MURFREESBORO — Three
grateful MTSU students in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business recently
received a financial boost to their educational aspirations from the Women in
Commercial Real Estate Nashville chapter.
Scholarship
recipient Marcela Arredondo, a senior from Franklin, Tennessee, received a
$1,000 scholarship from the networking group, while junior Keysha Honey of
Murfreesboro and senior Jessica Rae Vega of Franklin received $500 each. All
are majoring in finance with concentrations in real estate.
“We want
to build a strong relationship with MTSU,” said WCRE chapter President Rhonda
Thomas, who visited campus in late October to award the scholarships at the
Business and Aerospace Building.
Started
in 1991 to promote networking among women in the industry, WCRE Nashville later
created a scholarship fund for female real estate students in conjunction with
the creation of the group’s Legacy Award in 2010.
“We want
to mentor (students) and bring them up so that they can see the trails that
we’ve blazed, learn from our mistakes and go even further in the field,” Thomas
said.
Arredondo
said the scholarship was “a blessing” because she’s already working full time
at an area restaurant to pay for school. This keeps her on track to graduate in
May 2016 and begin a career in the industry.
“This
funding is just the added push, someone believing in me,” she said. “I have
another reason to finish up. There’s no reason to stop.”
Added
Honey: “It’s always nice to get help with paying for my education. It’s
especially nice to meet women who are already in the field.”
Vega,
also scheduled to graduate in May, thinks the WCRE scholarship helps her with
networking by “knowing new people” and potential internship opportunities
leading up to graduation.
Joining
Thomas on campus to present the scholarships was Clarice McPherson, an MTSU
alumna and recipient of this year’s WCRE Legacy Award. The honor is given to a
WCRE member who “exemplifies the highest standards of professional, social and
cultural leadership.”
McPherson,
a WCRE member since 2000, has served in the commercial real estate field for a
number of years and spearheaded the 24-year-old organization’s biggest group
project — the renovation of a home to house the Magdalene House, a private
rehabilitation center in Nashville for women.
“I was
completely humbled by the award,” said McPherson. “This is an incredible group
of women in the commercial real estate field. … When I started in the field
many years ago, there weren’t very many women in commercial real estate. We’ve
come a long way.”
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