[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Haystead_Jessica.jpg” caption=”Jessica Haystead has been awarded a Women in Capital Markets, Heather L. Main Memorial Scholarship. Photo by Julia Thomson.”]

Jessica Haystead likes numbers. She always has. She did an undergraduate degree at the DeGroote School of Business in finance and went on to do her MBA in the same specialization. She worked at TD Securities and Scotia Capital. This summer, she is again going to put her affinity for numbers to use as a sales and trading associate at BMO.

Haystead has been awarded a Women in Capital Markets, Heather L. Main Memorial Scholarship. Along with a financial award of $7,500, the scholarship comes with a paid summer internship at a participating financial institution, in Haystead's case, BMO, and mentoring by a WCM member.

“Capital markets is not limited,” she explains. “You can work in investment banking, corporate banking, trading.” Corporate banking in particular appeals to Haystead. “There's a lot of client involvement and lots of different companies and industries.”

The Women in Capital Markets, Heather L. Main Memorial Scholarship honours the memory of a pioneering woman in Canadian capital markets. The objective of the scholarship is to encourage high calibre young women to enter the Canadian capital markets, build their skill base and experience, and give them a solid platform from which to launch their career.

Haystead, who is in her second year in McMaster's MBA co-op program sees the internship as an opportunity to learn more about the capital markets field and build on the experience she has gained through her co-op terms. “It will only strengthen my skill set,” she says.

Four WCM scholarships are awarded each year. Schools must be invited to participate. DeGroote along with Rotman (University of Toronto) and Schulich (York University) were invited to this year's competition. This is the second year in a row that a DeGroote student has won a WCM scholarship.