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MSF Student Krista White Recognized by Puget Sound Business Journal
MSF Student Krista White Recognized by Puget Sound Business Journal
Image: (Photo: Zach Powers/PLU)
By Zach Powers '10
PLU Marketing & Communications
TACOMA, WASH. (May 5, 2015)- Pacific Lutheran University graduate student Krista White has been awarded the Puget Sound Business Journal Women of Influence Scholarship. A student in PLU’s Master of Science in Finance program, White will be awarded $7,500 by the publication.
“What stands out the most about Krista is her tenacity and work ethic,” says Director of the MSF, Cynthia Riley Smith. “Some of her strengths as a student include a high level of intelligence coupled with a sense of grace and humility. She never flaunts her knowledge, yet is willing to share it with others.”
Founded in 2006, the Women of Influence Awards celebrate the leadership of women in the business world and in the larger community. To be a “Woman of Influence,” one must “evidence not only leadership and achievement in business and in the community, but also be a mentor to other women.”
“Krista took the top honor because she was able to impress the scholarship committee with her academic and leadership abilities in the MSF program as well as professionalism in an interview,” explains Smith.
White will graduate in May with a 4.0 cumulative grade point average. While a graduate student at PLU, she has served as Head of Research for the Gary Baughn Student Investment Fund and as a Graduate Fellow, assisting Finance professors on research projects and in two undergraduate courses.
In addition to providing financial support toward White’s education, the members of the Puget Sound Business Journal’s Women of Influence advisory board will make themselves available as professional mentors and White will also have the opportunity to mentor students pursuing degrees and careers in finance.
“Throughout my undergrad and graduate years I haven’t really had anyone mentoring me, and that would have been really nice,” says White. “The opportunity to be that person for someone else wanting to go into the business field, especially someone coming from a nontraditional background, is really exciting to me.”
White says she hopes to apply her MSF to a career in the non-profit sector working on finance and operations.
“My dream job would be to work for Fisher House,” White explains. “They are a military nonprofit that provides housing for service members and their families who are injured or dealing with some sort of rehabilitation at a military hospital.”
