Cynthia Jurado Sizemore, MSF, Harley M. Tobon, and Izumi Carnes, AFC® to receive
Diversity Scholarships to attend the 2020 FPA Digital Annual Conference
DENVER (September 29, 2020)— The Financial Planning Association® (FPA®), the largest membership organization for financial planning practitioners and those who support the financial planning process, is pleased to announce three recipients of the association’s annual Diversity Scholarship. The merit-based scholarship recognizes financial services students and professionals who strive to promote diversity in the financial planning profession. Recipients of the scholarship will receive a one-year FPA membership and complimentary registration to the 2020 FPA Digital Annual Conference, to be held Sept. 30 – Oct. 2.
“Diversity and inclusion within the financial planning profession grows our community and opens the door to new perspectives, helping practitioners understand and meet the needs of a growing, diverse population,” says 2020 FPA President Martin C. Seay, Ph.D., CFP®. “I’m proud FPA is a leader in promoting and celebrating diversity and inclusion within the financial planning profession and applaud Cynthia, Harley, and Izzy for their commendable efforts.”
The 2020 FPA Digital Annual Conference Diversity Scholarship recipients are:
Cynthia Jurado Sizemore, MSF is a Product Support Specialist with Commerce Bank in Kansas City, Mo. and is currently obtaining her Certified Financial Analyst (CFA®) charterholder. A former student and faculty member for the KUMC K-12 Initiative, Sizemore serves on the K-12 Initiative Advisory Board to provide financial advice for the longevity of the organization and on the K-12 Initiative Summer Camp Program to provide online personal finance education to high school students. Sizemore works with KU Medical Center and the Kansas City Kansas Community College to teach students financial literacy and volunteers on a number of outreach programs that benefit students in the USD 500 school district. As an advocate for education, financial literacy and wellness, Sizemore is able to give back to the community and refine her craft.
Harley M. Tobon is a Client Success Associate with Facet Wealth in Chicago, Ill. with aspirations of obtaining his CFP® certification. Tobon is a member of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), nationally recognized for fostering success within the Latinx community. As past president of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Financial Planning Club, Tobon is pioneering a financial literacy curriculum for at-risk youth through the local Boys and Girls Club. He also supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation and its mission to grant children life-lasting wishes with threatening illnesses.
Izumi (“Izzy”) Carnes, AFC® is an Associate Planner with Redeployment Wealth Strategies in Virginia Beach, Va. and is currently obtaining her CFP® certification. A first-generation immigrant to the U.S., Carnes is a student in Kansas State University’s Personal Financial Planning program and a member of the Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education (AFCPE®). She serves as a Financial Counselor on the Yellow Ribbon Network COVID-19 Task Force, providing free financial counseling to people who are financially affected by COVID-19, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and caregivers. With 14 years of experience serving her community, Carnes has volunteered for the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society in Okinawa, Japan and in Cherry Point, NC.
Those applying for an FPA Diversity Scholarship must be able to demonstrate a commitment to:
- Raising awareness of the profession in diverse communities;
- Serving diverse communities with financial planning; and/or
- Increasing professional opportunities for diverse communities within the financial planning profession.
The Diversity Scholarship Program is sponsored by the FPA Diversity and Inclusion Committee. The Committee’s mission is to develop strategies to raise awareness and promote inclusiveness of diverse communities including but not limited to: age, race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation in the financial planning profession. FPA strives to increase professional opportunities for the widest spectrum of people so that all may join and thrive in the financial planning profession.
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About the Financial Planning Association
The Financial Planning Association® (FPA®) is the principal membership organization for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM professionals, educators, financial services professionals and students who are committed to elevating the profession that transforms lives through the power of financial planning. With a focus on the practice, business and profession of financial planning, FPA advances financial planning practitioners through every phase of their careers, from novice to master to leader of the profession. Learn more about FPA at FinancialPlanningAssociation.org and follow on Twitter at twitter.com/fpassociation.