Scholar Performance
Tessa was featured with her chamber group on the national radio program 'From the Top'.
Rosita Najmi
"While I have researched microfinance as a student, I look forward to managing its use as a businesswoman, equipped with analytic skills in economics, strategic thinking, and leadership."
- Program: 2007 Graduate Scholarship Recipient
- Resides: Washington, DC
- Hometown: Knoxville
- Age: 28
- Four-year College or University: Wake Forest University
- Graduate School: Harvard University
- Academic/Career Pursuits: Business, Education / Academia, Finance / Economy, International Economic Development, International NGO/Relations, Nonprofits
- Other Interests: Church / Religious Organization, Finance / Economy, Foreign Languages / International Study, Forensic League / Speech & Debate, Greek Organization (Fraternity / Sorority), Honor Society, International Economic Development, International Relations / NGOs, Languages, Leadership Development, Nonprofits, Public Services, Religion, Sports, Student Government, Volunteer Work, Dance
Biography
Rosita Najmi financed her college career through a variety of merit scholarships, enabling her to devote her extracurricular time to service. "In college, I raised funds, helped build a school in Vietnam, and opened a clinic in Benin." She credits her mother and siblings with passing on courage and a strong work ethic. "My family, particularly my mother, instilled in me an understanding of the importance of the unique rights and freedoms that are held by women in America. I seek to honor the opportunities that both United States asylum and my family made possible."
Rosita is a member of the Baha'i Faith, a religion that is persecuted in Iran. Just before Rosita's birth, her mother fled her native country, pregnant and with three small children and no possessions. The family moved to India and then to the United States. From this starting point, in a household with income low enough to qualify her for financial aid, Rosita made her way into the educational world.
Her collegiate accomplishments earned the highest praise and recognition from numerous publications, including USA Today and GLAMOUR magazine, as one of the nation's leading college students. Rosita speaks fluent French and Farsi. She spent several summers leading public health projects in West Africa with a nonprofit organization (Project Bokonon) that she co-founded in 2001. She has also published and presented her independent research on female participation in the microfinance sector in Benin via multiple forums. For her first year after college, Rosita completed a Baha'I Year of Service and volunteered full-time for a nonprofit human rights law firm. She joined the World Bank in 2005 as a consultant and worked on capacity building in the World Bank Institute and since 2006 on sustainable development for the Middle East and North Africa region. Eventually, Rosita hopes to work in universities in developing countries to provide students with service-learning, social enterprise, and entrepreneurship opportunities.
Other Scholars Like Rosita
Jasmine Stanton
College Scholar
Florida A&M University
Sean Penwell
Graduate Scholar
Harvard University
Mark Sandberg
Undergraduate Transfer Scholar
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Karina Hermawan
Undergraduate Transfer Scholar
University of California, Berkeley