As she continues to overcome language barriers and financial challenges of her own, Shalom Yam aspires to work in finance and find her own ways to give back to the community. In the meantime, this 1,000 Dreams Fund Scholarship recipient will be taking the first step towards it all at University of California, Santa Cruz!

What is your professional dream?

I want to be an investment banker.

How will you use the 1,000 Dreams Scholarship?

I will use it for Training The Street, which are financial courses to prepare for a future career.

How is this scholarship helping you get closer to your dream?

It is helping me get technical training to become a woman banker in the future.

​What advice do you have for other young women who are wanting to pursue their dreams?

We are gifted with so many talents as women, and quitting is never one of them.

​Have you had any setbacks? How did you move past them?

Through persistence and persevere, I have overcome hardships like financial difficulties and language barriers.

What’s next for you? What is your next goal?

I want to finish university and work as an investment banker to accumulate experience — then, I want to give back to the community.