From mental block to Wall Street – Tashae Bowes’ story of triumph

At the recent Prime Minister National Youth Award for Excellence, Tashae Bowes was the only nominee who walked away with two trophies: one for excellence in academics, and the other for copping the nod for ‘Viewers’ Choice’. They were presented to her by Prime Minister Andrew Holness himself.

Born in Mandeville, Manchester, 23 years ago, Bowes attended Santa Cruz Preparatory School, Manchester High School, and The University of the West Indies, Mona campus, where she earned a first-class honour’s degree in actuarial science.

And now, she is at Cornell University in New York, where she is pursuing a Master of Engineering in Operations Research and Information Engineering with a concentration on financial engineering. She also works in the Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Division as a client tax operations analyst.

“Financial engineering is a multidisciplinary field that uses math, statistics, and financial theory to solve problems in finance such as risk management, investment strategies, and pricing complex derivatives. It combines tools from mathematics, statistics, and computer science to create algorithms and models that help in decision-making and financial planning,” she explained to The Gleaner.

But her relationship with numbers and figures got off to a rocky start early in her life. “From an early age, I recognised the challenge mathematics posed for me, especially in grade 2. where it was presumably my hardest subject. I would naturally excel at everything else, but math was really complicated for me at the time. I believe I had a mental block,” she told The Gleaner. Yet Bowes was not prepared to allow this to block her path much longer.

She said, “My competitive nature spurred me to put in extra effort, transforming what was once a daunting obstacle into an area of strength and passion. This breakthrough was a pivotal moment in shaping my academic and career aspirations, which is why I am very passionate about the subject, and ever since high school, have been tutoring students who struggle with same, especially in Jamaica, where math is probably the most disliked subject.”

NO BOOKWORM

She became Math Club president, revitalising the club’s activities and outreach, fostering a community of like-minded peers to be passionate about math, representing her high school in Math Olympiad, tutoring scores of students from different schools online. “This experience not only solidified my leadership skills, but also deepened my love for the discipline,” she shared.

Bowes’ determination and hard work have paid off with multiple Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) subjects, including 10 CAPE units, all with distinctions. She was among the top-10 in the island for applied mathematics, integrated mathematics, and economics (Unit 1), and was second in Jamaica for Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) economics. And then came the scholarships such as the all-expense-paid UWI Open Scholarship, the Lester B. Knight Scholarship (Cornell), and the College of Engineering Fellowship (Cornell).

The once top-performing female student in Irvine Hall (Hall of Residence) was no bookworm, as we know it, munching away at numbers and figures all the time. She would dash away to get involved in other endeavours.“One thing that many people don’t know about me is that I’ve played sports my entire life. I represented my parish, a few clubs, block (dorm) and hall in football, but now I just play for fun,” she revealed.

She has also served in numerous leadership bodies, including the UWI Mona Guild Council as chairperson for Irvine Hall, and deputy vice-president of UWI STAT, in which she was an ambassador for the vice chancellor. Also, she is serving as vice-president of the Jamaican Students’ Association at Cornell and is on the management committee for diversity and inclusion at Morgan Stanley. Each of these positions, she said, afforded her “the opportunity to assist in voluntary endeavours, ranging from clean-ups to children’s home visits, etc”.

HUMBLING, GRATIFYING EXPERIENCE

Despite previous recognitions, the PMNYAE was special for Bowes, and she said :“Receiving the Prime Minister’s Youth Award for Excellence in academics is an incredibly humbling and gratifying experience. As the highest honour a young Jamaican can receive, it not only recognises my academic endeavours, but also symbolises the potential and excellence that reside within our nation’s youths.

“I’m honoured to have been considered for this merit-based award. It’s a tangible recognition of the blessings and ability that God has bestowed upon me, the investment made in my academic journey by my parents and extended support system who believe in me unreservedly.”

The future looks good for Bowes as she wants to become a quantitative analyst or trader. Upon completion of her master’s degree, her immediate focus will be to deepen her expertise and advance her career in the quantitative financial sector. She has switched lanes, swerving away from actuarial science and now “venturing into quantitative trading”.

“The main difference being that actuaries typically work in insurance and quants in banking … . Overall, my professional goals are to continue growing as a leader in the quantitative field, contribute to innovative financial strategies using machine learning, and ultimately drive forward the industry’s evolution through rigorous analysis and informed decision-making,” Bowes shared.

She may just be the one to return to rid the Jamaica banking sector of its hiccups. Time will tell.