Scholarship program has granted nearly $1.3 million USD to female students pursuing commercial real estate careers
Lawrence, Kansas, USA – Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network Foundation has selected 30 female college students to receive a total of $150,000 in scholarships for the 2022-23 academic year, in addition to valuable network and career building opportunities. CREW Network Foundation’s scholarship program has granted nearly $1.3 million to 226 female students at 112 universities across 38 states/provinces in the U.S. and Canada since 2008.
Each student will receive $5,000 USD (or the Canadian dollar equivalent) for tuition and books, a paid internship opportunity, a six-month mentoring opportunity, a complimentary 24-month CREW Network student membership, and a complimentary registration to the 2022 CREW Network Convention, Sept. 21-23 in Chicago, Illinois.
The scholarship program supports future female leaders as they pursue university-level education that will lead to careers in commercial real estate. Thanks to the generosity of CREW Network chapters, members and donors, the programs has doubled the number of scholarships granted in the last five years.
“On behalf of our CREW Network Foundation leaders and supporters, it is an honor to introduce the talented students who have been selected as our 2022 scholarship recipients and welcome them to our global network,” said Claire Roberts, Vice President, Colliers, and 2022 CREW Network Foundation Chair. “In addition to the scholarship’s financial support, CREW provides these women with opportunities to connect with industry experts and mentors, develop critical leadership skills, and gain knowledge and training that will open doors as they begin their careers in commercial real estate.”
Scholarship funds are supported by the Linda Hollemon Scholarship Endowment and Hall of Fame giving program, as well as personal and corporate contributions.
The 2022 scholars, listed with hometowns, universities and majors/areas of study, are:
DeeVonda Batres
Hometown: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Undergrad | New Mexico Highlands University
Focus of study: Accounting
Batres is a native New Mexican with 18+ years in the banking industry. Through her years of banking, she has gained valuable knowledge and experience by taking on challenges and learning from her peers. Batres plans to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from New Mexico Highlands University by December 2023. She is the mother of two teenage children and a new member of CREW New Mexico.
Sienna Curtis
Hometown: Midway, Utah
Undergraduate | Brigham Young University
Focus of study: Finance
Curtis is a senior at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah pursuing a degree in finance with an emphasis in real estate. She recently interned with PGIM Real Estate and has worked for more than two years at other real estate investment firms alongside her coursework. Curtis also serves as the vice president of the BYU Real Estate Association. She plans to pursue a career in real estate investment.
Carly De La Hoz
Hometown: Brick, New Jersey
Graduate | Harvard University
Focus of study: Real Estate Development
De La Hoz is entering the third and final year of her dual MBA/MPA degree at Wharton and Harvard, where she studies the intersection of real estate, finance, and public policy. She has served as the co-chair of the Wharton Future of Cities Conference and board member of the Wharton Real Estate Club. De La Hoz was an architect prior to graduate school and worked as an MBA Summer Associate at Trammell Crow Company and Goldman Sachs. She aspires to work in impact investing, financing sustainable and equitable urban development.
Katie Dearth
Hometown: Gig Harbor, Washington
Graduate | Clemson University
Focus of study: Real Estate Development
Dearth recently graduated cum laude from Baylor University with a double major in marketing and management and is in her first year as a student at Clemson University pursuing a master's in real estate development. She flipped her first home at 16 and has remodeled five homes for clients through her LLC since then. She has also worked as a leasing agent for two 300+ unit apartment complexes and does interior design consultation.
Yayi Ding
Hometown: Plano, Texas
Undergraduate | University of Texas at Austin
Focus of study: Finance
Ding is a junior majoring in Canfield Business Honors and Finance with a real estate concentration at the University of Texas at Austin. In summer 2022, she is interning at Brookfield Properties and serves as Vice President of External Affairs for the Undergraduate Real Estate Society at UT. Ding aspires to make her mark through real estate acquisitions and empowering women in commercial real estate.
Stephanie Grayson
Hometown: New York, New York
Graduate | Stanford University
Focus of study: Sustainable Real Estate
Grayson is a first-generation Cuban-American and Harvard College graduate. She started her career in real estate at JPMorgan and subsequently worked to grow and expand Goldman Sachs and KKR's commercial real estate investment platforms. She is passionate about combating climate change and has committed her career to reducing real estate's 40% contribution to global carbon emissions. Grayson and her cofounder are building a software platform at the nexus of CleanTech and PropTech to help CRE companies reach their net zero-emission goals. She supports Cuban entrepreneurship as a Young Professional Board member of the Cuba Study Group and Cuba Emprende Foundation.
Cassandra Hartmann
Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas
Undergraduate | Texas A&M University
Focus of study: Finance
Hartmann is a senior at Texas A&M University obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in Finance and Business Honors. She has had the opportunity to shadow a realtor who owns investment properties and learn more about the industry. She aspires to combine her degree in finance with her interests in sustainability and commercial real estate.
