While the last day of summer isn't for a while, summer vacation is indeed over for most of the country's students. Gone are the days of sunshine and beaches, and here are the days of learning and ambition.

When it comes to seeing what is coming down the line in financial services, the sector’s wide range of industry conferences is a great place to start.

This week, BBVA announced its official transition to a unified brand and launched a new logo across its footprint, as it advances in its efforts to offer its customers the best products and services, in an increasingly digital environment.

The list of social media platforms could go on and on. There is a vast amount of social media sites and seemingly an infinite number of active social media users.

Mary Gordon is an educator and the founder of ‘Roots of Empathy’ and ‘Seeds of Empathy’, two revolutionary educational programs based on the development of empathy and in nurturing emotional literacy from early childhood. According to Mary Gordon, “many of the problems afflicting society, like violence and poverty, are rooted in a lack of empathy.”

“My dear refugee and friend, never quit learning, never quit dreaming. Never lose hope.” This is how the letter starts that Muzoon Al-Mellehan has dedicated to the boys and girls who suffer the toll caused by armed conflict. She also had to flee. At 14, she escaped Syria with her family, headed for a refugee camp in Jordan. She brought with her only the essentials: her schoolbooks. During the three years she spent in refugee camps, she fought to raise awareness among families that children should continue studying. In 2017 she became the first UNICEF goodwill ambassador with refugee status. She now lives in the United Kingdom where she is studying international relations: “My message for world leaders and international organizations is that they should focus their efforts on ensuring that children have access to quality education, no matter the circumstances in which they find themselves.”

David Matsumoto is a psychology professor at San Francisco State University (SFSU). His mastery of microexpressions, gestures, non-verbal behavior, culture, and emotion have made him one of the leading experts in these areas. Currently, he is the director of the Emotion and Culture Research Laboratory at SFSU, focused on studies that revolve around social interaction, and communication. In addition, Matsumoto founded the East Bay Judo Institute in El Cerrito, California. He has a seventh-degree black belt and is a licensed class-A trainer and referee.

Keith Devlin is one of the world’s greatest advocates for mathematics. The British Mathematician  insists that maths in the 21st century depends on creativity. Devlin is the author of more than 30 popular science books; a university professor, as well as the co-founder and director of H-STAR, the Human-Sciences and Technologies Advanced Research Institute at Stanford University. His research focuses on the use of different methods for teaching mathematics to the general public.