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OTM SCHOLARSHIP
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OTM OUTSIDE GROUP
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OUR INTERNS

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2024-2025 LEADERSHIP TEAM

Samantha Loies

President

Samantha is a current senior at Walter Payton College Prep and this is her second year on OTM. She is interested in a business career, specifically in finance, and loves writing about business topics and contributing to financial literacy. She is also a part of her school's dance team and loves to dance.

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Umar Sheikh

Vice President

Umar, a rising senior at Walter Payton, plans to major in computer engineering or finance. He joined OTM as a freshman to explore finance and entrepreneurship. Outside of OTM, he enjoys voulenteering at the Museum of Science and Industry.

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Joseph Dai

Secretary

Joseph Dai is a senior at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School and resides in the Near West Side of Chicago. He joined OTM after hearing about it from his economics teacher. Joseph is interesting in learning and writing about applying economic principles across broader societal contexts such as economic inequality. He is interested in a career in business and finance and explores the field through his involvement in JEC and BPA where he is co-president. Additionally, he is board one and captain of his school's chess team. He also enjoys running where he is on varsity cross country and track.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP INTERNS

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Braden Samko

Braden is a senior at Whitney Young High School planning to pursue a career in business. Braden wrestles and runs track and field for his school and works as an intern for A Safe Haven, a non-profit organization close to where he lives on the west side of Chicago. Braden likes to watch football and listen to music in his free time.

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Rika Nishikawa

Rika Nishikawa is a homeschool high school senior with passions for economics, political science, theater, and books. Rika joined OTM in Spring of 2024 as a journalism and entrepreneurship intern looking for ways to expand her passion of economics and grow her leadership skills. She has been acting and singing for over ten years and has been part of many professional productions in Chicago and is a teaching assistant for an online geo-political book club. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, solving puzzles, making art, and listening to music!

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Kavin Ramasamy

Kavin Ramasamy is a junior at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School from West Loop and enjoys exploring the intersection of economy, finance, and technology. He is also interested in programming and software development. Kavin got involved with OTM by learning about it from his business teacher. He enjoys reading and writing articles on economics and finance and engaging in discussions on finance and monetary policies. In his free time, Kavin enjoys running, spending time with family and friends, and traveling.

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Finn Singer

Finn Singer is a senior at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School and lives in Bucktown/Wicker Park, Chicago, IL. He works part-time at a local Italian restaurant and aspires to be an Airline Pilot when he is older. He joined OTM after hearing about it from the "High School Internships Club" (when he was not a member), and he is now the Director of Marketing for that club. Additionally, Finn is interested in Cars, Aviation, and important Business topics.

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Sanaa Taqvi

Sanaa is a senior at Walter Payton College Prep. She is passionate about law and policy, aiming to pursue a career in these fields. As the captain of the mock trial team and editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, she channels her love for journalism and law. Sanaa joined OTM to better understand financial literacy and its connection to policy, and to help inform her community. In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer and the flute.

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Declan Parker

Declan Parker is a Junior at Walter Payton College Prep. He joined OTM after hearing about it from fellow classmates. He plans on majoring in Finance.

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Stephanie Liang

Stephanie Liang is currently a sophomore attending Walter Payton College Prep. At Payton she's part of the policy debate team and Business Outlook board. As someone who likes writing and is interested in business, she joined On The Money to do explore both those things. Her plans for the future include going to business school and becoming a lawyer. Outside of school, she enjoys learning how to code and writing short stories. She's also foodie that happens to love watching historical Chinese dramas.

JOURNALISM INTERNS

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Giselle De Leon

Giselle De Leon is a senior at Walter Payton College Prep. She has leadership in three clubs at her school, Helping Paws, Payton Business Outlook, Operation Smile. Has been a part of On the Money Magazine since her freshman year. She is passionate about economics and writing, and hopes to grow her understanding of finance; and is interested in healthcare.In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, and writing.

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Riaan Srivastava

Riaan is a freshman at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School. He heard about OTM from his internship club. Riaan is interested in learning about finance and business, as well as learning about different ways to save money. Riaan also enjoys reading books, playing sports and sometimes watching movies.

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Ernest Gontarz

Ernest Gontarz is a junior at Lane Tech College Prep who joined On the Money the fall of his sophomore year. He enjoys writing about finance and entrepreneurial topics that engage the reader's interest. His articles dive deep into modern trends and loops them back to business and the economy. Other than OTM, Ernest enjoys working out, hanging out with friends, playing golf and riding his bike.

Summer 2024 Team Leads

Summer 2024 Money Mentors

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2023-2024 LEADERSHIP TEAM

Vivian Kaleta 

President

Vivian Kaleta is a senior at Walter Payton College Prep and resides in the near North side of Chicago. She joined OTM in Fall 2021 as she is interested in business and journalism. Outside of OTM, Vivian writes for her school's newspaper, plays the piano and participates in economic related clubs. Vivian is excited to help the spread in financial literacy among young people in Chicago.

