Dollar Scholars

The Dollar Scholars Committee is responsible for spearheading philanthropic initiatives for the greater Philadelphia community, with a focus on supporting financial literacy and professional/personal development for high school students. The Committee has developed cohorts of fellowships, host Discovery Days for students to come to Wharton for workshops, and maintain a website (www.Dollar-Scholars.org)

2024 Committee

Alejandra Lozada

Alejandra Lozada (Class of 2025) is from San Juan, Puerto Rico and is pursuing a dual-degree in Neuroscience and Finance as part of the Life Sciences and Management (LSM) Program. Previously, Alejandra served as the 2023 VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and on the Marketing and Walnut Street Journal committees. As the 2024 VP of Philanthropy, Alejandra seeks to bring philanthropic efforts to the Wharton Women community, to continue expanding the Dollar Scholar’s mentorship program with high schools in Philadelphia, and to bring positive impact to our Philadelphia community. She is also incredibly excited to co-lead the 2024 Dressing for Success, annual cornerstone event. Outside of Wharton Women, Alejandra conducts research in a neuroscience lab, is a member of Wharton Latino and West Philly Tutoring Project, and serves as a WH1010 TA. In her free time, she enjoys finding new fiction and romance books to read, exploring the city’s best Mexican restaurants, and working out. Alejandra loves connecting with new people, so don’t hesitate to reach out at aslozada@wharton.upenn.edu.

Krishi Kothari

Krishi Kothari is a junior at the Wharton School of Business who is concentrating in Finance and Management and pursuing a minor in Computer Information Science. She was born in Connecticut but raised in San Antonio, Texas. Krishi is really passionate about giving back to the community, which is why she decided to join Dollar Scholars in her freshman spring. Beyond Wharton Women, Krishi is involved in Wharton Marketing Undergraduate Student Establishment (MUSE), Wharton Undergraduate Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Consulting Club (DISC), Wharton Cohorts, and the Wharton Hedge Fund Club. In her free time she enjoys fashion, exploring new restaurants, cooking, and traveling!

Zeel Patel

Zeel is a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences from Vineland, New Jersey. She plans to major in Health & Societies with a concentration in Healthcare Markets & Finance and minor in Consumer Psychology.  This is her first semester on Dollar Scholars, and is excited to provide students in the West Philapheida area with resources that she wishes she had during her high school experience. Aside from Wharton Women, she is Co-Director of Community on Penn’s chapter of Empower Through Health and part of the Cultural Committee on South Asia Society. In her free time, she enjoys playing doubles tennis, going on road trips to new places, and dining at new restaurants.

Kaya Patidar

Kaya Patidar is a junior in the Wharton School of Business studying Finance and Social Impact and Responsibility. She is from San Diego, California. This is her third semester in Dollar Scholar and she is looking forward to continuing to work with high school students in her new community in West Philadelphia. She joined Dollar Scholar because of her passion for mentoring students and her past experiences working with children in an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico. Outside of Wharton Women, Kaya is on the culinary team of Penn Appetit where she helps create and cooks recipes to share in their culinary magazine. In her free time, Kaya enjoys playing tennis, cooking, traveling, and spending time with her dog.

Allene Yue

Allene is a sophomore studying at the Wharton School of Business, planning to concentrate in finance and entrepreneurship/innovation. Allene is from the Bay Area in California, and this is her third semester as a part of Wharton Women in the Dollar Scholar Committee. In the past, she has loved serving her community through mentorship and education, and is excited to continue working with younger students as a part of the committee this year. Outside of Wharton Women, Allene is the marketing chair of Figure Skating Club, and is involved in Wharton Management Club and Wharton Asia Exchange. In her free time, she loves playing tennis, piano, and making music with friends, and she’s currently learning how to bake!

Emilia Wright

Emilia Wright is a sophomore at the College of Arts and Sciences double-majoring in Classical Studies and Economics. She was born in Kentucky, but was raised in Minnesota and Arizona. As a Questbridge Scholar, Emilia is passionate about increasing financial literacy in rural communities and advancing resources for FGLI students. In the past, Emilia has interned with non-profits such as the American Red Cross, Partners in Housing, and Food for Power. Outside of Wharton Women, Emilia is involved in Scholars of Finance, the Finance & Outreach Committee of Penn’s Undergraduate Economics Society, Penn TSO and Penn Chorale. In her free time, Emilia enjoys baking pretzels, walking her dog, and listening to Taylor Swift!

