At the ripe age of fifteen, junior Jacob Harleton found himself in an interesting leadership position: the co-president of the investment club. This position could not have been acquired without some important people in his life.  

As far as role models go, Jacob Harleton has no lack of influential adults in his life, and he credits a lot of who he is today to these critical people. 

“I’d say [my role models] are my parents and my grandparents,” Jacob said. “They are very rational and often get the best out of me.”

Growing up with these positive examples of character and morals, Jacob is grateful because they know they have set him up for abundant success.

He accredits much of who he has grown up to be to his parents as well as grandparents, but in terms of who he wants to be and what he wants to accomplish, he draws guidance from a different group of people.

“I’d say, my peer group [is one of my biggest influences] in terms of my friends and relationships that I have around me in high school,” Jacob said. “I spend a lot of time with those people, whether it be in school or outside of school, so they definitely shaped my personality and my interests.”

A unique shared interest Jacob and his friends have acquired in the past year have been around something typically not publicized in high school: investing. As the president, Jacob can take credit for a lot of the club’s foundation.

Starting in his sophomore year, Jacob and a few friends decided that FHC was in need of an investment club. After some planning, the club took off with Jacob as co-president. They are now engaged in the University of Pennsylvania School of Business investment challenge where they are shaping an investing portfolio for a potential client.

“One day, we kind of just were like, ‘hey, we should get more involved with the school,’” Jacob said. “And, we said, ‘hey, let’s start an investment club.’ I think that having one can really benefit the school and get more people involved. I think it’s a perfect balance of commitment and reward where we’re getting stuff out of it and not having to commit a bulk of our time to our already busy high school schedules.”

For Jacob, it is important to participate in school activities and also to broaden his grasp of things that will aid him throughout his entire life; investment does just this.

He is able to not only research and learn about something he enjoys, but also find a group of peers who share his interests. 

“I have definitely grown a network of peers who share that interest,” Jacob said. “I guess that grows relationships. I think it just helps me get involved. You know, I feel like there’s definitely opportunities to get involved, but finding that opportunity where you can thrive is important. I think that the investment club is a way for me as well as many other students to do that.”

Jacob has none other than his Grandfather to thank for his enthusiasm and interest surrounding investment. 

Not only has this opened up a chance for financial gain, but inadvertently, he has gained a group of friends and peers to help him tackle high school when his other role models—his parents and grandparents—may have less entail on his day-to-day activities. They can be reassured that even without their constant shaping of his life, he has created a stable group of friends who enable him to be who he wants to be. 

“My grandpa has definitely gotten me into investing,” Jacob said. “And, with him, I have created a portfolio and began following investments. That’s part of the reason why we started the investment club. I think that spending a lot of time with him has definitely shaped my personality. I view him as a very funny person, and also influenced my decision-making and maturity. I definitely see him as a role model.”