GROWING UP, I ALWAYS LOVED SEPTEMBER and going back to school. When displays of highlighters and notebooks started lining the shelves of local stores, even before the August long weekend, I would push aside the nagging feeling of the season, rushing to window shop for the tools that would help me in the year to come. In August, I’d take my university reading lists with me to cottage country, scouring the used bookstores for items on my mandatory and suggested reading lists, happily checking items off with my newly purchased highlighter.

As adults, we quickly realize that some of our most important learning doesn’t necessarily happen over a fall to spring schedule, or even inside a lecture hall. Over the past six months, many of us have traded classrooms, lunch-and-learns, conferences, and symposiums for online learning. Our education can continue virtually anywhere, with a big emphasis on “virtual.”

This spring and summer, learning for me has included researching, building, tending to and successfully harvesting herbs and vegetables inside a container garden my dog can’t infiltrate. It has also been about finding the perfect, somewhat secluded spot in my home to attend live-stream learning, alongside a warm mug of tea and a pair of headphones.

In this issue of The Analyst, we explore education, advocacy, and how COVID-19 is changing our world. We have detailed coverage from finance e-learning events and, in our charterholder profile, a discussion with former board member and previous CFA exam prep instructor Dana Boyko, CFA, about academia, financial technology, and secrets gleaned from being a life-long learner. Articles on leadership in financial literacy, changes to the CFA curriculum, and the impact Python is having within and beyond finance highlight the rapid transformations taking place within the investment community.

Wildlife expert Steve Irwin certainly had a contagious thirst for knowledge, and his example can be applied towards anything we are eager to learn. As he once said, “I believe that education is all about being excited about something. Seeing passion and enthusiasm helps push an educational message.” This issue strives to pique your curiosity and serves as an inspiration for future learning.