11 women earn scholarships in 2014

Mona Ahmadi was born and raised in Iran. Because of restricted Islamic laws, which targets women and religious minority groups, she was denied the right to higher education. As a result, she left Iran and was able to immigrate to the United States. She has volunteered for and contributed to World Vision and Moms Against Poverty, organizations that support young women's education. Mona plans to become a CFO and also start a charitable foundation that will help educate girls. She works as a Financial Analyst for Autodesk, where she is a member of the Women in Leadership Club. She previously worked as a Financial Analyst at Cost Plus World Market. Mona is pursuing her MBA at the Universityof San Francisco.

Kaitlyn Busler's goal is to lead an energy company as CFO and help the U.S. move closer to energy independence. She worked for four years on Bank of America Merrill Lynch's trading floor as an Energy Specialist and was the only woman on her team. She obtained her Bachelor's degree from Columbia University in New York where she was Team Captain for the Varsity Field Hockey Team. She volunteered for Columbia Athletics Varsity C Club and Columbia Athletics Women's Leadership Council while living in New York. Kaitlyn will be attending Stanford's Graduate School of Business this fall.

Tanya Gupta is a Master of Financial Engineering candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, and hopes to start her own hedge fund. She was born and raised in India, where she earned her Bachelor of Technology, Information and Communication Technology, as well as her MBA. She has worked as a Risk Analyst at the State Bank of India in Mumbai and as a Policies Manager for Credit Suisse in Singapore. Tanya is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a passionate dancer, basketball player, cricket player, and artist. Her greatest motivation is her son, who was born this past year.

Toni Kraeva was born in Bulgaria and moved to the U.S. at the age of thirteen. She began her career in consulting and investment banking in New York, later moving to the Bay Area to become a Corporate Financial Analyst at Virgin America and then a Mergers & Acquisitions Strategy Associate at eBay. She will start the MBA program at the University of California, Berkeley, this fall and hopes to become a financial leader in the education technology industry. Toni serves as a board member for Junior Achievement and recently helped establish a computer center for HIV positive youth in Uganda.

Elisa Lee will be graduating this summer with a Master of Accountancy from Golden Gate University. She has maintained a high GPA, currently 3.93, even while owning and operating her own accounting business, which has generated positive net profit growth every year. After graduation, she will join Moss Adams, a CPA firm committed to promoting women to senior positions. Elisa is a member of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, a Student Body Liaison Officer for Chi Pi Alpha, and has volunteered for multiple events and fundraisers for both organizations.

Alia Luqman's dream is to provide financial education to low income women with children in the Bay Area through creating centers that can teach mothers how to set goals, find employment, manage budgets, and save money. After graduating with a Bachelor's degree from Columbia University in New York, she pursued a career in social work, managing and providing care to youth in New York and then in the Bay Area as a social worker for San Francisco County's Department of Family and Children Services. She has a Master's of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley, and is pursuing her MBA at Mills College.

Lynsie Ulrich is currently attending Dominican University of California, where she is pursuing a Bachelor's in Accounting and Finance and an MBA in Global Strategic Management. She plans to obtain a CPA license and begin her career as an auditor at KPMG LLP in San Francisco. Lynsie currently interns for Dominican University Business Services and volunteers for Tax Aid where she prepares tax returns for low-income personnel and trains other volunteers. She is a member of the Alpha Chi Honors Society, Sigma Beta Delta Honors Society, Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society, and is a seven time consecutive Dean's List honoree.

Federica Beatrice is currently attending Mills College, where she is pursuing a Bachelor's in Economics. Federica was born and raised in Italy and moved to California to attend college. Prior to attending college, she and her husband first started a metal fabrication shop, which they turned into a $1 million business over five years. Federica then turned a bare 60 acres into a well-respected horse boarding facility, which she currently oversees as General Manager. She is currently training as a bank examiner for the FDIC in San Francisco and is planning on attending business school.

Stephanie Hyde is attending California State University, East Bay, majoring in Business Administration and concentrating in Accounting. She currently works as a Legal Assistant and Litigation Paralegal for Temmerman, Cilley & Kohlmann. Stephanie plans on pursuing a Master's degree in taxation and a CPA license. She hopes to use her financial education to teach others accounting and promote financial literacy. Stephanie has been named on the Dean's List twice, while working full time, and is a recipient of the CalCPA Scholarship for Emerging Accounting Scholars.

Olivia Li is attending Santa Clara University, where she is pursuing a Bachelor's in Commerce with a major in Accounting and a minor in Sociology. She has been invited to participate in both the Accelerated Cooperative Education Business School Honors Program, as one of the top 25 business school students, and the Dean's Leadership Program. She works as a Community Facilitator at Santa Clara University and a Programs Assistant for the business school. Olivia plans on obtaining her CPA license and starting her own social venture, using her financial skills to benefit non-profits.

Alissa Oropeza is currently attending the University of San Francisco, majoring in Finance with a concentration in Business Law and a minor in Legal Studies. Alissa is pursuing a career in investment banking and her ultimate goal is to own her own consulting firm providing financial planning and investment services. She volunteers as a lead tutor for America Reads and is the Treasurer, Fundraising Chair, and Marketing Chair for Lambda Theta Nu. She also works as a Community Office Manager at Lone Mountain University where she supervises 15 community assistants.