting-edge data often used by finance professionals and coveted by researchers worldwide.
The students’ financial understanding will be complemented by the Ethics Institute’s Ethical Decision-Making Method, whereby students will work through case studies, and the study of tradeoffs and costs when making challenging decisions.
Students will also examine the leadership of influential women in the business world who have faced ethical dilemmas. They will discuss these women and their choices as well as events in the news where economic and ethical issues inevitably intersect.
“Portraits of Empowerment is a newly created, mission-driven elective designed to explore leadership skills, economics, and ethical decision-making. Watching students recognize the interconnectedness of these pillars through case studies and world news is always inspiring,” said Ms. Rodriguez.
“Economics, like ethics, is a discipline that is woven into all aspects of life,” said Karen Rezach, Director of the Ethics Institute. “We must empower students to understand that economic decisions have an incredible impact on individual’s lives. Developing ethical decision-making skills in our students when it comes to economic issues will increase their ability to be thought leaders and world-changers. The Bloomberg Lab is a most powerful tool in helping us to achieve that goal.”