12 Women Awarded FWSF Scholarships in 2018

Lauren is a first-year MBA student at the University of California, Berkeley, where she is also a consultant at Blockchain, VP of Academics at the Haas Fintech Club, and an academic cohort representative. Prior to Haas Business School, Lauren worked in securitization origination for CIBC Capital Markets where she structured and executed over $20bn in transaction volume, managed client relationships, and oversaw the entire transaction process. Lauren is so passionate about fintech and VC investing that she founded a firm in hopes of redesigning the securitization ecosystem using blockchain technology.

Smriti moved to the United States from Nepal in September 2016. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in accounting at Saint Mary’s College of California. Smriti earned an MBA and a Bachelor’s degree in finance from her home country of Nepal. As a student in Nepal, she initiated a communication club that created trainings and competitions and worked with Rotaract Club in creating social awareness programs in the community and helped raise funds for orphanages. Active in her local community, Smriti is the class representative and secretary for the Graduate Business Student Advisory Board at Saint Mary’s. Upon graduation in the fall of 2018, Smriti will begin a new endeavor with Deloitte and is looking forward to taking her CPA exam later in the year.

Born in Vienna, Austria, Barbara spent the last few years pursuing an international career studying at UC Berkeley and Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Before moving to Silicon Valley in 2016, she received a Bachelor of Science in business administration and enjoyed working for one of the largest original equipment manufacturers in the aerospace sector in Hamburg, Germany. Today, she is pursuing a Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of San Francisco. In her current role, Barbara serves as a product management intern at Splunk, Inc. and dedicates time to her startup that aims to eliminate discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Her passion for entrepreneurship directly translates to her goal to start a successful career in venture capital to accelerate female founders and their endeavors in Austria.

Born in a Thai refugee camp into a family of survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide, Monica has always had a hunger for education. She grew up partially in Cambodia and San Jose, CA, and has split her time among three continents. Monica earned her undergraduate degree in global business management and communications at the University of Minnesota and is currently pursuing a dual MBA with an emphasis in finance and entrepreneurship and a Master’s in Asian Pacific Studies from the University of San Francisco. Active in her local community, Monica is serving as president for Entrepreneurship and Finance Clubs and a mentor for Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship. In Cambodia, she co-founded two social enterprises, one focusing on primary education and the second with an emphasis on international post-secondary education. Monica aspires to be a venture capitalist.

Jackie is pursuing her MBA from Stanford and a Master’s in public administration from Harvard. She is working to be the founder of Kammer Venture Partners, the first venture capital fund with a specialized focus on women’s health. Jackie transitioned to venture capital after a successful career as a nonprofit CEO and social entrepreneur. Serving as executive director of Spark allowed her to mobilize thousands of millennials as philanthropists and advocates for women’s empowerment. Active in her local community, Jackie is board chair of Everybody Dance Now!, a youth development organization she founded at age 14 that has used dance as a tool for self-empowerment for over 13,000 young people in several cities. Jackie also advises the organization In My Words, a national, youth-led campaign working to transform institutional responses for sexually harmed survivors.

As a refugee to the United States, the opportunities afforded to Feroza have inspired her to help others. During her senior year as an undergraduate student at California State University, East Bay, she partnered with her mother to open an authentic Afghan restaurant in Oakland, CA. As the CEO of the restaurant, she embarked upon a new mission to employ refugees while working with the International Rescue Committee (IRC). This experience led her to further pursue the MBA program at CSUEB. Her time serving as a volunteer with the Afghan Elderly Association and other nonprofits in the Bay Area, coupled with her professional work experience, have given Feroza the desire to one day be the CEO of a social venture company that seeks to empower women.

Alexis is an engagement manager in Oliver Wyman’s Financial Services practice, where she leads teams to solve strategic problems for clients across the banking, insurance, payments, and government sectors. She aspires to assemble and lead teams to create innovative, inclusive financial solutions. Alexis is also the marketing officer on the board of American Mensa, an international high-IQ society serving over 50,000 members. She grew up in Los Altos Hills, CA, and earned her Bachelor’s in psychology with distinction from Yale University, where she graduated cum laude. Alexis will attend Stanford’s Graduate School of Business in the fall of 2018.

Marielle is an undergraduate at Saint Mary’s College of California studying business analytics and finance. She is originally from Manila, Philippines, and moved to Stockton, CA. Active in her school’s community, she is a School of Economics and Business Administration (SEBA) undergraduate peer mentor, a member of the SEBA Dean’s Undergraduate Student Advisory Board, and a member of the Responsible Investment Club. Off campus, she works to empower immigrants through a civics test study program with the Monument Crisis Center in Concord, CA. Marielle is also currently an intern for Naylor & Company Investments, a registered investment advisory firm. Marielle plans to utilize her skills from her business analytics and finance programs to combine her entrepreneurial spirit and interest in numbers, data, and business.

Lauren is studying finance and economics in the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University. She is a member of the University Honors Program and the Leavey Scholars, as well as a two-time Dean’s List student. On campus, Lauren gives tours for the admissions office and participates in the Accelerated Cooperative Education Leadership (ACE) program in the Leavey School of Business. Lauren aspires to work for the Own It Summit, an annual women’s empowerment summit, and hopes to work in tech as a financial analyst after completing her double major.

Maria is an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley, double majoring in business administration and environmental economics. Maria grew up in a rural town in Mexico where the highest education offered was middle school. She embraced the educational opportunity she found when she moved to California. At UC Berkeley, she consults nonprofits through the Association for Socially Responsible Business and mentors high schools students through their college application process. Maria has also served as the executive administrator for the Latino Business Student Association and is committed to increasing Latino representation in businesses. For the past two summers, Maria has interned at Deloitte where she developed her interest in the financial services industry. Her goal is to combine this with her passion for environmental sustainability.

Qurat is a first-generation college student at San Jose State University pursuing a degree in accounting. On campus, she assists students and faculty as an instructional student assistant, is the national reporting secretary for Beta Alpha Psi, and a member of the highly selective Sbona Honors Program. As part of this program, she has led her team’s marketing project with an EdTech company and spearheaded a research project for BPM LLP. Qurat is passionate about contributing to the future of fintech and blockchain. For now, she is excited to have accepted an internship with PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Qurat also hopes to light the path and serve as role model for young Muslim women who want to have a career in accounting.