Our Mission
Smart Woman Securities at the University of Virginia (“SWS at UVA”) is committed to educating young women about investing in financial markets through educational training, mentoring initiatives, and hands-on investment experience. Our mission is to endow every woman with the proper skills and training in order to successfully invest on her own.
Our SWS at UVA chapter seeks to provide women within the University of Virginia community with the opportunities and resources that will allow them successfully enter the traditionally male-dominated finance industry. Through extensive educational training, a comprehensive mentorship program, hands-on opportunities to contribute to our active real-money portfolio, and various networking and speaker events, SWS breaks down the barriers that have historically deterred women from investing.
The SWS mission can be broken down into three main tenets: education, mentoring, and investing.
education
SWS’ education model is predicated on education from the introductory level. Many student-run investment funds on college campuses are catered to students with prior knowledge and experience in investing, and with the majority of students being male, undergraduate women have often been deterred from joining these groups. Thus, the SWS curriculum was curated to build on finance and investing concepts from the ground-up, with no prior knowledge required. At SWS at UVA, we focus on collective, dynamic learning through our comprehensive, semester-long Education Program that includes weekly seminars and a rigorous investment project.
mentoring
Our organization is structured in a way that provides members at any stage in their career exploration with plentiful opportunities to learn from successful female mentors, comprised of both older current members and alumni. With our comprehensive mentorship program, strong alumni networks, and highly competitive selection of our organization’s leaders, SWS not only educates its members, but creates an atmosphere in which women support one another to gain financial confidence and explore new career paths.
investing
The final tenet of SWS’ mission is centers upon our “learning-by-doing” model. We believe the hands-on opportunity to manage a real-money portfolio is a true differentiating factor and is key in the success of our alumni base, many of whom are employed at the world’s top financial institutions. With opportunities to research industries, compose investment memos, and pitch stocks by serving on our Research Team and Investment Board, SWS continues to build influential community of women who will pave the way for the future of the financial industry.