{"id":29208,"date":"2017-10-19T08:41:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-19T12:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/?p=29208"},"modified":"2018-04-16T15:15:24","modified_gmt":"2018-04-16T19:15:24","slug":"florida-international-bankers-association-expands-scholarships-for-fiu-college-of-business-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/2017\/10\/florida-international-bankers-association-expands-scholarships-for-fiu-college-of-business-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida International Bankers Association expands scholarships for FIU College of Business students."},"content":{"rendered":"

Shakir Simon was a part-time teller at a Chase branch in Hollywood, FL, starting her FIU classes at 7:50 am, going to work around noon and returning for classes that ran until 10 pm. That grueling scheduled ended in the fall of 2014, when she received a scholarship from the Florida International Bankers Association (FIBA).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe scholarship let me focus 110 percent on academics without worrying about income sources and working,\u201d said Simon, who received her bachelors in Accounting in 2016, got straight A\u2019s and received five internship offers in her final semester. \u201cI had no excuse to fail.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Shakir
Shakir Simon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On October 10, 2017, FIBA expanded a long-running partnership with the College of Business, committing to the Dr. Felix H. Reyler Memorial Scholarship for another five years.<\/p>\n

The scholarship provides $7,500 every semester, equivalent to one year\u2019s tuition, to a full-time junior or senior College of Business undergraduate student majoring in business administration. Over the course of the five years, FIBA will donate $75,000 to COB students.<\/p>\n

\u201cKudos to the FIBA leadership team for believing in FIU\u2019s College of Business,\u201d Dean Joanne Li said during the presentation. \u201cYou\u2019re helping our students make it to the finish line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simon agreed. After graduating, she completed an internship in the international tax team at PwC and is currently working at the EisnerAmper accounting firm. \u201cIt\u2019s all about getting there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Education is a priority for FIBA.<\/em><\/p>\n

FIBA\u2019s CEO David Schwartz noted that many students in South Florida attend FIU for its affordability as well as allowing them to continue working, sometimes two and three jobs.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany students have no other source of support,\u201d said Schwartz. \u201cWe want to give them that first step to help them get a college education.\u201d<\/p>\n

College of Business finance professor Marcos Kerbel, a past-president of FIBA, noted that the Dr. Felix H. Reyler Memorial Scholarship shows the organization\u2019s commitment to education and to FIU. Kerbel has played a key role in developing the relationship between FIBA and the university.<\/p>\n

Partnerships between FIBA, which promotes international banking, finance and commerce in Florida, and FIU date back to 2007 when the organization established the FIBA Anti Money Laundering Compliance Associate (AMLCA) Certification focused on anti-money laundering training and compliance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe College of Business will continue to make strides with our partners,\u201d said Li. \u201cWe\u2019re going to make more dreams come true.\u201d<\/p>\n