Business Administration A.A.
Driving home with friends recently, Business Administration alum Alexis Cain passed the Newtown Campus and was inspired to reflect on what Bucks meant to her.
“It’s not the first time I’ve said it, but I told them I wished I had been able to do all four years at Bucks. From something as simple as the cafeteria food to the great opportunities, I wouldn’t be the same professional without Bucks.”
In the few years since Alexis graduated from Bucks (‘16) and from Temple (‘18) with her degree in Financial Planning, she has been busy building her practice as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), working as an independent contractor partnering with broker-dealer, Lincoln Investment. She is in a position her younger self might never have imagined, growing up in a family of four headed by a single mother working hard to make ends meet.
“I didn't know I would go to college because no one had paved the road, and now it's a beautiful blessing I was able to do that myself. I attribute a lot of my success to my grandfather, who always set the right example. He and I went to a financial aid seminar at Bucks when I was a Pennsbury senior, and that opened the door—like maybe I can do this, maybe this is for me. I think Bucks was the perfect opportunity for someone with low income; I was on free-and-reduced lunch my whole upbringing. I had friends from Yardley and Newtown from two-income households—we were at opposite ends of the spectrum. They had acceptance letters to big universities, but that just wasn't in my cards and frankly, I didn't have the attraction probably because I knew I couldn't afford it. What led me to Bucks was the reality of my financial situation. I paved my own road, self-funding my education with three part-time jobs. They were the cards I was dealt, and I made the most of it. Bucks gave me a clean slate; I came out with no student debt.”
Her experience at Bucks confirmed she not only made the right financial decision, but that it was a school she would not trade for any other.
“For me, if I had it to do again, I wouldn’t change it if you paid me. If I had gotten a full ride—I’d say you can keep the big university. I thoroughly enjoyed Bucks. I was able to work and stay home, stay connected to my grandparents, and it was wonderful.
“I remember professors pouring into us the sense of their real-world experience. As for class schedules, there was flexibility for me as a working student to fit in full-time coursework while juggling three part-time jobs—I felt catered to every semester.”
It was that ability to keep working—and to impress her customers—during her time at Bucks that provided a great professional opportunity for Alexis.
“While working one of my jobs at the Fairless Hills Produce Center, a frequent customer who was a senior-level exec's wife came in. She presented me with an opportunity at an independent broker-dealer, Lincoln Investment, and from there my future opened. I became an intern for Lincoln Investment during my junior year at Temple. She was a fairy godmother really. She put me in the right places at the right time, and I was able to shadow a lot of different financial advisors.”
This led Alexis to the path she is on today, building her own practice as an independent financial advisor.
“I’m the first generation in my family to pave a career that is so balanced. I'm in hyper-growth mode right now, but I’m thankful for the autonomy I have at such an early age. I'm only 28. Women who have 30 years in the business tell me how, if I have children, I’ll be able to make every sport or school event and reposition clients at my leisure. That clicked for me, not being chained to a nine-to-five. It's not for everyone, the total ‘Wild West’ of open landscape versus stability, but I’m attracted to that nature of being self-employed.”
The networking crucial to Alexis’s current success, as well as putting your best foot forward in every situation, are things she advises current Bucks students to cultivate as they plan their careers.
“Surround yourself with people who are where you want to be. Your network and the circle you connect with are so powerful. You never know who's watching you, so always stay positive; that's what led me to the opportunities I have at Lincoln. From someone who has a very blue-collar upbringing, my best piece of advice is to try to stay positive—especially if you're in customer service—because you never know what doors can be opened or shut even without your knowledge.”