2 minute read
Financial Women of San Francisco Bay Area
By Mona Ahmadi, Adjunct Professor, Finance; Director of Financial Planning and Analysis, Earnin; Board Member, Financial Women of San Francisco
My journey in higher education and business started at age 17, when I was denied the right to further my education because of systematic social and religious discrimination in Iran, where I was born and raised. I fervently believed I should not be denied an education because of my gender—or my political or religious views—and made the bold decision to move to the United States in order to alter the course of my life. In the intervening years, I’ve assimilated into American culture, facilitated by my enrollment in public and private educational institutions, including the University of San Francisco. I’ve also benefited from employers who advocated for my advancement.
I believe in giving back to institutions that support women. In 2014, I received a graduate scholarship from Financial Women of San Francisco, and recently joined its board to promote and empower women in finance and business. I also serve on the board of TMC Community Capital to spread its mission of providing affordable microlending for minorities and women, and other underserved business owners.
While all too often women must do more than their male colleagues to prove themselves, awareness of the value of inclusion and diversity is on the rise. Here in California, for example, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 826 in 2018, which requires public companies in the state to have women on their boards by the end of 2021. In yet other ways, the pipeline for female leaders seems to be widening, reflecting the significant gains in educational attainment that women have made in recent decades.
I am proud to be celebrating these necessary changes – and making Menlo students aware of them — as a new adjunct faculty at Menlo College.
Scholarships from Women for Women
Financial Women of San Francisco (FWSF) awards scholarships to Bay Area women whose educational aims include careers in finance and financial services. In addition to financial support, scholarship recipients have the opportunity to be mentored by FWSF members as well as attend career development and networking events. FWSF will accept applications for their 2022 funding cycle between January 1, and March 21, 2022.
