{"id":144976,"date":"2025-01-31T15:24:37","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T20:24:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=144976"},"modified":"2025-04-14T10:38:48","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T14:38:48","slug":"championing-the-ucf-mission-how-one-knight-is-turning-personal-loss-into-philanthropic-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/championing-the-ucf-mission-how-one-knight-is-turning-personal-loss-into-philanthropic-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Championing the UCF Mission: How One Knight Is Turning Personal Loss into Philanthropic Action\u202f"},"content":{"rendered":"

Steve Curley<\/strong> \u201907MBA<\/strong> admits he wasn\u2019t always the best student. But he did have a passion: finance. Growing up, he loved learning about all the different methods of managing and investing money.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I knew what I wanted to do at an early age,\u201d he says, \u201cI viewed school as a waste of time if it wasn\u2019t finance related.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until his junior year as a finance and banking major at the University of North Florida that his perspective on education shifted. He realized that when given the opportunity to use his full potential, classroom learning could be engaging, even fun.<\/p>\n

Planned giving is accessible to Knights of all ages and stages. To learn more about building your legacy with UCF, explore the Office of Gift Planning\u2019s new, reimagined <\/em>website<\/a>.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Following graduation, he landed a job in commercial banking, where he decided to pursue an MBA at the University of Central Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cI chose UCF because it was such a great value for the quality of the education,\u201d he says. \u201cBut more importantly, I believe in the UCF mission: making education accessible to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Curley, now the founder of the wealth management firm 55 North Private Wealth, has carried forward that mission by creating scholarships in honor of his late grandmother and mother \u2014 both of whom shaped his egalitarian view of education and inspired him to open doors for others.<\/p>\n

Paving the Way for Future Civic Leaders<\/h2>\n

One of Curley\u2019s fondest memories of his grandmother, Fredna \u201cFreddy\u201d, was riding around with her as she conducted Gallup surveys in low-income areas throughout Central Florida. She had a reputation for going into neighborhoods that other canvassers typically avoided \u2014 but she felt strongly that speaking to residents in these communities was key to improving their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe loved research and politics, even though she didn\u2019t have a college degree,\u201d Curley says.<\/p>\n