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Recent graduates from Wright State’s Raj Soin College of Business
passed the Chartered Financial Analysts ® examination Level 1 with an
80 per cent pass rate, surpassing the national average of 35 per cent.
This follows the unprecedented, first place wins Wright State students
received in the Ameriprise ® national financial planning case
competition this spring.
“This year’s CFA results are truly the culmination of a concerted
effort among students, faculty and local area practitioners
including the Dayton CFA Society,” according to Dr. Marlena Akhbari,
Professor and Chair of Finance and Financial Services.
Four undergraduate students and one MBA student took the exam.
Those passing the exam included, Vruddhi Choksy, Aaron Jenkins,
Edward Wright, and Bounena Ould Sidi Mohamed. The CFA
certification is recognized by employers around the world and is
ranked by The Economist as the gold standard among
investment analyst designations
Dave Avdakov of U.S. Bank and board member of the CFA, praised both
the students and faculty. “Having 80% of the students pass the Level
1 CFA exam is incredible. To become a CFA charter holder, one must
pass three levels of very vigorous studies that test the investment
decision making process. The CFA designation measures
investment competence and the highest standards of integrity in the
fields of money management and investment research. This is an
important differentiation as there have been many cases of
individuals on Wall Street lacking ethical behavior.”
According to Akhbari, students received invaluable support from the
Dayton CFA Society whose members welcome all Wright State finance
students at meetings, provide mentors for students and provide five
$1,400 scholarships to help students prepare for the exam. She
added that Dr. Fall Ainina, Professor of Finance and Burhan Kawosa,
Finance Instructor, were especially instrumental in inspiring
students to succeed on the exam.
“The Dayton CFA Society has been teaming with local universities
for the last several years. Dr. Ainina has gone out of his way
to be a great partner and teammate. We appreciate all his and
Burhan Kawosa’s efforts to educate and reinforce the values of the
CFA Institute.” said Avdakov.
“We have long recognized the top caliber of our students. Under the
leadership of Dr. Ainina, we have enhanced our curriculum with
several advanced courses including derivatives, fixed income
securities and corporate financial analysis. Our entire faculty also
helped students focus more earnestly on passing the CFA Level 1 exam
as they graduate. Plus due to faculty sponsorships, students
were able to take the exam at greatly reduced prices.” said Akhbari.
Edward Wright, a 2008 graduate, summed up his appreciation for the
faculty and the program. Wright is currently a trader/research
analyst at CH Dean, Inc.
“I really owe my new career and great education to the faculty at
Wright State who pushed me to pursue my CFA charter. The preparation
given to me in my classes and support from the dedicated professors
are the reasons I passed Level I of the CFA program. They believed
in me when I didn't and encouraged me to study when I didn't want
to. They brought the study program to Wright State, helped with
scholarships for both the test and review course, and most of all
included the necessary classes in the curriculum for my preparation.
Without the Raj Soin College of Business, I could not have done it
alone. Mr. Kawosa, Instructor, Dr. Ainina, are so dedicated to
students and this program, they need to be sculpted on the quad or
something” said Wright.
Editor’s Note: Chosky and Jenkins are from Fairborn, Ohio Mohamed
is from Dayton, Ohio Wright is from Franklin, Ohio
Mohamed holds an MBA from Wright State and has previous experience with
the United Nations UNICEF and environmental programs. Wright is a
Trade/Research Analyst for CH Dean, Inc. in Dayton. Jenkins works at the
Fund Evaluation Group (FEG) in Cincinnati and is pursuing his Masters of
Accountancy at Wright State. Choksy, is an intern at Tudor Financial,
Inc in Centerville where she serves as a Client Service, Portfolio
Software and Research Specialist. |
