Voya Financial celebrates Futures and Options scholarship winners

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), announced today that it is honored to be joining Futures and Options for its 11^th Annual Dream Big – A Celebration of Opportunity gala tonight.

The Dream Big event will honor the nonprofit’s 2021 scholarship winners and finalists, as well as all of the New York City youth who have overcome barriers and gained firsthand workforce experience that will prepare them to pursue a higher education and future career. The event will also recognize Rodney O. Martin, Jr., Voya Financial chairman and CEO, and Kristopher M. Hansen, Stroock partner and chair of the Financial Restructuring Group, as the 2021 Dream Big Award recipients for their dedication and commitment to New York City youth.

Futures and Options’ highly acclaimed, paid internship and career-readiness programs provide New York City’s youth with firsthand early work experience, which inspires initiative and dedication. Its programs help thousands of students to develop their own toolbox of professional skills, while growing in self-confidence and self-reliance.

“On behalf of all of my Voya colleagues, we are grateful for this recognition,” said Martin. “I’m humbled to accept this honor, which reflects Voya’s culture of giving and our commitment to help create financially resilient youth. Our people bring this to life each day — and we’re proud to recognize these students who have the courage, drive, persistence and talent to pursue their career goals, regardless of challenges along the way.”

Since 2017, Voya Foundation has supported an annual summer internship program for Futures and Options high school students, as well as a special program in the spring of 2018. The program provides students with experience exploring career paths and allows Voya to benefit from the talent of the next generation of the workforce. Additionally, 12 of Voya’s 30 Futures and Options alumni have been named Voya Scholars, Voya’s signature higher-education scholarship and career-readiness program.

“Tonight, we honor those who exemplify a deep commitment to ensuring the success of New York City’s next generation of leaders,” said Futures and Options Board Chair Stephen Hessler. “Most importantly, we recognize the students in our programs, who inspire all of us with their drive and determination at a remarkably young age.”

2021 Scholarship Winners and Finalists

The 2021 Futures and Options scholarship winners are Rahi Mitra and German Ortega. In addition, Aleandra Enoe and Arefa Rahman are scholarship finalists.

Mitra is being awarded the inaugural Patricia S. Machir Scholarship. She is a senior at Beacon High School. Watching her father teach himself coding inspired her to learn as well, and she created her own learning opportunities by founding her high school’s Coding and Engineering Club, participating in Computer Science research, and teaching coding to kids in her neighborhood. As a Futures and Options intern, Rahi joined JPMorgan Chase where she improved her technical and professional skills.

Ortega is being awarded the 2021 Barbara L. Christen Scholarship. He is a senior at Bard High School Early College. He was born and raised in Queens, New York by a single mother as the second eldest of four brothers. He joined the Futures and Options Career Essentials Program in February of 2021 and with the skills he gained, he secured an internship with the Sonia and Celina Sotomayor Judicial Internship Program.

Enoe is a senior at Uncommon Charter High School in Brooklyn, NY. She is the founder of a program called “MedXGirls,” which is dedicated to young women who aspire to become professionals in the medical field. In the Futures and Options Career Essentials program, Aleandra learned about the importance of networking, resume building, professionalism and displaying confidence during interviews.

Rahman immigrated to the United States from Bangladesh when she was six years old. She is a senior at the High School for Health Professions and Human Services. Arefa has participated in several Futures and Options programs, including Careers Essentials, the NYACH Ready for Healthcare Initiative Mentorship Program, and the Futures and Options Internship program, all of which provided her with numerous opportunities to become a leader in her community and learn essential career skills.

About Voya Financial^®

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), provides health, wealth and investment solutions that enable its approximately 14.8 million individual, workplace and institutional clients to achieve their financial wellness goals with confidence. With a vision to be America’s Retirement Company^®, Voya’s products, solutions and digital capabilities help create a better financial future for all. Voya is a Fortune 500 company that had $7.6 billion in revenue in 2020 and $721 billion in total assets under management and administration as of June 30, 2021. Certified as a “Great Place to Work” by the Great Place to Work^® Institute, Voya is equally committed to conducting business in a way that is socially, environmentally, economically and ethically responsible. Voya has earned recognition as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies^® by the Ethisphere Institute; as the No. 1-ranked financial services firm among Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies for three consecutive years; as a member of the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index; and as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” on the Disability Equality Index. For more information, visit voya.com. Follow Voya Financial on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter @Voya.

About Futures and Options

Futures and Options empowers New York City’s youth, particularly youth of color and students from historically underrepresented communities, to acquire transferable professional skills, pursue higher education, and successfully compete in a global 21^st century economy. They collaborate with New York City employers to provide transformative career development opportunities to young people, enabling talented, motivated youth to succeed in college and inspiring them to pursue meaningful careers. For more information, please visit futuresandoptions.org.

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