Getting an education isn’t the only benefit to attending school — it also provides the opportunity to meet new people, build upon key social skills and learn valuable lessons for later in life.
And that’s exactly what the first female CEO of a major U.S. stock exchange operator learned when she attended an all-girls school, before starting a career on Wall Street.
“I actually do think it made a difference,” Adena Friedman, Nasdaq CEO and president told CNBC, when asked about whether going to a same-sex school had an effect on her career in a male-dominated industry.
Speaking on an episode of “Life Hacks Live,” the Nasdaq executive explained how she attended an all-girls school for 10 years, and how it helped her build her confidence and prepare for college.
“While I had a brother at home, I was able to go to a place where I could feel like I could ask any question I wanted,” said Friedman, on the sidelines of Slush 2017, a start-up and tech event held in Helsinki, Finland, last week.
“I could feel that it was OK to be smart, and that I really loved math and science, and so I was able to really propel myself into those fields and not really have any of those sort of social pressures that sometimes co-ed environments can create. So I really actually loved being in an all-girls school.”
