“In the future, I hope to be at the top of my field and earn a position as a chief financial officer at a large corporation.” That was Grace Studer’s ambition for the future when she graduated third in her class of 202 students at Conifer High School in 2014. Almost three years after graduating from Texas Christian University, and with the help of a Bootstraps and other scholarships, Grace is well on her way to realizing her goal.
 
Grace received the Empowerment Scholarship from Bootstraps in 2014 along with interest-free loans to help her cover the cost of college.
Grace graduated from TCU in 2018 majoring in finance and accounting, with a minor in economics. The scholarship and loans she received were used towards tuition and books and allowed her to attend her dream school. University education helped her secure the job she has today. She said, “Bootstraps has helped me achieve more than I could ever imagine. I did not have to limit my dreams. I can only hope to do the same for someone else in the future.”

Her transition from high school to college was easy thanks to the preparation and confidence Grace developed from taking AP classes at Conifer High. Grace is an independent and adventurous person, and college provided excellent opportunities to build on those attributes. She lived on campus in a coed honors dorm, giving her the perfect opportunity to meet people. Grace was fortunate to form a close-knit community of friends including some women who are her best friends to this day.  
Grace wanted to be in business from the beginning of her college career. She was involved with DECA in high school and dreamed of becoming a CFO who would inspire and motivate people, especially young women. In one of the essays she wrote for her Bootstraps application, Grace said, “Although the trend for careers specializing in math and science has been generally male dominated, I hope to break this barrier and pursue a position that will allow me to be a role model to everyone, especially for women gifted in these areas.”
 
Grace always registered for the maximum number of classes of 18 hours at TCU and had a heavy workload which kept her on track to graduate in four years. The AP credits from Conifer High School certainly helped!
 
Education at TCU set her up for career opportunities and her current job. She works in corporate development at Accenture, a global Fortune 500 technology consulting company in Dallas. The job began as an entry-level position and is now leading her toward a leadership role. Her ideal position would allow her to interact with people and use the analytical and finance skills she gained in college. Fortunately, COVID19 has had little impact on her job because she was working remotely before the pandemic.
In college, Grace was involved with a sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, and a business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi. Grace also participated in community service activities such as volunteering at the local women’s shelter, which was supported by her sorority, and tutoring children in reading, inspiring and motivating them to succeed in school.
Grace spent a month abroad in Spain studying international finance in Barcelona and Madrid. She also learned about Spanish culture and sports and how they impact the Spanish economy. For example, she and the class analyzed the economics of the soccer stadiums in Barcelona and Madrid and compared them to our professional sports teams like those of the NBA.  
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Grace believes Bootstraps helped lead her towards her ideal job in a management position and is very thankful to Bootstraps’ supporters, without whom the organization would not exist.