Ava Silva ('23) receives FEI Scholarship
Each year the Silicon Valley Chapter of Financial Executives International (FEI) awards scholarships to approximately a dozen outstanding students in Finance and Accounting from Bay Area universities, including Santa Clara University, Cal Berkeley, Cal State University East Bay, Menlo College and San Jose State University. To date, the program has awarded more than half a million dollars to hundreds of high-achieving students.
Scholarships are awarded after interviewing up to 30 students selected from an average of 75 to 100 applicants. Recipients are selected for academic achievement, leadership skills as demonstrated by extracurricular activities, and career plans in the finance or accounting field. This year, FEI awarded a scholarship to our Accounting major, Ava Silva.
Ava Silva ('23), a SCU Accounting major with a minor in Spanish Studies, was honored with the 2022 FEI Scholarship Award. Her career interests include financial analytics, financial due diligence, and public accounting. She aspires to work in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) with an emphasis on using Spanish knowledge to promote diversity within the workplace. Ava finds the financial due diligence and transaction services she performed at Deloitte to be extremely interesting and rewarding. Her plan is to continue her internship with Deloitte and receive a full-time offer in M&A post-graduation.
At SCU, Ava has had the opportunity to be a University Honors Program member and collaborate extensively with amazing professors and peers. Participating in honors designated classes enriched her learning by giving her the close-knit community to share her thoughts and ask important questions she otherwise would not have in a different environment. Ava feels that she has become a better critical thinker and learned to ask the questions that are pertinent to her understanding. Ava plans to take the CPA exam in Spring 2023. She has a love for the accounting industry and excitement for her career ventures in the future.
FEI also invites scholarship candidates to become members of their Rising Stars Advisory Board, a program which offers networking opportunities with the FEI Board and ongoing FEI Professional Development events. The following SCU Accounting students were selected to participate in the Rising Stars Advisory Board: Bethany Candler, Jessica Lee, and Ava Silva.