CASH Club Encourages Female Students to Get Involved in the Financial Industry

Nora Lee Derhalli, CMO of the fintech company Invstr, spoke to the group on June 27 // photos courtesy CASH Club
Nora Lee Derhalli, CMO of the fintech company Invstr, spoke to the group on June 27 // photos courtesy CASH Club

In August 2018, CASH Club was founded at Shepton High School. Since then, the club has expanded to Plano West Senior High, been approved as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, birthed a branch outside of the DFW area and started an initiative to get more young women more involved in the finance industry. CASH Club operates primarily out of Plano West High School now.

Whether a high school student plans to work in the finance industry or simply wants to understand the stock market, the club is the perfect place to start. Its mission is to educate tomorrow’s leaders in the world of finance and investments. Throughout the school year, the group at Plano West meets regularly and offers its members opportunities to participate in competitions as well as listen to knowledgeable guest speakers.

CASH Club meeting during the 2019-2020 school year // photos courtesy CASH Club
CASH Club meeting during the 2019-2020 school year // photos courtesy CASH Club

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began and sheltering-in-place became our new normal, the CASH Club has gone virtual. On April 10, guest speaker Raj Kalyandurg from Merrill Lynch shared about his job as an investment banker and offered advice to the young investors. Nora Lee Derhalli, CMO of the fintech company Invstr, spoke to the group on June 27 via Zoom. Members will continue these types of events throughout the summer.

The club also began a new initiative in April — Women on Wall Street (WOW) – that was created when members noticed that only approximately six percent of the group were female. These students want to ensure that the next generation of investors include women.

Nora Lee Derhalli, CMO of the fintech company Invstr, spoke to the group on June 27
Nora Lee Derhalli, CMO of the fintech company Invstr, spoke to the group on June 27

“It is no secret that women are largely underrepresented in the realm of finance, and even at the high school level, stock investment clubs often have the stigma of being ‘boys’ clubs’ with little appeal to aspiring female investors. CASH Club has decided to address this concern,” according to the organization’s website.

To increase engagement among young women, CASH Club is running targeted ads on Instagram geared toward high school female students, encouraging them to start and lead their own branches. Members have appointed Angela Wang, Kaitlyn Hou, Eisha Hemchand and Lucy Laprocido to spearhead WOW.

Women on Wall Street leaders
Women on Wall Street Initiative leaders
CASH Club founders

Throughout the summer, the WOW initiative plans to engage high school girls through guest speakers via Zoom, a finance curriculum for the summer and group conversations about the problems women face in the world of finance.

“We hope that with the WOW initiative, high school girls recognize their potential and ability to succeed even in historically male-dominated fields. The initiative seeks to build a community of women who can empower one another to not be afraid to step outside of their comfort zone,” shared Angela.

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