Our member, Celeste Diaz, reflects on how DeFIF and our commitment to our four key pillars have impacted her.
Going into my first year of graduate school, I knew I wanted to get involved with an organization seeking to make a difference in the lives of others. In the summer of 2020, as I began discovering various groups, I was fortunate enough to come across The DePaul Females in Finance Initiative. This initiative’s name itself instantly
brought about feelings of optimism. In an industry where diversity is lacking, I knew from the start this organization was going to have a huge impact on the people it reached. Needless to say, having this organization on DePaul’s campus meant so much, and I knew I wanted to join.
Not even a year into the existence of this organization, and there have already been numerous instances in which DeFIF has impacted me personally. By way of illustration, it has expanded my knowledge of the finance industry while also aiding in the growth of my soft and technical skills. For instance, thanks to my role as a Financial Markets Reporter I am allocated time at the beginning of every meeting to brief my fellow DeFIF members on what has been going on in the markets. This has allowed me to improve upon my communication skills and has kept me up to date on financial news.
Similarly, the Industry Research Competition provided me with a platform to expand my knowledge and grow as I explored ESG investing; I then got to present my findings to various professionals with a portion of the presentation being allocated to Q&A. Not only did the knowledge I gain on ESG investing intensify my interest for it, but I also had the opportunity to develop my presentation skills. Likewise, the Tech and Finance 101 event with Professor Troy Kane was another great educational experience, and it couldn’t have arrived at a better time. I had recently been diving in to the application of Python within financial analytics, and the resources Professor Troy Kane provided expanded my knowledge of both data frame manipulation and data visualization.
Additionally, I am appreciative of what DeFIF has done for me when it comes to assisting in the growth and development of my professional brand. The What’s Your Story event, centered around the act of elevator pitching, provided me with feedback on my elevator pitch allowing me to improve it. Furthermore, it introduced me to new approaches, such as the Pixar Pitch, that I could use when formulating an effective message. In conjunction to that, the Confidence Building Workshop hosted by Patricia Cook, which focused on establishing a strong professional presence in the work place, allowed me to gain a better understanding of how to ensure my abilities are being effectively displayed in my day-to-day life. Patricia Cook taught me about the various details, such as ensuring to take up space, that can make a huge difference when it comes to having a bold presence.
At the core of it all, is the sense of community DeFIF has provided me with. DeFIF is a phenomenal community of strong women that have always given me a tremendous amount of support, and that in itself has been very empowering. This has had a very significant impact on me as, more often than not, my finance courses have been very much male dominated. There tends to be a limited number of women sitting in the room, and an even smaller number of women of color. But DeFIF has painted a very different picture for me. It has shown me that I am not alone, and, as a result, I now have found that sense of community within the finance industry. This sense of belonging has been very empowering because it has provided me and my fellow DeFIF members with a voice as we are being both seen and heard. The Virtual Empowerment Circles DeFIF has held are incredibly uplifting as it acknowledges our realities and pushes us to continue moving forward by recognizing the amazing accomplishments of all our members.
I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of such an amazing community, and I am very excited to see how it will grow and develop in the future as the organization is only getting stronger as time goes by. DeFIF truly recognizes the importance of fostering growth and creating space for everyone, and that is what makes this group so impactful. Going into my first year of graduate school, I knew I wanted to get involved with an organization seeking to make a difference in the lives of others – and that is exactly what I found.