The DePaul Females in Finance Initiative is pleased to announce the establishment of the Wicklander Student Support Endowment Fund.
The DePaul Females in Finance Initiative launched in 2020 with a goal to empower females pursuing careers in financial services. The areas of focus are awareness, community and allyship, expanding knowledge to reduce the confidence gap, and growth to create strong future leaders in finance.
The organization was founded by Annie Nyqvist (’22) and Seerat Kaler (’21) along with their executive board; Sydney Le (’21), Claire Jossart (’21), Eleni Kritikos (’22), Mackenzie Larsen (’22), and Asma Zaman (’22). In terms of future career plans, 100% of executive board members have accepted offers for either full time employment or an internship in the fields of banking, capital markets, and consulting. These future leaders in finance are determined to bring the resources, mentorship, and advice, which supported them in their journey, to other DePaul students.
Their leadership is rooted in the organization’s four values of growth, knowledge, community, and empowerment. Since the start of the academic year, they have hosted over fifteen events and brought in professionals representing twenty different firms. Moreover, these events have played an instrumental role in our members landing internships, interviews, and full-time offers.
A 2018 report from McKinsey found that while male and females in finance begin their careers on equal footing, as the ladder rises, women only account for 19% of the C-Suite. The initiative’s leaders believe their efforts will be essential to helping more female DePaul students climb to these positions of power and influence within the field of finance.
The long-term vision is supported by the Endowment Fund allowing friends and supporters of DePaul to assist with building the next generation of females leading others in finance. By 2024-2025, the endowment is expected to grow to $200,000. Proceeds of the funds will go towards future high impact activities such as competitions, external seminars from leaders in their fields, awarding scholarships, and hosting the College of Business’s first women-focused summit.
In addition, the student organization thanks their staff sponsor, Heather Bosworth, the Department of Finance & Real Estate, and Office of Advancement for their involvement in the fund’s establishment. Moreover, they provide special recognition to Joe and Kelly Wicklander for being their founding partner and trusted advisors of the fund. Ms. Kaler mentions “transformative social justice is a marathon, not a sprint. Long lasting sources of empowerment make a difference and are truly the best gift one can receive, and in turn, give.”
The Females in Finance Initiative seeks the support of any students, alumni, individuals, corporations, or foundations to make a contribution to their endowment fund and become an essential part of taking their vision forward. Detailed information on giving and sponsorship can be found on their website. The deadline to become a founding partner of the fund is June 30th, 2021.