October 26, 1998 - LIONS EYE - rage s - The million dollar smile by Laura Pederson. Speaker Series: Rich at 22, Hear Her Advice By Lynn Keyser Laura Pedersen will tell you that her voice wasn’t always as husky as it is now. She developed polyps on her throat from the years of shout- ing and yelling orders with other op- tions traders in the floor of the American Stock Exchange. She built up some good calf muscles, too, jumping up and down during her days in the AMEX pit. The grueling days paid off, at least in dollars for Pedersen, who, at 20, became the youngest person in stock market history to get on a seat. At 21, she became a partner in a Wall Street firm, and at 22, was a millionaire. ‘But, Pedersen said, even though she was able to keep up with the big boys in terms of earning power, the physical wear and tear of life in the pit was taking its toll. In October, 1989, after the second Wall Street “crash,” Pedersen took her assets and left the Exchange on the verge of burnout. “I had my midlife crisis at 24.” she said. After some work with enter- tainer Joan Rivers, and then serving as a financial consultant, Pedersen wrote her second book, “Street- Smart Career Guide” (her first book was “Play Money: My Brief But Bril- liant Career on Wall Street.”). Pedersen, based in Manhat- tan, writes a financial advice column for the Sunday New York Times, and lectures at colleges and corporate gatherings. She appeared at Penn State’s Delaware County Campus in Lima earlier this month as part of the college’s speaker series. Nowdays Pedersen often addresses the world economic crisis and what it means to U.S. investors. She said combined that topic with some prac- tical career advice to the students at Penn State. “Over the years,” she said, “I’ve had the good fortune to have worked with many self-made busi- ness people, as well as successful people in entertainment, and I would like to pass on rules for success — things these people have in common — and show how to apply them in our own lives.” The “rules” are fairly simple, Pedersen said. “At this time in their lives,” she said, “(students) should be ask- ing themselves ‘what am I interested in?” If it’s sports, seek out careers in that field. Some students look at en- tertainment only in terms of perform- ers, but there are thousands of jobs related to that industry, which is among the most lucrative inthe U.S. Pedersen said. “I really encourage them to explore. There are all sorts of new jobs, that were not even out there, when they started (college) a few years ago,” Pedersen said. And, that brings her to her next “rule” for success. Look at trends. Education, health/elder care, the climate, the pet industry, all all areas, Pedersen sees as changing dra- matically in the future. “I try to get them to look at their environment in a new way,” Pedersen said. And lastly, Pedersen said, success is impossible without luck. She points out that she came from a working class neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, and said if “a small town kid can make it to the to through the back door, anyone can.”< “You don’t have to be born with with a silver spoon, have a May- flower family connection. or be an Ivy League graduate to succeed in business.” A successful person “creates opportunities,” Pedersen said. “That’s where your luck comes from,” she said, “prepare yourself for the luck when it comes by.” TT P.M. Traffic Congestion Trapped Me in at Delco By Sarah Stover Lion's Eye Staff Writer Coming out of school a couple of days ago, I was forced to turn left out of the school’s main drive-way and head towards Route 352. The time was roughly four p.m. in the afternoon. I was appalled at the line of never ending traffic that awaited me. Usually, I turn right from the school drive-way and take Darlington road to Route 1, but I wanted to make a quick stop at the mall before heading to work. I must have waited around 10 minutes or so until some kind soul let me in to the line of traffic. Then, once actually on Route 352, the line of cars literally inched along until the first traffic light in the direction of Granite Run Mall. This took another 10 to 15 minutes. By this time, I was overly frustrated and completely an- noyed. To make a boring story short, by the time I actually reached the mall, I was nearly late for work and low on gas. I had to turn around and speed to get to my job on time. Idid not even have time to take five min- utes to run into the mall—that was how late I was. Because I am accustomed to taking Darlington road and not 352 to and from school, I never realized how much of a problem that inter- section really is. Students who have ee Ly no other choice but to use this main thing is not done. Ed Tomesko speaks to campus leaders at the Ramada Inn in Essington. road way must have to deal with enormous traffic conditions every- day, especially around rush hour. As I discovered, it was almost impos- sible to get anywhere with so much traffic clogging 352. I realize that nothing can be done by Penn State about the over- crowding of 352 during peak traffic hours, but with such bad conditions, the school administration might want to consider a traffic light at the in- tersection. Getting into the actual line of traffic on 352 is really half the battle. Unless there is a sudden mi- raculous break in cars, your only chance at getting in to the line is by the mercy of others. ~ This’ problem has been brought up in recent years and the SGA is aware of the growing need for some kind of action to be taken. As of yet, nothing substantial has been determined or decided. Hopefully, enough com- plaints and concerns will be recog- nized so that something will be done about this problem soon. With win- ter approaching, and a bad weather Dpredication for this year, more and more students will be forced to avoid the back roads and use 352. Not to mention the growing number of stu- dents on campus this semester (yes, I am talking about the Freshman). This problem will only become more of a headache in the future if some- 3 Photo by Amy Hurley Tap Provides Affordable Way to Save for College Tuition By Jenna Montgomery Lion's Eye Staff Writer A higher education has be- come increasingly vital in this day and age. Likewise, college tuition has become increasingly costly, with rates doubling every ten years. However, a newly estab- lished plan, called Pennsylvania’s Tuition Account Program (TAP), provides an easy method of saving for college tuition. By buying cred- its at current prices students/parents are guaranteed against inflating col- lege costs. Any PA resident can open a TAP account, and once established, anyone can contribute. A special protection insures that the value of purchased credits will grow accord- ing to the rise in tuition costs. Also, TAP accounts are exempt from state and local income tax. Therefore, TAP is a smart, low-risk program. Planning early translates into large savings, especially when compared to the cost of student loans. : Interest in the program has steadily increased as word gets out about it. In fact, a number of Dela- ware County students used their TAP credits to enroll in college this fall. All accredited colleges or technical schools in the nation-public or pri- vate-accept TAP credits. With proper planning, col- lege can, in fact, be affordable. For more information visit TAP’s Web site www.patap.org or inquire at local schools.
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