Following the Class Day Ceremony on Cannon Green, students who earned a Certificate or Minor in Finance from the Bendheim Center joined faculty and staff in the Julis Romo Rabinowitz building for an awards celebration. Graduates and their friends and family gathered in the atrium where Melanie Heaney-Scott, Academic Administrator, read the names of the eight graduates receiving the Certificate in Finance and the 51 who earned a Minor in Finance. Caio Almeida, senior lecturer in economics and the Director of Graduate Studies, then presented BCF’s two annual student prizes.

“Congratulations to all of our graduates,” Almeida said. “We look forward to cheering you on in your future endeavors.”

Caroline Zhao awarded the Birch Family Prize

Established in 2004 by William D. Birch Jr. ’64 and William Marco Birch ’92, the Birch Family Prize is awarded to a graduating senior with the highest-grade point average in course work related to the Minor in Finance.

Congratulations to Caroline Zhao, the 2025 prize winner. Zhao is a Chemical and Biological Engineering major who earned the Minor in Finance.

The Kathleen Traynor Class of ’83 Research Fund Award given to Tara Agarwal

Established by the Kathleen Traynor ’83 Research Fund Award in 2014, this prize is awarded annually to the graduating female senior with the highest GPA in coursework related to the Minor in Finance.

Tara Agarwal is the 2025 award winner. Agarwal is a Computer Science major who earned the Minor in Finance. 

The Bendheim Center for Finance created the Certificate in Finance program in 2000, and 2025 graduates represent the first Minor in Finance class. Students had the option to pursue either the certificate or the minor this year, with six students completing the certificate and X earning a minor. Next year, the Minor in Finance will be the only program offered.

Princeton Teaching & Advising in Finance Prize

The Princeton Finance Teaching and Advising Prize is awarded to a faculty member who demonstrates excellence in teaching Undergraduate Minor in Finance and Master in Finance courses and advising finance students. The prize is awarded annually with prize money of $4,000. The selection is based on nominations by undergraduates in their junior and senior years and Master in Finance students.

This year, the prize was awarded to Natalie Cox, Assistant Professor of Economics, who developed and taught a brand new course, Introduction to Personal Finance (ECO 102). Students of all years and majors who took the course, which introduced key concepts such as saving, borrowing, interest rates, risk, and diversification, found the material and Professor Cox’s instruction invaluable.

“Professor Cox is a diamond in the rough. I’ve never taken a course with a professor that cared so deeply about her student’s learning and with so much energy and spunk. She taught right up until our last lecture despite being incredibly pregnant and gave birth THREE DAYS after the last day of class! And not only that, she sent us a canvas announcement about a week postpartum checking in and making sure we weren’t too stressed for the final. She’s my superhero,” said one student who nominated Professor Cox for the prize.

Congratulations to Caroline, Tara, and the entirety of the 2025 graduating UCF/UMF class on their exceptional achievement. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.