Savannah Hess
Hometown: Wilmington, North Carolina
Undergraduate | University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Focus of study: Brokerage
Hess is a senior at UNC Wilmington majoring in Business Administration with a double concentration in Marketing - Professional Selling and Entrepreneurship & Business Development. She is also minoring in Nonprofit Management & Leadership. She is co-president of the Honors Scholars Association, president of the Habitat for Humanity Club, and a founding member of the Sales Club and Women in Business. She is currently working as an Account Operations Intern at MegaCorp Logistics and aspires to begin a career in sales/commercial real estate upon graduation while obtaining her MBA.
Andrea Johnson
Hometown: Beverly Hills, Michigan
Undergraduate | University of Michigan Ross School of Business
Focus of study: Real Estate Development
Johnson is a senior at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration with a minor in real estate development. As of May 2022, she has been working on a variety of development projects for a major Chicago-based developer, the non-profit Equitable Ann Arbor, and the city of Ann Arbor. She is also studying to take her Michigan real estate licensing exam this fall. Johnson looks forward to learning more about opportunities within the commercial real estate field with a particular interest in real estate investment trusts and commercial development.
Bailey Kim
Hometown: Alpharetta, Georgia
Undergraduate | University of California San Diego
Focus of study: Real Estate Development
Kim is a senior at the University of California, San Diego obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Real Estate and Development and a minor in Business. She has worked as an acquisition analyst intern at Brixton Capital in Solana Beach, California and as a brokerage intern at Badon Commercial Real Estate in Atlanta, Georgia. Kim recently participated in the San Diego NAIOP University Challenge real estate development competition and is a full-time student-athlete and the captain of UCSD’s D1 Men’s Rowing Team. Upon graduation, she aspires to work in the commercial real estate field.
Caitlin Korsak
Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Undergraduate | University of Tampa
Focus of study: Market Research
Korsak is a year away from finishing her undergraduate degree in Communications at the University of Tampa and has obtained internships in both development and marketing. She is a 2022 SIOR Student Scholar and is also the president and a founding member of the University of Tampa Real Estate Club.
Winnona Li
Hometown: Berkeley, California
Undergraduate | University of California Berkeley
Focus of study: Architecture
Li is entering her last year at the University of California Berkeley with an intended major in architecture and a minor in Disability Studies. She has worked as an intern and student assistant at an architecture firm and real estate management company. She looks forward to exploring the intersection of the disabled community and the built environment within commercial real estate.
Mona Makki
Hometown: Windsor, Ontario
Graduate | University of Detroit Mercy
Focus of study: Architecture
Makki recently completed her undergraduate degrees in Architecture and Visual Arts from the University of Detroit Mercy and the University of Windsor. She looks forward to returning to UDM this Fall to earn a Master of Architecture. Makki has been studying and working in the City of Detroit since 2017 and aspires to become a fully licensed architect in the coming years.
Ivana Maldonado
Hometown: San Rafael, California
Undergraduate | California State University, Sacramento
Focus of study: Finance
Maldonado is a year away from finishing her undergraduate degree in finance at California State University, Sacramento. She has completed three internships in commercial real estate, including Project Destined (JLL Bay Area), CalSTRS (Sacramento, CA), and Artemis Real Estate Partners (Washington, D.C.). Maldonado also serves as a vice president of recruitment for the Finance Club at California State University, Sacramento. She aspires to create her own real estate investment company.
Emily McDuff
Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama
Graduate | University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Focus of study: Finance
McDuff is in her second year as an MBA student at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and completed her undergraduate studies in Civil Engineering and French at the University of Virginia. She is pursuing a business degree to complement her engineering background and PE, CEM, and LEED AP certifications in managing and implementing clean energy development projects. She has worked as an English teacher in France and energy efficiency and sustainability engineer in Washington, D.C., and aspires to reduce GHG emissions from the built environment.
Ngoc Nguyen
Home location: Vietnam
Undergraduate | California State University of Fullerton
Focus of study: Finance
Nguyen is in her senior year at California State University of Fullerton studying Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. She has three years of experience working as a property manager for a privately owned company. In June 2022, she acquired an internship as a Property Management Administrator at Link Logistics, and currently serves as an Investment Analyst for Titan Capital Management at CSUF. She also serves as the CREW Network Ambassador for the CSUF Real Estate Association. She aspires to take her professional background experience in property management and financial analysis skills to a career within the commercial real estate industry.
Elinor Oren
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Undergraduate | University of California at San Diego
Focus of study: Real Estate Development
Oren is a senior Real Estate Development major at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Throughout her studies, she has worked in urban/participatory design with the Port of San Diego, San Diego Obesity Coalition, HKS Architects, and Don Norman Design Lab. She is completing a summer internship in multifamily asset management, transactions, and ESG with PGIM and aspires to work in development or asset management.
Deborah Owolabi
Hometown: Houston, TX
Graduate | Harvard Business School
Focus of study: Asset Management
Owolabi is a first-year MBA student at Harvard Business School. Prior to Harvard, she worked for a general contractor specializing in luxury retail construction and spent the last four years working as a project manager for JLL. Leveraging a background in real estate, project management and client service, she aspires to put these skills into practice in the areas of investment analysis and development.
