By Yasmin Bardales
The following is the first installment in a series of stories written by the eight talented participants in the 2025 Hofstra University Summer High School Journalism Institute, from July 15-25. In this piece, Yasmin Bardales, a Hempstead High junior, profiles Stacey Romero, a Hempstead senior. All participants were asked to write short biographies on one another as an opening exercise.
Stacey Romero, a 16-year-old rising Hempstead High School senior, was born and raised in the Village of Hempstead, and like many others students her age, she is figuring out what her future might entail. For now, she is thinking about starting a bakery business in the future and investing her money in the stock market.
Romero’s determination to make it in business and investment stems from her childhood. Romero grew up watching her father start his own business, which inspired her to want to open her own. When Romero was 15 years old, she visited her father’s construction worksite and saw the client’s lavish home in the making. In the beginning, that client could not even afford a diaper for his child. Romero was intrigued by how the client was able to afford this home and asked her father what his client had done for a living. Her father responded, “Investing.” That one word sparked a new passion for Romero.
“My dad’s a businessman, created his own business and everything, which is very inspiring,” Romero said.
Romero grew up outgoing and loving; however, people criticized her for her easygoing nature. “A lot of people used to judge me,” Romero said. Despite this, Romero has retained her genuine nature by not allowing other people’s words to cause her to waver.
This does not mean, however, that these critiques did not affect her. “I really wanted to leave this, like, past me,” Romero said, as she ruminated about her earlier years. When Romero entered Hempstead High School in 2023, she decided that she would stop caring about what others thought of her. She was able to overcome this hurdle because of her willpower as a person and the people she had to support her, such as her parents, she said.
“But then after a while, I was like, OK, I’m just gonna be myself again,” Romero said.
Romero’s biggest sources of inspiration and motivation are her parents. Her mother provided her with advice on how to navigate life while using her own experiences as examples to help guide Romero in life.
Romero said she believes journalism is an important piece to her future career path as a businesswoman. “I plan to use journalistic skills to help communicate with others,” Romero said about her future business endeavors. She believes that with the help of journalism, she can hone her research skills so she can become a force in the business world.
“Everything is possible if you put your mind to it,” Romero said.