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Hailan Yu

Vice President

Hailan Yu is a Senior at Walter Payton College Prep reigning from the Near South Side of Chicago. Her academic interests include STEM and economics. She joined OTM with the goal of developing financial literature and knowledge of the business world among students. In the future, she plans to further her studies in college by studying economics and engineering. In addition to writing for OTM, she enjoys playing volleyball.

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Umar Shaikh

Secretary

Umar Shaikh is a Junior at Walter Payton College Prep. He is a member of the math team, science olympiad team, robotics team, and does cross country. He has previously interned for the Museum of Science and Industry. He is a member of the selective University of Chicago Scholars Program.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP INTERNS

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Joseph Dai

Joseph Dai is a junior at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School and resides in the Near West Side of Chicago. He joined OTM after hearing about it from his economics teacher. Joseph is interesting in learning and writing about applying economic principles across broader societal contexts such as economic inequality. He is interested in a career in business and finance and explores the field through his involvement in BPA, FBLA, WGHSIC, and DECA. He is board one and captain of his school's chess team. He also enjoys running where he is on varsity cross country and track.

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Samantha Loies

Samantha Loies is a junior at Walter Payton College Prep. She is interested in pursuing a career in business, specifically economics. She is also interested in journalism and enjoys writing articles about business-related topics. In addition to writing for OTM, she enjoys dancing on the poms team and has been a dancer for eleven years.

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Giselle De Leon

Giselle De Leon is a junior at Walter Payton College Prep. She has leadership in three clubs at her school, Payton Business Outlook, Operation Smile, Helping Paws. She is passionate about economics and writing, and hopes to grow her understanding of finance. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, writing.

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Tara Mirkov

Tara is a senior at Whitney M. Young High School. She grew up in Hyde Park and now lives in the South Loop. On the weekends, she works as a swim teacher and social media manager for her swim team. Currently, she hopes to major in Cognitive Science and minor in Business. Her first involvement with OTM was spring 2023 and she is now in her second semester. She discovered OTM from her AP Economics teacher and enjoys it because of how it intersects entrepreneurship and journalism.

Sanaa is a senior at Walter Payton College Prep. She is passionate about law and policy, aiming to pursue a career in these fields. As the captain of the mock trial team and editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, she channels her love for journalism and law. Sanaa joined OTM to better understand financial literacy and its connection to policy, and to help inform her community. In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer and the flute.

Sanaa Taqvi

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Mia Bonds

Mia is a freshman at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and grew up in Chicago's East Side neighborhood. Mia joined the Economic Awareness Council because she is interested in a career involving environmental economics and consulting. During high school Mia participated in the AP Capstone program where she conducted research in the field of environmental economics, was the secretary of Whitney Young High School’s Youth and Government chapter where she wrote a bill about environmental gentrification, and volunteered with the organizations: Feud for Food, The Chicago Period Club and Best Buddies. In her free time Mia enjoys all kinds of art but especially drawing, painting, ceramics and fashion. 

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Janel Ray

Janel Ray is a recent graduate and alumni of Illinois College. She currently works for Chicago public schools, where she enjoys being a teacher assistant for the kindergarten class. Janel has worked with OTM for over five years. She enjoys coming back almost every summer. Janel has been a team lead for two summers now where she enjoys assisting and mentoring a group of her own. Janel hopes she can eventually move more into her communication career. She has a interest in public relations, social media management and HR aspects. She enjoys reading and playing the piano on her free time. 

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Grace Li

Grace Li is a returning intern residing in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood and an economics major at Duke University. Passionate about financial literacy and social impact, she first joined On the Money in the summer of 2021. Additionally, Grace hopes to enter fields related to business, economics, or finance after graduation, and her articles are focused on these areas of interest. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano, roasting coffee, and going out with friends to try out new restaurants in Chicago.

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Fathima Shaikh

Fathima Shaikh is a rising freshman at UC Berkeley, passionate about education equality and financial literacy. She joined OTM as a freshman in high school and has led multiple campaigns, increasing online interaction by 73% and in person outreach by 150+ people. At Berkeley, she hopes to major in electrical engineering and computer science to combine her interest with social entrepreneurship with technology. 

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Celena Ho

Celena Ho is a rising freshman who will be attending UIUC in the fall to pursue a double major in accounting and marketing. She currently also works as a marketing intern and a seasonal tennis instructor. Celena is from the Northside of Chicago, but graduated from Whitney M. Young High School where it was her economics teacher, Ms. Mueller, who actually encouraged her to apply for OTM. Her favorite hobbies include reading books, organizing her Notion account, and going out with friends. 

