“I am the project manager for client onboarding,” Ostrov said. “I have to do all the internal setup, the external setups, the systems you have to set up.” She said the job means working across multiple teams inside the firm. “You have to work with every team and stay organized,” she said.

Ostrov studied accounting at Lander College for Women before moving into finance. Growing up in the Five Towns and attending Bruriah High School, she wanted a college that would allow her to live at home and earn credit during the year she planned to spend studying in Israel.

“I really didn’t want to do my year in Israel and not get credits,” she said. “I didn’t want to feel like I was wasting a year.” Lander College for Women offered a program that allowed her to earn credit during that year and continue her studies afterward in New York. “It felt like a good choice,” she said. “And I didn’t want to dorm.”

She chose accounting because it would give her a broad business background while leaving several career paths open. “I wanted an overarching degree that could give me flexibility,” she said. “Accounting is a great major for anyone who’s unsure what they want to do in the corporate world.” At the same time, she knew she wanted the degree to lead into finance. “I don’t want to stay in accounting long term,” she said. “I wanted it to lead me into finance.”

While completing her degree, Ostrov also worked part-time at a small financial firm. She attended classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and worked on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

During her senior year she attended a Touro career fair, where she met representatives from the accounting firm DKD, later known as Corvis-Mazars. The meeting led to a summer internship and later a full-time job offer.

Ostrov graduated in 2020. Her start date was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but she eventually joined the firm and began working in public accounting. “Busy season was excruciating,” she said.

After about sixteen months, she moved into finance, joining the asset management firm Cohen & Steers as a client onboarding associate. The position involved coordinating the operational steps required once investors committed funds to investment strategies. “You’re basically in the middle of everything for the firm,” she said. She remained there for nearly three years, working with traders, custodians, and internal teams across the firm.

Later she moved into a similar role at another hedge fund before reconnecting with a former manager who had joined Guggenheim. “I called my boss and said, ‘Can I come please?’” Ostrov recalled. “And she said, ‘Of course.’”

At Guggenheim she now works with major wealth platforms and financial institutions that allocate funds through the firm’s investment strategies. “You’re dealing with a lot of moving pieces,” she said.

Ostrov lives in Teaneck with her husband and their young son. Her day begins early. She wakes around six in the morning, prepares for work, and leaves for the bus into Manhattan around 7:30. “The commute is the only quiet time of my day,” she said.

She arrives at the office around 8:30 and typically works until six in the evening. On Fridays she works from home and prepares for Shabbat. Maintaining religious observance while working in finance requires clear communication with colleagues. “You have to be very communicative,” she said. “I put the holidays on the calendar a year in advance.” When Shabbat begins, she disconnects completely. “Once Shabbat starts I do not log on,” she said.

For students considering careers in finance, Ostrov encourages them to learn as much as possible in their early jobs and speak directly with clients and colleagues. “Learn everything you can,” she said. “Talk to the clients. Don’t be shy.”

“Corporate America can be scary,” she said. “But you can do it.”