Jessica Kar

A Vibrant Community with Jesuit Values

When Jessica Kar heard that Fordham had awarded her a Susan M. Wallace Memorial Endowed Scholarship, she felt that a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “I knew I had to think about my parents and my younger sister,” she says. “I had a responsibility to make sure I didn’t become a burden of debt.”

Kar emigrated from India with her family when she was 4 years old. She’s now president of the South Asian cultural awareness group as well as vice president of the Commuting Students Association at Fordham. The senior mathematics and economics major also participates in the Fordham Mentoring Program.

“My mentor has given me recommendations and helped me decide what programs and companies in the financial industry might be better for me,” she says. “I feel like the alumni network is really strong.”

It’s this sense of community that attracted Kar to Fordham in the first place, and something she hopes to take with her. “I knew there were strong academics, but I also really liked the diversity and vibrancy of the college and the city,” she says. “Even though I’m Hindu, the Jesuit values have really shaped not only my education but the way I look at things. I make sure to integrate that into everything I do.”

The Susan M. Wallace Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund

The family and friends of Susan M. Wallace, Marymount College Class of 1980, established this fund in 1989 in her memory. The scholarship is awarded to a student with an outstanding academic record who has demonstrated leadership qualities through involvement in community service on or off campus.