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Flavia Michelan

My name is Flavia Michelan and I am a current senior at University of Illinois in Chicago, I was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil and moved to Chicago a 2 years ago to pursue my University career. I am currently double majoring in Economics and Political Science, with a pre Law track. I heard about OTM/EAC through a professor and can say that it opened doors what once were unimaginable opportunities that are extremely relevant as work experience, such as being able to publish an article on a magazine.

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Ria Tharakan

Ria Tharakan, a recent immigrant of India, had always dreamed of studying abroad. So, when the opportunity to study at the University of Illinois Chicago presented itself, she eagerly seized it. Ria embarked on her academic journey, choosing to major in Economics. Her fascination for the subject drew her nearer to the world of OTM which she started in the summer of 2023. She also lays her passion in storytelling and writing and aspires to pen a book highlighting her family's history, culture and traditions.

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Kenneth Ruan

Kenneth Ruan is a rising Freshman at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign living in the Brighton Park community. He aspires to major in Accounting & Datascience and is dedicated to serving his community. This will be his first year serving as a OTM Money Mentor. 

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Danny Chen

Danny is a recent graduate from Whitney M. Young Magnet Highschool. He will be a rising freshmen at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign studying Business. Through the On the Money program, Danny hopes to gain more experience in the field of business and gain invaluable connections. Danny's future goals are to complete his degree in Accountancy and eventually get his CPA. He hopes to to start at an entry level job as an accountant at one of the Big 4 firms.

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Armaan Shah, a student at the Harvard University, resides in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. He joined On the Money in February of 2021 as a Monthly Intern to share his passions for entrepreneurship and financial literacy. He previously served as a Money Mentor in Summer 2022. Outside of EAC and OTM, Armaan plays soccer, basketball, and golf and enjoys the outdoors.

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Anika Dewjee

Anika Dewjee is a rising sophomore at Northwestern University, where she is majoring in Economics and minoring in Business Institutions and International Studies. She became an On the Money intern in January 2021 to share her passion for entrepreneurship and finance, and currently serves as a team lead for the Money Mentor Summer Internship. At Northwestern, Anika is heavily involved with Northwestern’s entrepreneurial hub by working with startups and entrepreneurship cohort programs. After college, Anika plans to pursue a career in consulting and aims to eventually start her own business. 

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Vivian Kaleta

Vivian Kaleta is a senior at Walter Payton College Prep and resides in the near North side of Chicago. She joined OTM in Fall 2021 as she is interested in economics and journalism. Outside of OTM, Vivian is a copy-editor for her school's newspaper, an author, and plays the piano along with volleyball. Vivian is excited to help the spread in financial literacy among young people in Chicago.

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Rahui Enriquez

Rahui Enriquez is a driven individual with a passion for personal development and community engagement. Born and raised in the Chicago neighborhood of Little Village, he developed a deep appreciation for its diverse culture and tight-knit community. While currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration at Richard J Daley Community College, Rahui has also decided to become an active money mentor for the Economic Awareness Council (EAC) through the One Summer Chicago program. As a money mentor, he provides presentations on financial literacy to empower youth and help them establish banking relationships. Rahui got involved with the EAC to enhance his own financial literacy skills. Rahui actively seeks out opportunities to expand his skill set and broaden his horizons. Alongside his studies and role as a money mentor, he is also involved in raising awareness for social issues for Indigenous communities within America. The addition of his participation in raising awareness for social issues within Indigenous communities showcases his dedication to addressing important societal challenges. 

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Piotr Fedczuk

Piotr studies journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This fall, he will be a sophomore. Piotr works at his school's newspaper and plans to write for larger newspapers in the future. In his free time, Piotr focuses on creating stories, poems, and artwork. He hopes to pick up skateboarding in the future.

Piotr found out about the EAC from a friend who participated in the OTM program. He got involved because he wanted to teach others about finance and continue to strengthen his writing skills.

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Sergio Mendieta

Sergio Mendieta is a rising junior that currently attends Augustana College. Sergio is a part of the OTM team and grew up on the north side of Chicago. As a child Sergio was a part of many swim team and later grew up with an interest for the pool. Later at around the age of 16 he was hired at his old swim club as a  swim instructor. Sergio is Interested in Finance and is devoted to sharing financial literacy with in OTM and this great non-for-profit organization. 

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Karis Kelly

Karis Kelly is a freshman at the University of Rochester studying molecular genetics, epidemiology, and film and media studies. She is from the Mayfair neighborhood and graduated with an IB Diploma from Taft. She got involved in OTM in 2020 with the goal of improving financial literacy for the community around her. She served as President and Vice President and continues to be involved with EAC with the Money Mentor Programme. Karis hopes to keep spreading financial literacy in her communities. After seeing the discrepancies across schools and neighborhoods, she is dedicated to bridge the gap.

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