#HERstory: Celebrating Women’s History Month 2023

Where did you grow up / what did you study / what were your early life influences?

I grew up both in Montana and Cairo, Egypt. I studied Construction Civil Engineering at the American University in Cairo and pursued my MBA at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

My biggest early life influence was my father who was a scientist. His incredible work ethic and dedication to the detective work of the scientific process has always been an inspiration.

What led you to a career in the financial industry?

As an engineer, I would pull together diverse sets of data and analyze them to formulate an opinion on current and future structures. The skillset translates incredibly well to investing. Every day I’m pulling from different data sources trying to find trends to formulate an opinion on how a business’s trajectory will evolve.

What advice would you give women interested in working in finance?

Just do it. Some of the biggest and best opportunities in my career have come from volunteering for projects a little out of my comfort zone. I believe the financial services industry is an incredible place for women and I’d love to see more women join our industry.

What is your favorite memory from your career so far?

Visiting everything from a dairy farm in Vietnam to a commerce fulfillment facility in the UK to learn about these industries and try to gain insights. Having a front row seat and be able to learn about these industries from the ground is an incredible privilege.

What is your favorite travel destination?

My favorite travel destination remains my hometown of Cairo Egypt. The people, the food, and the history always bring back the best childhood memories.

Where did you grow up / what did you study / what were your early life influences?

I grew up in Canyon Country, what is now Santa Clarita. I studied Economics at the University of Southern California.

When I was in high school, I was the student representative to the school board. Prop 13 had just passed in California where all the funding for the school district went away, and the school board had to figure out a way to fund all the school programs. Watching that happen and seeing the board’s struggles with how to make decisions and what to do led to my interest in municipal finance.

What led you to a career in the financial industry?

When I was in high school and college, we had double digit inflation and unemployment. We went through massive economic turmoil, but it turned around quickly, and seeing that shift made finance interesting to me. What you knew about finance in stagflation and what you knew coming out of stagflation completely changed during that time. Facts were proven that hadn’t been proved before on how to break inflation. Pairing economics together with municipal finance and how you run a local government was fascinating to me.

What advice would you give women interested in working in finance?

You can have it all, just don’t plan on sleeping. I remember times when I would wake up early in the morning to get to work, work all day, then take my daughter to practice, and we’d come home late where she would still have AP homework that goes until the middle of the night. I had emails to answer, economic news to read, and things to get ready for the next day so I would be on the couch next to her while she did her homework. This is something that my daughter, who now works night shifts as a doctor, always remembers – that I’d stay up and spend that time with her. Striking a balance between work and a family is doable.

What is your favorite memory from your career so far?

My favorite memories are always centered around the people whose lives I touch the most. I’ve had fellow professionals hire me because they knew they were approaching a challenging time and wanted help for their family. I’ve been able to help keep people in their homes when they didn’t have enough money. That kind of direct help means a lot to me.

What is your favorite travel destination?

I don’t really have a favorite travel destination. I like to go new places every time I go somewhere. However, I do love to take people to places in California that they’ve never seen. My favorite one is to take people to the Avenue of the Giants, which is about three to four hours north of San Francisco and is absolutely magnificent
to see.

Where did you grow up / what did you study / what were your early life influences?

I grew up in Boston. I studied economics and political science at Boston College and earned my MBA from UCLA.

My vivid childhood experiences center around my journey towards settling in the US. My parents took us on a boat in the middle of the night to leave our homeland from Vietnam to Hong Kong where we stayed for a year in a refugee camp until my uncle was able to sponsor us to come to the US. That shaped who I am as an individual and to appreciate my parents for making the courageous journey to bring our family out of a post-war Vietnam.

What led you to a career in the financial industry?

I was on the pre-law track, but I wanted to take pause and figure out if it was my true calling. I was considering corporate law and took time to reassess while taking an opportunity with State Street Bank. They had a strong fund accounting training program that helped me foray into an area I thought I would be interested in – the securities industry.

What advice would you give women interested in working in finance?

It’s important to find mentors or speak with people that have gone through a path that you are interested in so you can learn from their experience. Finding a mentor can be challenging and that’s where young women need to think about being their own champion and advocating for themselves. Creating your own opportunities and raise your hand if there is a project that interests you.

What is your favorite memory from your career so far?

I don’t really have a favorite memory. When I reflect on the last six years at Kayne, I can honestly say that I’ve had many good memories.  It’s been enjoyable to work with the team and although we’ve faced business challenges, working together to overcome them has been a positive and rewarding experience. We’ve also celebrated many wins and I feel fortunate to work in a place like Kayne where I can showcase who I am as an individual and contribute to the firm.

What is your favorite travel destination?

I love to travel and every time I have a new trip planned, I get excited and that becomes my favorite destination. What’s important to me is that I’m able to travel with the people I love to travel with and enjoy my time with them. It’s not about the destination, but more about who I travel with and how we spend our time together. I think travel is a way to take pause, reassess the world, learn about new cultures, and talk to different people. Any opportunity that offers that near or far is my favorite way to spend my time as it relates to travel.