95 THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Shawna K. Attaway-Jefferson Anya Ishita Dhall SHAWNA K. ATTAWAY-JEFFERSON, Master of Science in finance, chose finance because it’s a career field where her aptitude with numbers and inquisitive nature are praised. It’s a place where she gets to use numbers to problem-solve and provide insight into the unknown. She is most proud of participating in (and winning) the 2021 Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Cup Northwest while at PSU. Her immediate family structure is made up of three generations of African American women. As a single parent and survivor of domestic violence, she overcame many financial, physical and emotional challenges to attend and complete two degrees at PSU. Attaway-Jefferson earned the Laurels Graduate Award, the PWHC/CE Rawlinson Scholarship and the G. & M. Cameron Scholarship. She shared that these donors removed an enormous barrier to access from a woman of color; for that she will forever be grateful to the scholarship and awards committee stakeholders. She also wants to thank her mother, Patricia; daughter, Tajah (pronounced like the end of “Fantasia.” Just the “Tasia” part); undergraduate professors Dave Nickel, Michael Dimond, and Eleanor Wynn; and all of the School of Business faculty, staff and their networks, with a special mention for Jessica Rutledge, Janet Hamilton and Jing Zhao. After graduation, she hopes to work as a financial analyst or investment banker. ANYA ISHITA DHALL, Bachelor of Science in Finance and School of Business Honors graduate, chose to study finance because she is passionate about reinvesting in product innovation and turning numbers into actionable business insights to improve global sustainability practices. Her most memorable experience at PSU is making friendships that will last a lifetime through her courses and the organizations she’s involved in. PSU’s Student Activities and Leadership Programs (SALP) awarded her with the ELSA scholarship. Dhall was a School of Business peer adviser and executive vice president of the Financial Management Association. Upon graduation, she will be joining KPMG as a full-time risk and financial advisory analyst and one day hopes to earn her MBA. Her dad has been her biggest role model throughout her life and she can only hope to make him proud and take care of him the way he has of her and her sister. She wants to thank her father, sister, friends and numerous business faculty for their continuous support and guidance throughout her journey at PSU. STUDENT SPEAKERS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc4NTAz