Stephanie Skinner

Stephanie is a sophomore at the Wharton School of Business, planning on concentrating in finance and management. In addition to her involvement in Dollar Scholars, she is on the Quaker Girls Dance Team, teaches a high school financial literacy class through the Young Philadelphia Scholars, and runs her own female empowerment organization, Hands of Hope, that has currently reached 15K students from schools nationwide. In her free time, Stephanie loves to travel, take yoga classes with friends, go to the beach, and try out local coffee shops. Stephanie is from Upstate New York where she is involved with volunteering for her state chapters for Best Buddies, Special Olympics, Gigi’s Playhouse, Upstate Cerebral Palsy, and the Girl Scouts U.S. Stephanie was awarded the Presidential Volunteer Gold Service Award completing over 600 hours of community service. She has a passion for serving others which is why she is beyond excited to continue to help make an impact through Dollar Scholars!

Carlyle Cornell

Carlyle is a sophomore studying Economics and minoring in Native American and Indigenous Studies. She is from Atlanta, Georgia, and this is her fourth semester as a part of Wharton Women and on the Dollar Scholars Committee. Her passion for service, as well as her past experience in her personal-finance-based “Taking Charge of your Financial Future” Girl Scout Gold Award project inspired her to continue working with and mentoring students. Outside of Wharton Women, Carlyle is on the Natives at Penn board and is involved in the Scholars of Finance and the Wharton Undergraduate Private Equity and Venture Capital Club. Outside of school, she loves to fish competitively, try new restaurants, travel, and spend time with her two dogs.

Sydney Freedman

Sydney is a sophomore at Wharton, planning to concentrate in Business Analytics. She was born and raised in Boca Raton, Florida but spent a gap year in Jerusalem before coming to Penn. Sydney is passionate about community service and regularly volunteers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and with various other organizations. She is excited to further her work within the Philadelphia community through involvement with Dollar Scholars! Sydney is also involved with the Tamid Group, the Wharton International Business Review, and behavioral economics research through the Computational Social Science Lab at Penn. In her free time, she loves playing classical piano, spending time with friends, and traveling!

Megan Chan

Megan is a sophomore in the Wharton School of Business planning to concentrate in Business Analytics and Marketing, as well as a minor in Data Science. She was born and raised in Philadelphia and has continued to develop her passions for service and mentoring. In particular, Megan enjoys working with and providing support for underserved and underrepresented Philadelphia communities, residents, and students. This is her third semester with Wharton Women and the Dollar Scholars committee. Outside of Wharton Women, she serves on the board of the Asian Pacific Student Coalition as Vice Chair of Finance and works to help fund events for the API community at Penn. In her free time, she loves playing badminton, running outdoors, and video gaming with friends!

Alyssa Sherman

Alyssa is a junior in the School of Engineering and Applied Science majoring in bioengineering and minoring in economics. She is from South Florida and is excited to continue her work with service. She was on the dollar scholars committee this past year and a part of the Wharton Field Challenge, which aims to teach the integral concepts of financial literacy. Outside of Wharton Women, Alyssa is also a project lead for Engineering Consultants at Penn and the Vice President of Marketing and Technology for the Biomedical Engineering Society. In her free time, she enjoys running, traveling, and spending time with friends. 

