ALEXANDRA WELKER ’22,
ALEXANDRA WELKER ’22, NAIKE KASONGO ’22, SHAUNTA ROCKMORE ’22 Empowering Women as Leaders scholarship recipients AS SHAUNTA ROCKMORE ’22 can attest, the value of the Empowering Women as Leaders (EWL) scholarship goes far beyond the funding it provides. A cum laude graduate in criminal justice and business and an EWL scholarship recipient, Rockmore said the EWL experience “gave me hope and opportunities.” EWL is a nonprofit organization that supports MY SCHOLARSHIP MATTERS Empowering Mentorship Empowering Women as Leaders scholarship contributes much more than dollars and cents non-traditional women students beginning or returning to college. They provide support through scholarships, mentoring and networking. Recipients are awarded funds to offset educational costs and are paired with a mentor based on their educational and career goals. The mentoring relationship spans their entire college experience and two years into their careers. For Alexandra Welker ’22, the scholarship’s mentoring component provided muchneeded support during her undergraduate coursework. Welker found someone with whom she connected, and she describes her new friend as “a wonderful mentor in my life, a person who challenges me to meet my goals.” “This scholarship support really changed my life,” said Welker, who graduated from her Texarkana high school 20 years ago. She will complete her TWU English degree in December. Inspiring students and helping them become leaders in their fields and communities has been EWL’s intent since 2005. When awarding scholarships, EWL prioritizes women seeking their first undergraduate degree. Another EWL awardee, Naike Kasongo ’22, will also finish her sociology degree in December. A non-traditional student and parent, Kasongo works full time while raising four children and managing her coursework. At times, she finds this juggling act “challenging physically and financially.” “The EWL scholarship definitely improved my educational experience at TWU,” Kasongo said of the combination of financial assistance and active mentoring. “It is refreshing to know that help is a phone call away,” she said. Rockmore describes her EWL mentors as both inspiring and encouraging. She said, “They are some of the greatest overcomers I’ve ever met.” 22 TEXAS WOMAN’S
THE BLOOMBERG TRADING AND ANALYTIC S LAB was created with the generous support of Nancy P. and Thaddeus E. Paup and the Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership. DID YOU KNOW? A BOOST FROM BLOOMBERG New trading and analytics lab prepares business students for future careers WATCH OUT, Wall Street! TWU’s newest business grads will be ready to hit the ground running, thanks to their experience using the same Bloomberg terminals as the ones used by elite business schools and top financial firms. The launch of the Bloomberg Trading and Analytics Lab this academic year on the Denton campus will enhance the student experience and make TWU grads stand out from the crowd. “This lab will prepare our College of Business (COB) students in finance and business analytics for the workplace,” Dean Rama Yelkur explained. “Our finance students will be trained and Wall Street ready. They will hit the ground running as they begin their careers in the financial sector.” In addition to providing research and study space, the lab will offer direct access to a subscription-based financial software known as the Bloomberg Machine. This platform, widely used by global-finance firms, will afford TWU students experience in real-time market data analysis. The lab is just the latest reason the COB is poised to become one of the best business schools with a woman-focused mission. With multiple undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including two options for undergraduates to earn their BBA and MBA in five years, the COB is reaching new heights. Learn more Contact Dean Rama Yelkur at ryelkur@twu.edu to support the COB TEXAS WOMAN’S 23
