"I'm convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent on how we react to it. My best advice is to get in early, stay late and ask a lot of questions!"

Giving Back
Vince La Padula is a member of the Jefferies Family Scholarship Selection Committee and is actually a former JFS recipient himself. Vince had always remained in contact with the program since he was a recipient, and became a member of the selection committee because he believes strongly in giving back. As part of the Selection Committee, Vince approves all applications, provides an extensive analysis of their qualifications and selects and votes on the candidates. Through his experience as Selection Committee member, Vince now sees what it's like to be on the other side. "As a recipient I never realized how much work went into the selection process until I became a member of the board," says Vince. He believes there is always room for improvement with everything, and his focus is on ensuring the selection process is fair, complete and open.

From government to banking
The Jefferies Family Scholarship helped Vince achieve his academic goals during his journey through graduate school as well as law school. Vince attended the State University of New York for his undergraduate work, majoring in political science. He went on to attend New York University for graduate school and St. John.s University School of Law. After law school, he worked for Mayor Rudy Giuliani for eight years as Chief of Staff for Operations. He was on the campaign staff for Mayor Michael Bloomberg and subsequently spent two years as Bloomberg's Senior Advisor. Vince then shifted his focus to investment banking, and is now a private banker for the JP Morgan Private Bank, working with high net worth individuals, endowments, and foundations.

A Family Event
The Jefferies Family Scholarship has been a presence in Vince's life and his family's for many years. His brother, John, and sister, Nicole, were recipients of the JFS as well. Both successfully began careers of their own—John as a doctor and Nicole as an advertising executive and mother. Joe Conti, their father, worked at Jefferies for 33 years—he was the Senior Vice President for Operations in New York.

Giving Back
Just as JFS has touched his life and his family's he would like others to experience the same benefit. Vince is part of a team of committee and staff member that are dedicated to making sure the program provides as many scholarships as possible. "We need everyone to get the word out, encourage others to apply because we are not getting as many applications as we would like," says Vince. Vince also serves as a mentor at his firm, JP Morgan. Every year Vince guides three analysts through training and helps them through their development throughout their first year. Previously, Vince served on the board for the Boy Scouts of America.