Doro Koita returns for a mulch refill during a landscaping project at the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester in May. Photo Courtesy of Fidelity Investments
A team of volunteers from Fidelity Investments spent a rainy morning in May working on landscaping at the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester, pushing wheelbarrows full of mulch.
For annuity specialist Doro Koita, the event was a homecoming. The Central High School graduate spent much of his teen years at the club, playing basketball, working on his homework, and, later, volunteering.
Koita’s path to a full-time job at the company’s Merrimack campus began when he was selected as one of three participants for the inaugural six-week summer fellowship program offered by Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Company (FILA), which was created in partnership with the club.
“I work with phones and financials,” says Koita, who spends his workdays wiring out money and handling phone calls from clients.
This summer, Koita is welcoming the second round of participants and helping to integrate the four high school students with his team.
Annuity specialist Doro Koita secured a full-time job with Fidelity Investments in Merrimack after participating in a summer fellowship program for high school students.
“I’m definitely motivated to help the kids out, because I know about three of them personally,” said Koita, who also has been taking college classes part time. “It’ll be fun to see what they bring to the table and then what we bring to the table for them in the summer.”
The fellowship, new to the company’s New Hampshire campus, was modeled after a similar one Fidelity established in Boston in 2011 with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston and Cathedral High School.
“The fellows do 50% of their day in a program that’s really geared towards teaching them what it’s like to work in a professional environment, and then we take the other 50% of the program, and they’re going to do something for us,” said Deb DiMarzio, head of FILA operational controls and business readiness at Fidelity Investments.
“They’re getting paid,” she added, speaking in a video that was shown at the Manchester club’s annual Foundation of Friends Breakfast in April. “This is a paid fellowship.”
DiMarzio, who visited the Boston program as part of her planning for the New Hampshire fellowship, hopes to broaden the local program’s reach. Transporting students from the Manchester area to Merrimack has been a challenge. “Our biggest hurdle that really differentiates us from the Boston program is the lack of public transportation,” she said during an interview at the club in May.
Diane Fitzpatrick, CEO and president of the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester, sees the fellowship as a step toward increasing the state’s workforce pool — introducing students to career options they might not have considered.
“We keep talking about the challenge of workforce development and trying to figure out a solution to that. The solution is this nonprofit business partnership, especially with youth, getting them exposed to industry options,” Fitzpatrick said. “Those corporate partnerships are so critical, because they’re going to help solve one of the big issues we are facing in industry.”
A young Wesley Olmeda shakes hands with Joe Murray, who became his pen pal through a partnership between Fidelity Investments and the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester. Photo Courtesy of New Hampshire Union Leader
From Pals to Co-workers
Wesley Olmeda, who graduated in June from Central High School, returned for a second year as a fellow this summer.
When Olmeda was invited to the stage at the club’s fundraiser breakfast in April to speak about the program, it sparked a memory for Joe Murray, vice president of government relations and public affairs at Fidelity.
Fidelity vice president Joe Murray with Olmeda, who returned to Fidelity Investments in Merrimack this summer for the second year as part of a fellowship program.
When Olmeda was a third grader, he and Murray were pen pals through a program Fidelity initiated with the Boys & Girls Club. They would exchange letters about once a month, and they finally got to meet when the company hosted a pizza party at the club. Murray was the last to arrive, which meant Olmeda was the last to get paired with his pen pal. “I saw him sitting by himself, and I walked into the room, and we both connected. And it was just this wonderful moment,” Murray said.
Fast-forward more than a decade later, when Olmeda was called up to speak before 600 people at the DoubleTree Hotel.
“I had just finished a speech so I was kind of nervous,” Olmeda said, recalling when Murray approached him at the breakfast. “It was amazing to see that someone I was talking to 12 years ago when I was a club kid and when I first started living here — who was there for me and who I could express myself to — it was great to know that this person was still there and knew who I was.”
Now if Olmeda and Murray meet for a pizza party, it might be at Fidelity’s cafeteria.”
Summer fellowship leads to full-time position at Merrimack campus
By Doro Koita
My name is Doro Koita. I am an annuity new business specialist at Fidelity Investments. I am originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and moved to New Hampshire during high school, where I attended and graduated from Manchester Central High School.
During high school, I spent most of my time at an after-school program at the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester. I spent a majority of my time there making friends, playing basketball, and becoming the person that I am today.
The Boys & Girls Club was like my second home; I could go there to do my hobbies, get help with any school-related matters, and make lots of connections with the right people. In 2023, I was a 21-year-old club alumnus and a volunteer. I was attending Manchester Community College and majoring in accounting.
One day at the club, staff member Rudi came up to me telling me about the FILI (Fidelity Investments Life Insurance) Fellow Internship program that Fidelity provided to Boys & Girls Club members. At first, I wasn’t that interested, but many people were saying maybe I should try it out. I became a little bit more curious about this program and asked the people who were close to me about it. This made me feel more comfortable about making my decision, because it came from the people who cared about me and my future.
On my very first day at Fidelity, my nerves and emotions were all over the place. The campus was huge and very up-to-date, and everyone looked professional and well put-together. The associates in the program were very kind and willing to help. They made me feel at home and treated me like family. Throughout the weeks I obtained lots of observations and gained knowledge and skills that would be useful for my future. I also had lots of fun networking with new people, job shadowing and participating in the events that Fidelity and my business unit provided.
As the program was ending, I was pulled aside to be told that I was being offered a job opportunity with the New Business group. This was a huge opportunity for me. I felt thrilled and grateful about it. On the other hand, I had to make a huge life decision: either to transfer to a university as a full-time student, or take the job offer and be a part-time student at my current school. This was a very stressful and nerve-racking decision for me, because this decision would determine my life.
Again, I went to the people who were close to me to see what they would say, but I was also aware that I would have to be the one deciding to do what’s best for me. I ended up taking the position as an annuity new business specialist. I am currently 22 years old, attending Manchester Community College studying accounting, and currently employed at Fidelity Investments. I am also a part of the FILI Fellow Internship program, but now I am on the other side. I am involved in helping to make the Internship experience even better for the incoming fellows.
I would like to first and foremost thank God for everything and would also like to thank the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester and Fidelity Investments for all the opportunities that they have given me, letting me be myself and for all the great experiences.
This article is featured in the fall 2024 issue of 603 Diversity.
603 Diversity’s mission is to educate readers of all backgrounds about the exciting accomplishments and cultural contributions of the state’s diverse communities, as well as the challenges faced and support needed by those communities to continue to grow and thrive in the Granite State.