Where Are They Now? Stephanie (Goldsmith) Edelstein
7/16/2020 10:00:00 AM | Gymnastics, My GW: Celebrating our Stories
GW gymnastics alumna recently shared wisdom with current Colonials
As a GW gymnast, Stephanie (Goldsmith) Edelstein was part of the first three Atlantic 10 titles in program history.
Looking back, resilience, as stressed daily by head coach Margie Cunningham, was a major factor in the Colonials' success.
"A lot of times things are out of your control, but you just have to learn from your experiences and push forward," said Edelstein, who represented the Buff and Blue from 1998-2000. "No matter what happened on the competition floor, Margie was always telling us, 'Get back up. Get back out there and shine.'"
Sure enough, it's a message that still resonates.
Navigating uncertainty amid the COVID-19 global pandemic this spring, Edelstein was tested at every turn. The New York-based real estate attorney rifled through a mental Rolodex of wisdom from the veteran coach whenever she needed a pep talk during an unprecedented time.
Edelstein's efforts paid off: Last month, she started her new position as a partner and head of the property management department at Grant, Herrmann, Schwartz & Klinger LLP. After a run specializing in commercial real estate, she was pleased to find a great fit with a boutique firm handling the high-end residential needs of an international and domestic client base.
Edelstein was grateful to be able to share her story of making the best of a difficult situation with the current generation of Colonials as part of the first installment of the GW Athletics Alumni Summer Series last month. She was joined by four other former Colonials for a panel discussion entitled "The Role of Resiliency in the Face of Crisis."
Â
"I'm lucky because I've experienced life a little bit and I have some of that knowledge to tell them to hang in and just really stay positive no matter what you're going through," Edelstein said. "I have that hindsight, and I really wanted to share that with the student-athletes and let them know that they can use the experiences that they're having now learning from their coaches with their teammates to help them be successful in the real world."
During her GW gymnastics career, Edelstein helped make history. The New York native came in as part of a group of seven first-years that promptly sparked the Colonials to their first A-10 title with Goldsmith finishing third on vault at the conference meet. The breakthrough victory started a run of five straight A-10 crowns for the Buff and Blue.
Â
"It was awesome," said Edelstein, who was also part of title-winning squads in 1999 and 2000 before graduating with a Criminal Justice degree in 2001. "It was a brand-new team, so I don't know if anyone expected us to win A-10s that year, but we somehow came together and did it."
Moving on to New York Law School, Edelstein kept her career options open. At GW, she had internships on Capitol Hill and the Brady Center for Gun Violence and thought she might trend toward working in government.
Instead, Edelstein landed an opportunity working for a firm specializing in real estate upon graduation and loved it. Over the past 15 years, she has found a home in the industry.
"Sometimes you think that life's path will take you one way, but you try something new and it ends up being a really good fit," Edelstein said. "You shouldn't be afraid to try things and venture outside of your comfort zone."
Edelstein believes her experience being part of a tight-knit team at GW is a major reason why it's been an excellent fit. Whether representing a commercial developer or a family, her job depends on building consensus.
"I like real estate because even though you may be representing different parties all parties have to work together to get the deal done," Edelstein said. "To work everything out, it takes a lot of collaboration."
Every step of the way, Edelstein has kept the GW Gymnastics Attitude Statement close by. She has a picture of it saved on her phone to text to friends in need and keeps multiple copies at her work space to hand out to coworkers who could use a pick-me-up.
"Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it," the statement says. Amid the pandemic, those words rang true for Edelstein, who rode out New Jersey's stay-at-home order with her husband Brian and two daughters.
Edelstein found a silver lining with the opportunity to become a partner at her new firm, aided by some pearls of advice from Cunningham that still fit all these years later.
"In my head, I can hear things that Margie said to us to this day," Edelstein said. "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't apply some lesson that she gave us in some way, shape or form."
Looking back, resilience, as stressed daily by head coach Margie Cunningham, was a major factor in the Colonials' success.
"A lot of times things are out of your control, but you just have to learn from your experiences and push forward," said Edelstein, who represented the Buff and Blue from 1998-2000. "No matter what happened on the competition floor, Margie was always telling us, 'Get back up. Get back out there and shine.'"
Sure enough, it's a message that still resonates.
Navigating uncertainty amid the COVID-19 global pandemic this spring, Edelstein was tested at every turn. The New York-based real estate attorney rifled through a mental Rolodex of wisdom from the veteran coach whenever she needed a pep talk during an unprecedented time.
Edelstein's efforts paid off: Last month, she started her new position as a partner and head of the property management department at Grant, Herrmann, Schwartz & Klinger LLP. After a run specializing in commercial real estate, she was pleased to find a great fit with a boutique firm handling the high-end residential needs of an international and domestic client base.
Edelstein was grateful to be able to share her story of making the best of a difficult situation with the current generation of Colonials as part of the first installment of the GW Athletics Alumni Summer Series last month. She was joined by four other former Colonials for a panel discussion entitled "The Role of Resiliency in the Face of Crisis."
Â
"I'm lucky because I've experienced life a little bit and I have some of that knowledge to tell them to hang in and just really stay positive no matter what you're going through," Edelstein said. "I have that hindsight, and I really wanted to share that with the student-athletes and let them know that they can use the experiences that they're having now learning from their coaches with their teammates to help them be successful in the real world."
During her GW gymnastics career, Edelstein helped make history. The New York native came in as part of a group of seven first-years that promptly sparked the Colonials to their first A-10 title with Goldsmith finishing third on vault at the conference meet. The breakthrough victory started a run of five straight A-10 crowns for the Buff and Blue.
Â
"It was awesome," said Edelstein, who was also part of title-winning squads in 1999 and 2000 before graduating with a Criminal Justice degree in 2001. "It was a brand-new team, so I don't know if anyone expected us to win A-10s that year, but we somehow came together and did it."
Moving on to New York Law School, Edelstein kept her career options open. At GW, she had internships on Capitol Hill and the Brady Center for Gun Violence and thought she might trend toward working in government.
Instead, Edelstein landed an opportunity working for a firm specializing in real estate upon graduation and loved it. Over the past 15 years, she has found a home in the industry.
"Sometimes you think that life's path will take you one way, but you try something new and it ends up being a really good fit," Edelstein said. "You shouldn't be afraid to try things and venture outside of your comfort zone."
Edelstein believes her experience being part of a tight-knit team at GW is a major reason why it's been an excellent fit. Whether representing a commercial developer or a family, her job depends on building consensus.
"I like real estate because even though you may be representing different parties all parties have to work together to get the deal done," Edelstein said. "To work everything out, it takes a lot of collaboration."
Every step of the way, Edelstein has kept the GW Gymnastics Attitude Statement close by. She has a picture of it saved on her phone to text to friends in need and keeps multiple copies at her work space to hand out to coworkers who could use a pick-me-up.
"Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it," the statement says. Amid the pandemic, those words rang true for Edelstein, who rode out New Jersey's stay-at-home order with her husband Brian and two daughters.
Edelstein found a silver lining with the opportunity to become a partner at her new firm, aided by some pearls of advice from Cunningham that still fit all these years later.
"In my head, I can hear things that Margie said to us to this day," Edelstein said. "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't apply some lesson that she gave us in some way, shape or form."
GW Gymnastics Senior Meet
Sunday, February 27
Pink Meet
Sunday, February 06
GW Gymnastics Lindsey Ferris Meet
Sunday, January 16
Buff & Blue Forever: Anna Warhol
Friday, May 07