Nicole Budiman

Nicole Budiman is a sophomore at the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Neurobiology and minoring in Healthcare Management and Chemistry. She was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, and has developed a strong passion for empowering underserved young women through education beginning with her involvement in an NGO dedicated to improving education quality in local schools in Indonesia. Starting her first semester with the Dollar Scholars committee, she is excited to continue this empowerment as a fellow and mentor in the Dollar Diva Program. Outside of WW, Nicole is involved in Phi Delta Epsilon (Pre-medical fraternity) and Penncasila, the Indonesian Association at Penn. She’s also involved in research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and volunteer work at the Unity Clinic in South Philadelphia. In her free time, Nicole loves to try out new cafes and restaurants, travel, read, and play video games

Shreya Tandon

Shreya Tandon is a freshman at The Wharton School planning on concentrating in Finance. She was born in Winchester, Massachusetts but was raised in Mumbai, India. Shreya cares deeply about making education accessible and financial literacy. In the past, she has served as a mentor to younger students at her school and she looks forward to continuing to work with students in West Philadelphia through Dollar Scholars. In addition to Wharton Women, Shreya is involved in Wharton Undergraduate Founders and Funders and the Wharton Undergraduate Finance Club. In her free time, she enjoys reading poetry, listening to music, trying out new restaurants, traveling, and running.

Sophie Slayden

Sophie Slayden is a freshman at the Wharton School of Business, planning to concentrate in Finance. She was born and raised in Austin, Texas. Sophie is excited to further her involvement in community service at Penn. In high school, Sophie regularly volunteered with her chapter of the National Charity League, where she earned the Presidential Volunteer Gold Service Award. She also served as the captain of her school’s swim and dive team and an officer in the Financial Literacy Club. In addition to serving on the Wharton Women’s Dollar Scholars Committee, Sophie is diving on the Penn Women’s Swim and Dive Team and is involved with the Wharton Undergraduate Private Equity and Venture Capital Club. Outside of school, she enjoys wake-surfing and baking. She is excited to further her philanthropic involvement in the Philadelphia community!

Tunmise Alarape

Tunmise Alarape is a freshman at the Wharton School of Business, planning to concentrate in Healthcare Management and Finance, as well as minor in Spanish. She was born in Nigeria, but raised in South Jersey. Tunmise is passionate about financial empowerment in youth and improving access to education regarding literacy. Outside of Wharton Women, Tunmise is involved in BlackGen Capital, Wharton FGLI, and she is also a Thrive Scholars Ambassador, where she advocates for college access for high-achieving, underserved students. In her free time, Tunmise enjoys listening to music, hanging out with friends, and watching old movies. She is excited to get involved in Dollar Scholars!

Renee Samieva

Renee Samieva is a freshman at the Wharton School of Business planning to concentrate in Finance and Real Estate, with a minor in International Relations. She was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, but has a Tajik heritage that inspired her philanthropic initiatives for underserved children in the region and beyond. In high school, she established a language tutoring program for kids in rural Central Asia, along with a pandemic relief nonprofit that received recognition from the UN. As Renee begins her first semester on the Wharton Women Dollar Scholars Committee, she is eager to contribute to and learn from impactful service efforts in the Philadelphia area. Alongside Dollar Scholars, Renee is also involved in the Wharton Undergraduate Real Estate Club (WUREC), Wharton Retail Club (WRC), and Music Business Club. In her free time, she loves traveling, reading, writing, and learning languages. 

Siyona Singh

Siyona is a freshman planning to study PPE and Urban Real Estate Development. She was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. She’s very passionate about educational equity and youth mentorship and is excited to further her service through Dollar Scholars. In the past, she has led various ESL, writing, and financial literacy initiatives aimed at empowering and mobilizing refugees in Greater Richmond. Outside of Wharton Women, she’s involved in Smart Women Securities, Penn Climate Ventures, and the Penn Reproductive Justice Working Group. In her free time, she loves to embroider, play the guitar and ukulele, and watch soccer! 

Penelope Grapsas

Penelope is a sophomore studying PPE and minoring in Economics. She is originally from Chicago, Illinois but most recently lives in Tampa, Florida. She is very passionate about academic service and educational equity, with an extensive background in tutoring and student mentorship. In the past, she has interned for an academic-nonprofit organization for low-income Tampa Bay students, and worked part-time in DC public schools as an in-classroom tutor and teacher’s assistant. Outside of Dollar Scholars, she is involved in Penn Impact Investing, the PAD pre-law fraternity recruitment team, Kite & Key tours, The Walk Fashion Magazine, and Penn Hellenic, the Greek cultural club at Penn. In her spare time, she loves to read, try new restaurants, relax on the beach at home, and talk to her family in Greece.