Donor Impact
Megan Escobar
Megan Escobar
Graduation year: 2018
Major: Business Administration and Finance & Accounting
Hometown: Murrieta, Calif.
When I was ending my junior year, I decided that I didn't want to go to college in California but instead try something different and push myself out of my comfort zone. My senior year of high school I applied to schools in Washington and a couple in other states. I would have to say it was divine intervention because around the time I finished applying for schools, my AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) teacher told me to apply to just one more school. That same day I began getting emails from Whitworth and mail starting coming to my home address. I decided to do some research into the school and the next thing I knew I was finishing my application for Whitworth. I wasn't going to visit Whitworth at first because I was pretty confident in my first-choice school. However, when I was accepted into Whitworth my dad immediately added it to my visit list.
I fell in love with Whitworth not only because the campus is absolutely gorgeous but the people I met that day were so genuine and intentional that it was startling. My experience at Whitworth has been life-changing in every way possible. I honestly feel my path to Christ would have taken longer without Whitworth, where I have been challenged to deepen my faith and volunteer my time helping others. The opportunities at Whitworth have been influential and I wouldn't trade my experience for anything else.
I am currently the president of the Student Investment Group. I joined the group as a freshman and then fully committed my time to the group my sophomore year. Since then the group has exponentially grown my knowledge in finance and has sharpened my communication and teamwork skills. The experience that has been most memorable in my experience at Whitworth is winning the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Research Challenge the spring of my sophomore year. The day was filled with so many emotions. We spent over 400 hours doing research on a company, along with a finished report of 24 pages and a 10-minute presentation and Q&A session. We were being judged by CFA professionals on how well we researched the company both quantitatively and qualitatively. I remember that time because the hard work we had done for two months had finally paid off. It was an intense time but it pushed me out of my comfort zone and equipped me to be confident in my presenting skills.
I wouldn't have had this opportunity with the CFA had it not been for financial aid and scholarships that were granted to me. I couldn't be more thankful that the financial burden has been slowly lifted off my family because we don't have to take on so many loans. Although I still work on campus, I am able to put forth my additional time to extracurricular activities on campus and at my church. Financial aid not only helps student pay for college, it also supports their learning experience. The Student Investment Group was given the trading room through generous donations from Larry Larison and the funds from Ken Roberts and the late Dave Robblee. Students use the trading room for countless meetings and to research companies within the U.S. stock market. It is an invaluable resource and we couldn't have furthered our knowledge without it.
My advisor, Candice Correia (School of Business), has had the biggest influence on my career at Whitworth. My freshman year I was unsure of a major and what I wanted to do with my life. Candice first asked me what I like to do and what my passions are. It threw me off so much that I had to take a few minutes to think of what I like to do. It was great sitting in on classes and speaking with professors to finally decide on my double major in finance and accounting. There are so many job opportunities out there within my field, but I hope to go into the public accounting field, as an auditor, out of college.