Risa Goldberg Memorial Scholarship for Women in Capital Markets

Years ago, a coworker shared with me a tip from her dad, who had recently passed: if you're approaching a red light where you want to make a left turn, don't go all the way to the stop line; stop on the sensor. This will trigger the advanced green, allowing you to make your turn. So seemingly insignificant, yet every time I pull up to a red light, I stop on the sensor and think of my coworker and her dad.

It is my hope that Risa's legacy has and will travel beyond this scholarship and the lasting memories she made on family, friends, and coworkers, and be little nuances in our everyday lives and that of people that maybe she never met.

Me? I think of Risa every time I have pizza -- because there's always arugula and balsamic dressing on top. I think of her whenever I learn something new in Excel or find the perfect gift for someone. And when I shipped an online Macy's sale purchase to the upcoming US conference I was attending. I think of her every single time I wear the sweater I added to that order to get free shipping.

Risa was smart, savvy, and had little tolerance for BS. Her tips have stood the test of time. What's your Risa-ism?

As we mark the tenth anniversary of Risa's death, I'm grateful to her friend Jill for sharing the below reflection. -- H

Grief comes in waves. But ten years of grief is not a wave pool, it’s a river. It ebbs and flows. It twists violently around boulders and meanders gently through the shallows. But it’s now the undercurrent of life. Risa is the undercurrent. She is always there. She’s there every time I teach my kids to cross the street. The tragic ending, her untimely death, I always feel the need to explain. She was real, it was real. It really happened. And the unspoken truth, I can’t lose you too.
Risa’s absence from my life has been tangible these past ten years.
10 years.
An entire decade.
A young child.
It’s seems somehow both short and long at the same time. Ten years should have been a quarter of her life. But now it is and will always be a third.
I wonder what she would have been in her 40s. Successful, of course. Undeniably fashionably, for sure.
Would those extra 10 years have helped her to see herself the way we always saw her? I like to think so. She was so larger than life to me. She was so successful and kind. She was beautiful and flawed. She was always there when you needed her. And then, in an instant, she was gone. Ten years later it still seems impossible.
But the grief is still very real. Not piercing like it used to be. But it ebbs and flows. It’s a river that is now ten years long.

We're proud to introduce you to Yamini Talgaonkar, this year's recipient of the Risa Goldberg Memorial Scholarship for Women in Capital Markets.

Today would have been Risa's 40th birthday. We're both proud and sad that this award exists and that ten women are continuing in Risa's name to champion for female excellence in the challenging finance industry. And that's certainly worth celebrating with cake.

Nine years.

Even after nine years, we think of you everyday. Even with the devastation of COVID-19, losing our favourite Zaida and caring aunt, we remember you. Life goes on, even if you don't have the ones you love by your side. Remembering does not have to equal grief. It does not have to cause trauma.

Please share the memory of Risa that makes you smile the most in the comments. We all need that today.

I remember Risa bursting into laughter as she rehearsed her bat mitzvah speech. And pretending to eat Reallie's ears, telling him how delicious they were.

Thanks to your continued support, we have a new memory to add: Yue (Christy) Yang is the recipient of this year's scholarship. She joins the legacy that we have all created.
https://engage.utoronto.ca/site/SPageServer?pagename=donate #/collection/51

We’re proud to introduce Stephanie Looby as this year’s recipient of the Risa Goldberg Memorial Scholarship for Women in Capital Markets.

Stephanie is also one of this year’s recipients of WCM’s Heather L. Main Scholarship and will be interning at BMO - Bank of Montreal as an investment banking associate this summer.

Stephanie earned an Honours Bachelor of Science degree at Queen’s University so would’ve spent many hours with the descendants of Risa’s beloved fruit flies!

We’re excited for all that Stephanie will achieve in her career in capital markets.

Please join us in a slice of cake to celebrate Stephanie and all the past recipients. Because birthdays are for cake.

You are missed. You are loved. You will be remembered. Always. ❤️

At Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto's award breakfast, we had the great honour of seeing part of the community of scholarship recipients.

