UDC Students Awarded Scholarships by Structured Finance Foundation

Today the Structured Finance Foundation, an affiliate of the Structured Finance Association (SFA), awarded two exceptional University of the District of Columbia (UDC) students with scholarships to support their education. The students, Iyanna Jackson and Elias Carson, were both awarded $10,000 scholarships today at a ceremony on campus.

The scholarship was established in 2020 with a gift of $80,000 to support students pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in finance, accounting, or economics in the UDC School of Business and Public Administration. Since 2017, the Structured Finance Foundation has awarded over $1,000,000 in scholarships to 39 students.

“The Structured Finance Foundation equitably invests in students today because we want the finance industry of the future to be more inclusive,” said Leslie Sack, Executive Director of the Structured Finance Foundation. “Iyanna Jackson and Elias Carson are two shining examples of the next generation of leaders who will allow our industry to better reflect the lives we affect around the country.”

“Students like Iyanna and Elias deserve our support not only because they are succeeding academically, but because they have positioned themselves to be future leaders in our industry,” said Anna-Liza Harris, Chair of the Structured Finance Foundation Board of Directors. “On behalf of the Structured Finance Foundation, I want to congratulate these bright individuals and encourage them to persevere throughout their careers in the finance industry.”

 “Thanks to the Structured Finance Foundation for consistently supporting our students by investing in the quality education offered here at UDC,” said Dr. Alex Tan, Department Chair and Professor in the Department of Accounting and Finance at the University of the District of Columbia. “These deserving students have a world of opportunities open to them thanks to the Structured Finance Foundation, SFA, and the industry members of SFA.”

SFA and UDC have a non-financial partnership intended to close the racial gap in the finance industry by investing in Black students. Their partnership includes curriculum input, educational briefings, job search support, informal mentorship opportunities, and full-time paid summer internships.

In recent years, SFA has launched a series of initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion in the securitization industry. In 2014, SFA launched its Women in Securitization (WiS) initiative to support the retention and advancement of women in the structured finance industry. In 2020, SFA launched its DEI initiative with the goal of ensuring the participation of minorities in the industry.

About the Recipients

 Iyanna Jackson is a native of Jamaica and is a rising junior studying accounting and finance at UDC.

“The foundation scholarship would be instrumental in supporting my academic aspirations by providing financial assistance for my education and allowing me to focus on achieving my career goals. The scholarship would help me offset the cost of school insurance, books, and other expenses for my junior year; help reduce stress and not have to worry about a financial hold on my school account; and provide me with access to networking opportunities and industry events, which would be invaluable for building my professional network and gaining exposure to different areas of the industry.” – Iyanna Jackson

Elias Carson was born and raised in Washington, DC, and is a senior studying finance at UDC.

“In the short term, this award will help me by ensuring my tuition for my final semester is covered, allowing me to dedicate more bandwidth towards my schoolwork and extracurricular activities. It also will help me down the road by giving me a head start on taking courses toward my master’s and alleviating some of the costs associated with the degree going forward. It would help personally by alleviating a lot of the stress associated with finding ways to fund my education. As someone who has paid their first 3 years out of pocket, not having to worry about it my senior lifts a huge weight off my shoulders.” – Elias Carson

About the Structured Finance Foundation

The Structured Finance Foundation seeks to support youth education through partnerships with UDC, Scholarship America, and Mentor Foundation USA to develop and provide scholarship programs for young people. Since 2017, the foundation has awarded 37 students over $880,000 in scholarships. The Structured Finance Foundation also connects scholarship winners to the significant network of the Structured Finance Association membership, which represents all sectors of the securitization market including issuers, investors, financial intermediaries, law firms, accounting firms, technology firms, rating agencies, servicers, and trustees.