WOC Financial Literacy Workshop
It’s been 3 years since Cynthia Schuman, a longtime Peninsula resident and noted artist, founded the Women of Courage Award in honor of her friend Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D – 14, Burlingame). The initiative acknowledges the courageous character and impactful community service of young women age 18-30 who live or work in San Mateo County.
In these 3 years, we have been introduced to dozens of incredible young women who demonstrate courage in their life choices and circumstances, make a significant contribution to others, and exemplify Jackie’s characteristics of compassion, resilience and integrity in their professional and personal lives. We have been honored to name 10 Women of Courage Awardees and an additional 13 Finalists who receive not only a cash award, but mentorship from the Selection Committee, professional development workshops and a network of like minded women doing similar work in their community.
An example of a recent professional development session offered was the recent Financial Literacy Workshop, led by Selection Committee Member Sonya Mughal.
Sonya is the CEO of Bailard, Inc, an independent wealth and investment management firm. She has a BA in Mathematics from Randolph-Macon Women’s College and is a member of Forbes Finance Council, as well as a former Schwab Services Advisory Board member and Silicon Valley Community Foundation Investment Committee member.
Sonya spent an hour with the Women of Courage Finalists and Awardees discussing personal investing and smart financial decisions, offering her wealth of expertise on each attendee’s unique questions. This workshop is a great example of the wrap around support that this initiative aims to provide.