Jessica Schwarz, the Scholarship's inaugural recipient, was a panel guest, and spoke of the Scholarship's impact on her career.

Susie Shi was in attendance as the 2018-2019 scholarship recipient.

And we're very proud to introduce Maria Sainz Trapaga as the 2019-2020 recipient of the Risa Goldberg Memorial Scholarship.

Please join us in raising a fork of cake to each of these women and all of the past scholarship recipients, because birthdays are for cake.

This has been a year of sad endings and exciting beginnings.

There are new fundraising ventures sharing Risa's memory in new circles. There is a new Monster, who gave us many snuggles this morning.

And today, a dear neighbour will marry her beloved, giving us all a happy occasion to mark on June 14, instead of constant dread.

But as we sit with our Risa at the most painful moment on this most difficult day, our hearts also ache for a missing mother and grandmother, and an uncle, too.

The reach and impact of Risa's scholarship is significant. Six women carry Risa's legacy as they create their own mark in capital markets. Dozens more have related to her story.

And sometimes the Scholarship is there to bring us comfort. A place that takes our sadness, our anger, our helplessness—and creates positive outcome for others.

Every year, we ask that you think of the Scholarship when you think of Risa. This year, let's think of the Scholarship as a way to help create an exciting new beginning for future recipients, and let that potential bring us all comfort on this painful day.
https://donate.utoronto.ca/give/show/145

The Scholarship committee is proud to announce Susie Shi as the 2018 recipient of the Risa Goldberg Memorial Scholarship for Women in Capital Markets.

Susie has an M.A. in Political Science and worked in progressively senior finance roles in Korea and China before moving to Toronto to begin her MBA at Rotman. We know she will continue her success and are proud to welcome her to the growing group of scholarship recipients, honouring Risa's memory in perpetuity.

Please join us in raising a fork of cake to Susie, and Manpreet, Sandy, Gabriela, Ally, and Jessica, to toast all they have already achieved—and all that is yet to come. Because "birthdays are for cake." 🎂💜 🎂💜 🎂💜

“The most painful state of being is remembering the future, particularly the one you'll never have.” —Søren Kierkegaard

As we sit with our Risa on the fifth anniversary of the most horrible day, we remember her mothering Reallie, and yearn for memories of her parenting a child or children with flair, impeccable organization, and sensitivity. We remember her excitement—and frustrations—of home ownership, and are pained that she never got her Palmerston Avenue dream house. We remember her gleefully counting down the days to each travel adventure, sadly, there will be no countdown to the Galapagos. We remember Risa always making time for the ones she loved. There will be no more impromptu visits or BBMs between...and during...meetings We remember her two-Blackberry-life antics, and are so thankful that a company recognized her incredible skill and work ethic, allowing her to thrive professionally. Yet there will be no memory of her getting promoted to VP and beyond. Although there's no doubt Risa would've continued to climb the ranks, becoming a name those in the industry would recognize and admire.

Our memories of Risa are finite and too few. We cling to them.

And though the past we remember is an excruciating reminder of the future that was taken from Risa, we will keep our memories of her alive and continue sharing them with the care, grace, and integrity that Risa will always be known for. She would expect nothing less.

How will you remember Risa today?
Please help us remember Risa forever.
https://donate.utoronto.ca/give/show/145

As we remember our Risa today on what should have been her 35th birthday, we're pleased to share that Manpreet Kaur, our 2017 award recipient, has accepted an offer from Desjardins Securities for a summer internship in their Equity Research department. We wish her much luck and success in this endeavor. We know she will be a tremendous addition to Desjardins.

And as we do every year, we hope that when you think of Risa today, you eat cake. 🎂❤️️🎂❤️️🎂❤️️
https://donate.utoronto.ca/risagoldberg

After meeting with three bright and accomplished women, we're proud to welcome Manpreet Kaur to the ranks of Jessica, Ally, Gabriela, and Sandy, as the recipient of the 2017 Risa Goldberg Memorial Scholarship for Women in Capital Markets.

Please join us in congratulating Manpreet, and wishing the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto 2018 MBA candidates good luck as they prepare for their summer internship interviews.