Tiffany Zhang is a current junior at Stanford University originally from Hong Kong. She is majoring in English and Economics and is interested in the intersection of finance and technology. She has launched Wall Street Girls gaining national attention. Her nonprofit Wall Street Girls is a financial education platform for curious and ambitious young women interested or working in the financial services industry. By bringing together an online knowledge base, mentorship opportunities, and a supportive community, Wall Street Girls hopes to inspire, educate, and empower the next generation of female leaders in the finance.
Wall Street Girls and The Kidz Money Project are collaborating to host an exciting panel discussion on Women in Finance. Join us on Thursday, April 8th @ 8pm ET/7pm CT/5pm PT to hear from a panel of incredible women who will be sharing their journeys into finance, their experiences as women in a male-dominated industry, advice for other women interested in breaking into finance, and their thoughts on cultivating financial literacy among young women. This discussion is a fantastic opportunity to connect with female leaders who have forged this path, ask questions, and learn more about the financial industry. All are encouraged to attend!
Registration link for participants:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-zVnFvTDTZacd0OmaBiM6
FWM: Share your background in finance.
I’m currently a junior at Stanford University majoring in English and Economics. I first became interested in finance during my freshman year when I pledged for my professional co-ed business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi and was assigned to work as an analyst intern for Parnassus Investments, a San Francisco-based investment management company. The project prompted me to take online valuation and financial modeling courses to develop essential technical skills. While I enjoyed performing fundamental analysis on different stocks and delivering pitches to the company’s portfolio manager, I also realized that I want to work in a faster-paced environment and be a part of the team that advises and creates lasting value for clients—hence investment banking. To develop my growing interest in the industry, I began participating in several business-related organizations on-campus and began working off-campus, for example, as an Investment Banking Analyst Intern at Vista Point Advisors and as a Part-Time Analyst at CRCM Ventures. I spent my previous summer working at Bank of America as a Global Banking and Markets Sophomore Intern. This summer, I will be joining Goldman Sachs’s Investment Banking division in the Technology, Media, and Telecom (TMT) group in San Francisco.
FWM: Tell us about “Wall Street Girls.”
One of the key reasons why a gender gap exists in the finance industry is that young women do not always have access to the educational resources necessary to break into this male-dominated industry. This is why I launched Wall Street Girls in early 2021– to not only educate but to inspire young women to pursue careers in finance. The goal of Wall Street Girls is to help young women prepare for roles in finance through roundtables and interactive workshops, virtual and in-person networking events, as well as a range of online resources. Over the past couple of months, we have been focused on building our free online knowledge base, which includes articles on different financial concepts explained in simple terms, online quizzes, and even downloadable PDFs.
FWM: Share the Interactive Workshop and Panels and other offerings of the platform.
As we continue to grow over the next few months, we hope to introduce a range of professional development programming to our members by collaborating with female financial leaders and various industry experts. Such programming can range from resume-crafting workshops to roundtable discussions on thriving as a female in the financial services industry. By offering exposure to various sectors within finance, including investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, and asset management, we hope to encourage more females to enter the industry. We are also working on our formal mentorship program, which will offer young women opportunities to connect 1:1 with a mentor who can share career advice and help these women navigate various recruitment opportunities.
“For young women looking to break into a predominantly-male industry such as finance, the value of mentorship cannot be overstated.”
FWM: On April 8, you will host the Wall Street Girls X The Kidz Money Project – Breaking Barriers: Women in Finance Panel Discussion. What can we expect?
Wall Street Girls and The Kidz Money Project are collaborating to host an exciting virtual panel discussion on Women in Finance. We will be speaking with a panel of incredible women who will be sharing their journeys into finance, their experiences as women in a male-dominated industry, advice for other women interested in breaking into finance, and their thoughts on cultivating financial literacy among young women. This discussion is a fantastic opportunity to connect with female leaders who have forged this path, ask questions, and learn more about the financial industry.
FWM: “The greatest investment you will ever make is in yourself.” How is Wall Street Girls a catalyst for investing in yourself?
Wall Street Girls believes in the importance of investing in your professional development and your career. We offer online resources for our members to expand their understanding of the financial services industry, interactive workshops and events for them to gain additional training, mentorship opportunities, and a supportive community, which we hope will allow them to invest in themselves.
FWM: How important is mentorship?
Mentorship is incredibly important and can be a significant part of one’s overall career success, both early on and late in one’s professional life. Mentors can serve as role models, they can help guide us through challenges and potential career-growth opportunities, and can help us continue to fine tune our soft skills, such as communication. For young women looking to break into a predominantly-male industry such as finance, the value of mentorship cannot be overstated. Through regular virtual and in-person meet-ups, 1:1 coffee chats, office hour sessions, and our formal mentorship program (which we will be launching soon), Wall Street Girls hopes to offer our members the opportunity to network and develop lasting relationships with female mentors in finance.
FWM: What are your goals for the platform in 2021?
Wall Street Girl launched in the beginning of 2021 but has been growing quickly. At the moment, we are looking to continue growing our community in order to expand our reach and further our mission of educating young women. We will continue hosting regular events (including collaborations with our partners) and will be partnering with more university organizations and female-focused non-profits. We hope to launch our formal mentorship program within the next few months.
FWM: Please provide your social media links.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wall.street.girls/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wallstreetgirls.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WS_Girls_
