Zonta International scholarship recognizes two DeGroote MBA students as up-and-coming women in business

Kim Wojtczak | Hamilton, ON | January 19, 2012

Vivian Trinh

Nida Jabrani

Despite coming from different undergraduate backgrounds, McMaster graduate students Vivian Trinh and Nida Jabrani have two significant things in common: they are both currently studying in the co-op MBA program at the DeGroote School of Business and are both recipients of the prestigious Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship.

The scholarship is awarded through Zonta International, a global organization of professionals that work together to advance the status of women worldwide. Zonta was founded in 1919 and has over 30,000 members and 1,200 clubs in 63 different countries.

The Jane M. Klausman scholarship is awarded annually to women pursuing a business or business-related degree and who demonstrate outstanding potential in the field. Applicants must be nominated by a local Zonta club, and scholarships of US$750 each are awarded at the club level, US$1,000 each at the district level and twelve scholarships of US$5,000 each at the international level.

Nida and Vivian were both awarded the club-level scholarship this October, and Vivian was also the recipient of the district-level and international-level awards.

For Vivian, the scholarships were both a great surprise and a great honour. The progress of women in the business world is extremely important to her, and she connects to this issue on a very personal level. "As a minority woman, I have two obstacles to overcome. My parents escaped from Vietnam and started a whole new life from nothing, so this constantly motivates me," Vivian explains.

Vivian is excited to be associated with Zonta and its opportunities, and she feels that the scholarship will give her the freedom to focus on her extracurricular passions. She has previously done medical relief volunteer work in Costa Rica and Nicaragua and would like the chance to return. Vivian is currently completing her co-op placement at St. Michael's Hospital in clinical education and medical affairs and hopes to specialize in healthcare management in the future.

Nida similarly sees gender equity in business as a very relevant issue around the world and feels honoured to receive the recognition that comes with the Jane M. Klausman scholarship. "I think the scholarship attests to the professional and community work that I have done," Nida states. "It has further motivated me to continue doing what I do because it makes me feel valued."

Nida has experience working for organizations like RIM and Sanofi Pasteur, a company devoted to vaccine research and innovation. This is where Nida gained the inspiration to pursue work in supply chain management within the pharmaceutical sector. Nida is currently on exchange in France through DeGroote's BizX program and points to the support received from this scholarship as assisting with her studies overseas.

"It is important that external organizations like Zonta International take such importance in the development of women in their communities and are willing to support them," she explains, "I think it is encouraging for me and for other women in the pursuit of our goals."

New applications for the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship will be available in January 2012. For more information on Zonta International, visit www.zonta.org.