NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (October 11, 2025) — A 2014 New Rochelle High School graduate returned to his alma mater recently to share practical stock trading lessons with economics students, emphasizing that financial success is within reach for everyone, not just Wall Street insiders.
Trevor Benevento, a self-taught stock trader who works for the City School District of New Rochelle Facilities Department, credited Darren Gurney’s Economics class with inspiring his interest in investing. His presentation focused on practical strategies, risk management and long-term financial habits.
“Put money in as soon as you’re able to open a stock portfolio,” Benevento said. “Essentially, make a good pick, get good at it. You’re also going to make some bad picks, but that’s alright – those serve as a learning experience.”
Benevento’s real-world approach resonated with the students, many of whom have limited financial experience.
“Mr. Benevento knew what he was talking about and is very passionate about stocks,” said senior Rafael Calazans. “He told us to set a goal and standard before buying a stock and to set a stop-loss. He also mentioned how earnings reports are crucial and how to analyze (price-to-earnings) PE ratios.”
For students seeking accessible investing advice, Benevento’s non-academic perspective proved especially valuable.
“As someone with limited, non-academic investing knowledge, I found that hearing from a self-taught guest speaker, Trevor Benevento, helped me truly understand the path to financial freedom – without having to work on Wall Street,” said senior Scarlett Hartzman.
This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.