How community plays a role in supporting the next generation of talent

Nicole has the profile that we want to reach because we want to give access to internships for women that wouldn't have access otherwise.

Finance demands millions of daily decisions. Taken together, they transform the world. So every decision matters. CFA Institute® stands behind our professionals. Ethics, research, community, and lifelong learning sit at the heart of all they do.

I grew up with my mother and my sister in a very modest neighborhood. As a single mother, my mom always had to work long hours to support me and my sister. Despite that, she always encouraged us to study, get good grades, to learn new languages, even though her herself or no one around us knew English or any other language. She always would tell us to do the best that we could.

The finance profession in Brazil is growing not only in size, but also in complexity. Where financial education is still developing, we have a responsibility to make finance more accessible and less intimidating. As the profession grows, it's very important for us to keep a sense of community. It helps us to exchange best practices, develop new talents, bring more ethical standards, trust, transparency, and also promote inclusion and diversity in our finance community.

I was the first person in my family to go to university. Ever since I was little, I wanted to go to the University of São Paulo. But as I got older, became wiser, more aware of my surroundings and everything that was going on, I started to feel more insecure. But I persisted. And surprisingly, I got a really good score and it was when I received the news that I did get into university and the one that I was dreaming since I was little, that was the University of São Paulo.

Young Women in Investment was a program brought from CFA Institute. We had already six editions and we benefit already more than 120 students like Nicole. Young women that are still in university, we show them that the finance profession is accessible.

During my first year I started to go to a lot of professional events, and some of them would be from the participation of CFA® Charterholders. I really liked the fact that they every day needed to learn something different. At the end of my second year, I participated in the Young Women in Investment program. We got to learn about a lot of companies and banks that are doing internship selective processes, and they help us to get in contact with those banks. When I started earning my salary, I was earning more than my mother ever did, and that really helped financially in my home. So once I graduate in 2027, I'm really looking forward to taking the CFA Level 1 exam. And with the CFA Society® community backing me up, I feel way more confident that the goals that I set for the future are achievable.