Success story: Sara Kyle hired by BOND New York Properties

Success Stories | Apr 19, 2013 | Nicole Gesualdo

You know what they say about college being a time of discovery.

Many students walk in as freshmen feeling like they know exactly what they want to do: They’ve got a choice of major on lock, a trajectory in mind.

It’s amazing how coursework, internships and pure serendipity can change all that.

Look no further than Sara Kyle (GSB ’15). She came to the Gabelli School with Wall Street in her sights and a finance focus in mind. Life takes unexpected turns, though, and now, at the close of her sophomore year, she’s already a real estate agent with BOND New York Properties.

“I am now a licensed real estate salesperson in the state of New York, and I work on a team of four other agents out of the company’s Greenwich Village office,” she explained.

Sara certainly gave finance a fair shake. She took an internship at a small firm in Scarsdale, New York. She joined Smart Woman Securities, went to Finance Society meetings, started making herself known to recruiters and alumni, and even did a special program at Bank of America for young women.

“However, the closer I got to reaching my original goals, the less interested I became in them,” she recalled.

Enter her best friend, who suggested last summer that they look into getting into the real estate business while still in school. Sara was skeptical but eventually came around. Throughout this semester, she has been going to class four days a week and working in real estate for as many hours as possible during the week and on weekends. It amounts to being on call 24/7, but fortunately, Sara discovered she loves it.

Her firm, BOND, is an independently owned outfit that handles leasing, sales and commercial transactions, and Sara is focused on residential leasing in Manhattan. She analyzes BOND’s inventory of listings, hopscotches Manhattan to preview apartments, creates advertising materials to draw in new customers, and introduces people to what could be their next address.

“People often ask me if this is what I want to do with my life, and frankly I can’t answer that question,” Sara said. “However, I’ve learned that it’s OK not to know that as a sophomore in college. I love what I am doing right now, I love my coworkers and I love New York City. What could be better than spending all of my time exploring the city inside and out, and helping others who want to make it their home?”

The answer to that question, at the moment, appears to be “nothing.” It’s great to hear Sara has found a niche that fits her so well.