When you first meet Nadja Fidelia, you can’t help but notice her warm smile, polished appearance, and profound spirituality. Underneath this refined exterior is a woman from humble beginnings with an extraordinary story: She worked her way up the corporate ladder to become a successful business leader in New York City and a generous advocate of Baruch College and its students. With a gift of more than $100,000, Fidelia created the Nadja Fidelia Scholarship five years ago to assist Baruch students studying finance.
“Where I come from, education resources are very limited,” says Fidelia, who was born in Haiti and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 12 with her family. “When I came to Baruch College, I found myself taking these amazing courses at an affordable price. It was like winning the lottery. I really wanted to take advantage of the resources that were being presented to me.”
After graduating from Baruch, Fidelia vowed that she would one day give back to her alma mater in order to help future students who need financial assistance. She became a member of The Baruch College Fund Board of Trustees in 2006 and shortly thereafter launched her scholarship.
“Being a college student today is very difficult,” she says. “Not only are students faced with rigorous course work, but many work to support themselves financially. They also have to adjust emotionally to college life and being on their own. It’s a lot for a young person to handle at once.”
Fidelia knows all too well the financial challenges that college students face. Throughout high school, she worked part time to help with the household income. At 18 she began working as a telemarketer for a company near Baruch.
Fidelia is also grateful for the fact that when she was a student Baruch allowed her to defer her payments so she could pay off her credits while she completed her course work. “That gave me a chance to take courses and pay at a pace that would not be overwhelming for me or my paycheck,” she says.
As Fidelia continued at Baruch, she kept working to support herself and her family. She found a full-time job with Hilton International Headquarters, where she coordinated special projects with the director of sales. She eventually decided to pursue her dream of a career on Wall Street, leaving Hilton to work for Lehman Brothers.
During her 20-year career at Lehman, Fidelia was the driver of original approaches to diversity and inclusion, including her service as the co-head and co-founder of the Partnership Solutions Group (PSG), a Wall Street initiative that focused on developing woman- and minority-owned businesses. She was also actively involved in the firm’s employee networks and took the lead in the creation of two innovative programs: Women’s Initiatives Leading Lehman (WILL), which involved more than 2,000 women employees, and Lehman Employees of African Descent (LEAD), a network that mentored and develop African American leadership. During her time at Lehman, Fidelia finished her course work and graduated from Baruch with a BA in political science. “I continued to push through, and I finally finished,” says Fidelia, who retired from Lehman Brothers in 2008.
“My time at Baruch was very rewarding, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have earned my degree from this school,” she says. “This is why I felt it was important to give back and support the college that helped me become the businesswoman I am today.”
The Nadja Fidelia Scholarship has helped four students to date: Frederick Núñez (’12), a finance and investments major; Ting Ting Tso (’11, MS ’12), a graduate of Baruch’s accountancy program and a current student in the College’s Flex-Time MS Program in taxation; Mehmet Emre, a finance and investments major; and Michael Jeneralczuk (’15), a freshman hoping to major in finance and investments.
Fidelia encourages all Baruch alumni to give back and support students in their academic careers. “If you can give back, then you should,” she says. “It’s your responsibility to do so.”
Fidelia’s career continues to flourish. In early 2012, she became one of seven founding members of Eland Capital, a division of the Williams Capital Group, L.P., one of the leading minority-owned investment banks on Wall Street. Eland Capital is established to develop structured finance solutions for corporate and federal, state, and local government clients.
When she is not in her office, Fidelia can be found in Marcus Garvey Park with other church leaders, providing food and prayer to homeless citizens who gather at the park. Her faith has guided her to earn a Master of Divinity degree from the New York Theological Seminary (NYTS), and in May 2012, she will receive a Doctor of Ministry degree from NYTS.
“The seminary experience is all about serving others,” says Fidelia, who spent two years working with a United Church of Christ congregation while completing her education at NYTS. “Service contributes to our emotional and spiritual well-being. Going to the seminary made me understand my purpose in this world, and now I am more apt to accomplish anything I put my mind toward. Life balance is being physically, emotionally, and spiritually connected.”
Fidelia has shared her charitable spirit with other community organizations, including the Apollo Theater Foundation, Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, and Fiver Children’s Foundation. She says her mission to help others can be best summed up by a quotation from George Bernard Shaw:
“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live.”
—Manny Romero
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