Past Student Stories

After taking Julie’s 8th grade writing class, I – like a lot of other students – gravitated toward her during my high-school years. I sought out her guidance with respect to the college application process and she walked me through all the things I needed to do in order to get into my target school, Cornell University. Julie encouraged me to sign up for extra-curriculars, get a part-time job to build up my resume, apply for and attend a summer course at Cornell to prove my interest to the university, and provided thoughtful feedback on my college application essays. She extensively researched what would optimize my unique college application and gave me the playbook to execute, while providing a helping hand along the way.
The intangible quality about Julie is that she is a natural life-coach and wants to see the best in a person. Aside from providing guidance throughout my application process, she encouraged me to remain disciplined in my studies and focus on what I needed to do to reach my goals. For that reason, I still seek out her guidance on my career and personal goals to this day.

Coach Merc has been a staple mentor, leader and friend in both my professional and personal life since I first met her during my sophomore track season in high school. She was formally my track and cross country coach for three years, but her guidance and leadership extended well outside the realm of athletics. During my college application process, Merc was a vital guide, helping me craft all of my application essays and preparing me mentally for the many twists and turns that come up during the process. What truly sets Merc apart is her commitment to developing well-rounded, thoughtful future leaders – while her main focus is academics, she invests extensive time in all of her clients to get to know them on a personal level and figure out how to develop them into the best version of themselves. She is an optimist, has a wealth of knowledge from her personal and professional life to share with her mentees and isn’t afraid to give her students a push when it is needed!
After graduating from North Brunswick Township High School in 2016, I attended Fordham University where I obtained a BS in Finance, with a concentration in Alternative Investments and a minor in Philosophy. During my time at Fordham, I was held a variety of leadership positions, most notably as an advising assistant for the business school. After my graduation in 2020, I stayed in NYC and joined TD Securities as a Corporate & Investment Banking Analyst on the Corporate Credit team assisting in the origination, underwriting and syndication of corporate credit facilities. Currently, I am an Investment Banking Analyst in Houlihan Lokey’s Capital Markets Group, where my primary responsibilities including helping public and private clients raise, negotiate and structure various types of debt and equity financings.
Coach Merc has been instrumental in my development so far, and I can’t stress enough how much I recommend her in your life!

Julie Mercier is an amazing person professionally and personally. I have known her for almost a decade and had the great pleasure of being one of her students and athletes many moons ago. When I was in highschool, she was always one of my biggest advocates, continuously motivating me to set bigger goals and achieve them. She has an innate habit of genuinely wanting to help others, almost as if it's embedded in her genetic code. Julie has a unique thought pattern; always thinking like an optimist, yet keeping her realist nature intact. This is important because she is always hopeful, yet gives others honest and direct feedback. She is a great mentor, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention how instrumental she has been to my college undergraduate experience and career.
After high school, I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management at New York University. My degree concentration was in hotel development, as my goal was to understand the financial real estate sector of hotels. During my time at NYU, I served as President of a hospitality club, was interviewed by NYU Q-Magazine and HOTELS Magazine. I was also a scholarship recipient from Sophomore to Senior year. Upon graduating college in 2020, just after the onset of COVID-19 Pandemic, I was able to secure a job in New York. I was an analyst for an asset management/consulting hospitality firm in which my primary focus was conducting financial analysis, market research and performance benchmarking for clients such as hotel owners, financial institutions, governments. Last year, I resigned from my job as an analyst because an opportunity to support and grow my family's restaurants came my way.
Julie Mercier's motivation, optimism, and honesty was quite instrumental throughout my entire journey. She is a great mentor and I highly recommend her in your life.