Economic Empowerment

When Banmai Huynh ’24 read an email about a Women in Finance Fellowship at Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), she thought it “sounded perfect” — but not only because it was for a sophomore woman studying finance. Its affiliation with the Massachusetts Office of Economic Empowerment appealed to her as the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants.  

“My parents grew up in Vietnam with little access to education and immigrated to the United States — specifically Massachusetts — so my brother and I could have a different and better experience than they did,” says Huynh, a Corporate Finance and Accounting major who grew up in the Boston suburb of Chelmsford. “I attended public schools, and it really prepared me for college. So I felt very passionate about applying to Massachusetts School Building Authority because they do such great work issuing grants to school districts across the state to help make public education more sustainable, efficient and affordable for K through 12 students.” 

Now on the other side of the Massachusetts public school system, Huynh’s work supported the MSBA’s transition to the Questica budgeting system, Sparkrock finance software and Microsoft Power BI data software. Huynh also filed payment requests and prepared financials for auditing.  

“Creating and analyzing budgets, preparing financial and tax documents, reconciling transactions and conducting other projects has made me more technically apt and financially literate,” she says of her fellowship. “Even though I’ve already learned many of these skills at Bentley, using them in the workplace deepened my understanding of why we use these skills and concepts — not just how we use them.” 

Just being able to join a conversation thanks to the financial literacy she learned in her Bentley coursework, she adds, was a huge benefit. An “aha” moment that she laughs about came in the form of spreadsheets. “I remember taking an introductory course my first year at Bentley and wondering why we were learning Excel. That changed when I got to the Massachusetts School Building Authority, and I honestly enjoy it now. I’m going to start turning everything in my life into spreadsheets. I should email that professor.”

IMPACT IS IN THE DETAILS

Huynh dove into the technical aspects of her work, using those Excel spreadsheets to streamline data for initiatives like grant applications. Sitting in on department school meetings created a roadmap in her mind to help her understand the amount of cross-collaboration that goes into something like building a new school. “It was cool to see how the finance team works with the legal team and capital planning — and community agencies like the fire department — so architects can design a building with proper access.” 

Spending time alongside other fellows and staff members in the Office of the Treasurer and Receiver General of Massachusetts was a reminder to Huynh of why she had applied for the fellowship in the first place.   

“People who work for nonprofits are so talented, but they are there for reasons bigger than money or recognition,” Huynh says. “It’s just about getting the work done to make schools better for all of these students across Massachusetts.” 

Beyond the impact that the Office of Economic Empowerment has on Massachusetts school systems, the office fosters a culture of inclusion internally through DEI professional development programs. One that stands out for Huynh was a pay equity workshop presented by the American Association of University Women. 

“This discussion helped me understand how difficult conversations about compensation can be for women in the workplace,” Huynh says, noting similar moments of inspiration from Bentley’s Women’s Leadership Program — including a workshop on the unconscious bias that women and people of color face in the workplace. “Tolerance is something that the world is lacking, and the opportunity to explore that and self-reflect was powerful.”   

Huynh recalls that as she walked the hallways at her predominantly white high school, she rarely saw someone who looked like her. At Bentley, Huynh has found an important difference: resources to connect and elevate the voices of different communities. Sunday nights, for example, are spent in meetings and social events with the Bentley Asian Students Association (BASA). 

“When the country experienced a rise in Asian hate crimes in spring 2021, it was good to be together and work to raise awareness,” recalls Huynh, who is now on the BASA executive board and is also an orientation leader. “We had a lot of heartfelt conversations and became closer.”  

Advocacy was also an important lesson in Huynh’s Massachusetts School Building Authority fellowship. Huynh cites a piece of advice that Treasurer Deborah Goldberg gave her and some other interns during a networking call: “She told us to not be afraid of being the woman in the room who speaks up and stands up for what is right,” Huynh remembers. "No one will get the job done unless you do, and no one will get the job done as well as you will.”