Remember Bloody Sunday
On Sunday, January 30, 1972, British soldiers massacred 13 peaceful demonstrators and wounded at least 15 more during a civil rights rally in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland. Learn more about this day known as Bloody Sunday, including efforts for peace and reconciliation, by joining us for the 9th annual Bloody Sunday Forum.
Keynote Speaker
Aron Brennan, Bloody Sunday Forum Guest Speaker
I'm not your typical millennial. Growing up on the streets of Ireland, I always thought my dream was to become the Irish Ronaldinho and lead Aston Villa to domestic and European glory. Well, as it turned out, I either was not as good as I thought, or Aston Villa was not interested in winning trophies. I like to tell myself it was the latter. Unwilling to hang my boots (cleats) just yet, I accepted an offer to attend the University of Mary, an NCAA Division II school in Bismarck, North Dakota (the place just above South Dakota but not Canada). Managing my academic schedule, playing a sport, learning a new culture, and trying to understand why everyone referred to football as soccer made for an interesting first year. But I did as all good student-athletes do; drank my fill off Gatorade and scheduled my first-year classes based on which ones my team-mates were in.
Many Gatorades and an MBA later I couldn’t have predicted that one class would set me on the path that I am currently on. Accounting 101 was the spark that ignited the fire. From there, I yearned to understand as much as I could about the world of business and finance. Initially, I was interested in all facets, which is reflected in my career path, but it was on the financial analysis and planning (investments, banking, estate and succession planning, executive compensation, and credit solutions) side where I excelled. My drive to compete, mental resilience, disciplined approach, and willingness to learn prepared me well for the arena in which I now perform. 5+ years later, I still find that helping people to achieve their financial goals brings me more fulfillment than scoring any goal ever has.