Ellen Paik
Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii
Graduate | Harvard Kennedy School
Focus of study: Real Estate Development
Paik is currently in the second year of her MBA/MPA dual-degree program at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Kennedy School (Real Estate Major, Social and Urban Policy Concentration). She aspires to pursue a career in impact-oriented real estate development.
Danyell Price
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Undergraduate | The University of Nebraska at Omaha
Focus of study: Real Estate Development
Price is in her senior year as a student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha studying Business Administration and Spanish. She has completed internships in finance and banking, construction, property management, and leasing. Price also serves as President of Rho Epsilon Real Estate Club and Black Student Union. She also contributes to the Dean's Advisory Council and other school organizations. Price aspires to be a developer in commercial real estate.
Leah Pulice
Hometown: Brighton, Michigan
Undergraduate | Eastern Michigan University
Focus of study: Interior Design/ Space Planning
Pulice is in her last year as a student at Eastern Michigan University studying interior design and construction management. She has completed two summer internships in commercial real estate, including as a project engineer intern with Barton Malow in New York City and an interior design intern at MCYIA in Honolulu. Pulice also serves as co-president of the EMU Interior Design Student Organization and holds multiple positions in the Delta Zeta sorority. She aspires to continue to explore new avenues in commercial real estate that combine her passion for design and construction.
Madison Roach
Hometown: Suffolk, Virginia
Undergraduate | Virginia Tech
Focus of study: Finance and Real Estate
Roach is a rising senior at Virginia Tech double majoring in Finance and Real Estate. She has completed two summer internships in property management, and from these experiences, her passion for asset preservation and customer relations have grown intensely. Roach dreams of being a shining light in commercial real estate and truly living out her college motto of "Ut Prosim." She is also secretary of The Real Estate Club at Virginia Tech and a Teaching Assistant for the Department of Finance.
Carly Ross
Hometown: Alamo, California
Undergraduate | University of San Diego
Focus of study: Brokerage
Ross is a senior at the University of San Diego studying real estate and business administration under the Knauss School of Business. She currently serves on the CREW San Diego Emerging Leaders committee and is vice president of industry relations for the USD Real Estate Society. Ross began her commercial real estate career as an intern at Colliers during summer 2021 and is now interning for an industrial brokerage team at Cushman and Wakefield. Upon graduation, she aspires to be a commercial real estate broker.
Kalynne Schuermann
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Undergraduate | University of Cincinnati
Focus of study: Corporate Real Estate
Schuermann is a fourth-year student in the Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati where she is pursuing degrees in Real Estate, Finance, and Operations Management. She has experience as a Production and Sales Intern in the Multifamily Real Estate division at Freddie Mac. Upon graduation, Schuermann aspires to a career where she can pair her knowledge of real estate, financial analysis, and efficient business operations in the commercial real estate industry.
Lin Shen
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia
Undergraduate | University of British Columbia
Focus of study: Finance
Shen is in her fourth year as a bachelor of commerce student at UBC Sauder School of Business. She is specializing in Finance and Real Estate and minoring in Psychology. She has completed two internships at Intelligent City in Business Development and Financial Analysis. Shen also serves as the vice president of education & research at the UBC Real Estate Club and an Outreach Lead for UBC Third Quadrant Design team. She aspires to accelerate sustainability in the building industry.
Amrit Sidhu
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia
Undergraduate | University of British Columbia
Focus of study: Finance
Sidhu is a senior at the University of British Columbia studying finance and real estate. She completed an internship in appraisal and is currently completing an internship at BentallGreenOak as an investment management analyst. She also competed in the Pacific Northwest NAIOP Real Estate Challenge and ICSC & Cornell International Retail Real Estate Case Competition, placing first. She aspires to pursue a career in private equity.
Hope Swantko
Hometown: Commerce, Michigan
Graduate | University of Notre Dame Law School
Focus of study: Law
Swantko is entering her final year at Notre Dame Law School to receive her J.D. She has had various internships working in the real estate industry, including at Freeborn & Peters and Hilco Redevelopment Partners. After graduation, Swantko plans to work as a real estate attorney in Chicago.
Joscelyn Vincent
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Undergraduate | University of Nebraska at Omaha
Focus of study: Property Management
Vincent is a year away from finishing her undergraduate degree at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Real Estate and Land Use Economics. She is also completing a minor in Marketing. She has worked as an Assistant Property Manager for the last year, learning more about the field. Upon graduation, she aspires to assist her town of Omaha using real estate.
India Whaley
Hometown: Irmo, South Carolina
Graduate | University of South Carolina
Focus of study: Finance
Whaley is a dual degree Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration candidate at the University of South Carolina. She has worked for various organizations in law and economic development. Since May 2022, Whaley has been interning with the City of Columbia (South Carolina) in the Office of the Mayor, where she assists in attracting private investments for transformative projects. She aspires to be a commercial real estate attorney and developer.
Haley Wildfong
Hometown: Fruitport, Michigan
Undergraduate | Ferris State University
Focus of study: Architecture
Wildfong is entering her fourth year studying Architecture and Sustainability with a minor in Facility Management at Ferris State University. She has worked as an intern in residential and commercial architecture firms and aspires to bring her knowledge of building sciences and sustainable practices into commercial real estate.