CFAH Scholarship Fund

Congratulations to the Society's Scholarship Recipients for the
2023-2024 school year:

Maryam Amini - University of Houston
Carlos Aranda - Rice University
Austin Huang - University of St. Thomas

Maryam Amini

What I Do Now: graduate student at University of Houston

Future Plans: Pursuing a Master of Science in Finance to become a credit analyst, with a focus on the energy sector in investment banking

Fun Facts: I am Iranian and not a vegetarian, but I am a sushi lover.

Thankfulness to CFA Houston: I am immensely grateful to CFA Houston for the invaluable financial support enabling me to pursue my aspirations and contribute to finance. Your generosity has provided me with the means to achieve my goals and instilled in me a deep sense of gratitude and motivation to make a positive impact in the investment banking industry, particularly within the energy sector. It is an honor to be a representative of CFA Houston, and I am dedicated to upholding the organization's values with utmost dedication and integrity.

Carlos Aranda

What I Do Now: Full Time MBA Candidate in Class of 2024 at Rice University

Future Plans: My goal is to excel in the Finance Track of the MBA program and advance my career in the Investment Management Industry.

Fun Facts: Last year, I finished the CFA Program and moved from Mexico City to Houston to pursue my studies.

Thankfulness to CFA Houston: The CFA Society of Houston has been an invaluable asset for me, as it has paired me with a wonderful mentor, introduced me to outstanding professionals and kept me updated on the latest developments in the field.

Austin Huang

What I Do Now: My name is Austin. I am an international student from China, and I am currently studying in the Master of Finance program at the University of St. Thomas.

Future Plans: My ideal plan is to find a suitable position in an investment bank or consulting company in the financial industry. I am currently working as an intern in an accounting firm this summer vacation. I work as an intern under an accountant to learn related accounting and tax matters, which will also be helpful for my future career development. At present, I have been working in this internship for nearly half a month, and I have systematically learned relevant bookkeeping skills and basic accounting standards and operation mechanisms. I am very grateful for this internship opportunity and hope to find my next ideal job as soon as possible. I'm currently planning to graduate next spring, but right now all of my classes are in the evening, so I'm looking for more full-time jobs or internships opportunities.

Fun Facts: My favorite sport is playing basketball, and I will spare time to play basketball twice a week. Then I rarely meet each other here, so I hope to make more friends. Usually I also cook at home, but also keen to eat a lot of different food. In addition, I also like to go to different places to experience different things. I hope to travel to different places and see different scenery when I find a job and all the current things fall into place. I am also looking forward to exciting sports like skiing and surfing, and I would like to try these things in the future if I have the chance.

Thankfulness to CFA Houston: I am very grateful to CFA Houston Institute for helping me. It's not just about scholarships. Of course, the scholarship has relieved my financial pressure to a great extent, freeing up more time to focus on job hunting and preparing for exams. Drifting in a foreign land, the huge tuition expenses and living expenses make me feel pressure. At the same time, the depression of the industry and the uncertainty of my future make me feel very confused.

CFA Society Houston
Scholarship Fund

The CFAH Scholarship Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization, was established as a separate legal entity in April 2002. Contributions to CFAH Scholarship Fund have since been tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. The activities of CFAH Scholarship Fund currently include awarding scholarships to local university students expressing interest in a career in the investment decision-making profession. The scholarship committee is responsible for reviewing and selecting the recipients.

Scholarship Opportunities

The CFA Society of Houston has awarded $3,000 annually to three deserving students: one each from Rice University, The University of Houston,  and the University of St. Thomas. Each Spring, the CFA Houston Scholarship Committee accepts applications from each of the three universities from graduate business students that have one year remaining in their studies. Applicants are asked to submit a resume and an essay on why they are pursuing the CFA ® designation along with their financial needs. The committee reviews the applications and interviews the prospective applicants while also gathering feedback from the school liaisons that work directly with the committee. From there, one winner from each school is awarded the Society's annual scholarship with the recipients also being invited to a future CFA event where they are formally acknowledged amongst members of the Society.

The CFA Society of Houston funds these scholarships solely through member donations, which serve as tax deductible charitable contributions. CFA Houston members have generously supported the fund, which has enabled the Society to help “pass the torch” to some excellent future candidates in the business.

CFA Program Access Scholarships

The CFA Institute provides funding for several scholarships annually to Houston-area CFA® candidates to use towards their registration and enrollment fees for either the June or December exams of the CFA® Program. The variety of scholarships allow more people to participate in CFA Program. Scholarships are awarded on a rolling basis, allowing candidates to select from multiple upcoming exam offerings. Below we highlight Access Awards for candidates in the Greater Houston area. The goal of the Access Scholarship program is to provide greater access to the CFA program for those that otherwise could not afford it.  Applicants for this Society's scholarship must live within 200 miles of Houston, Texas, must be eligible to enroll into the CFA Program, and must not be reimbursed by their company for exam fees. CFA exam level I, II or III candidates are eligible to apply for these scholarships. Applicants may be students, Society members or prospective Society members. The Access Scholarship awards waive the enrollment fee and exam registration fees are reduced to $250 USD. Recipients apply their scholarships to either the June or December exams, and must register and sit for the exam in the relevant exam year awarded to continue being eligible for future Access scholarships.

Click the link below for application instructions, evaluation criteria, scholarship rules, and to the Access Scholarships: 

https://www.cfainstitute.org/en/programs/cfa/scholarships/access

Current CFA Society of Houston Scholarship Co-Chairs:

Brian S. Quattrucci, CFA at [email protected]​ and Jung Hwang, CFA at [email protected]​​​.