OUR INTERNS

Summer 2024 Team Leads

Hailan Yu

Hailan Yu is an incoming first year at Williams College studying Economics and Data Science. She grew up in the Near South Side and currently resides in Bridgeport. Hailan joined OTM in Spring 2022 with the intentions of helping increase financial literacy among the youth in Chicago. She has previously served as the Vice President of the OTM board during the 2023-2024 school year. Outside of OTM, Hailan enjoys playing volleyball and traveling.

Karis Kelly

Karis Kelly is a sophomore 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.

Janel Ray

Janel works for Chicago public schools. She grew up on the south side of Chicago. Janel's career goal is to be able to work with an organization doing communications/social media management. Her goal is to bring a strong social media and communications presence to its audience. Janel first got involved with Otm in 2017. She was introduced through her aunt, who was at the time the program manager. Once she got introduced she has been working with otm ever since. She enjoys learning the trends and staying up to date on social media. Some of her other interest includes reading, starting a book club and doing make up.

Summer 2024 Money Mentors

Jacob Goroff

Jacob Goroff is a Freshman studying Marketing at the University of Miami Florida. For his previous OTM article, IQ vs EQ: What is a Bigger Predictor of Workplace Success, he interviewed the former president of the American Psychological Association, Robert Sternberg, and Blistex's International Head of Marketing, Krenda Frushour. For his current OTM article, why do some musicians make billions while many others struggle to pay rent, he interviewed NPR SoundOpinions host, Jim DeRogatis, and music industry expert, Michael Berg.

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Matie Favela

Marie Favela attends DePaul University and grew up in Albany Park. She strives to learn more about the role data analysts play in financial industries and how she can one day be one. She became a Money Mentor for On The Money and Economic Awareness Council in the Summer of 2024. She was introduced to this program through a friend who previously participated and enjoyed the internship. Some of her interests outside of school and work, include doing creative crafts such as knitting, crocheting, painting, and bracelet making.

Estrella Hernandez

Estrella Hernandez will be attending Illinois Institute of Technology to Major in Architecture to obtain her Masters. She is the first generation of her Hispanic family to go to college. She has lived in Chicago her whole life living in Little Village. She wants to travel the world and join in projects to design buildings and look at the process of it being built. She decided to get involved with EAC because she wants to have some background knowledge of how to handle money. Estrella has a lot of hobbies, one of them is painting.

Gabriel Delgado Valentin

Gabriel Delgado Valentin is a senior at Concordia University Chicago, where he studies social work. Gabriel grew up in Xalostoc, Guerrero, Mexico. Then, he moved to Chicago, Illinois in the neighborhood of Belmont Cragin when he was 12 years old. He worked at a music store/ school as a teacher and assistant manager located in the neighborhood named La Voz Hispana before it closed in May of 2024. Gabriel’s interest in social work is what drew him to be an intern at the Economic Awareness Council (EAC) since many of the skills taught by the organization are useful to help clients in the social work field.

Yaritza Chavez

Yaritza is majoring in Accounting at the University of Illinois-Chicago and is heading into her third year of college. She aspires to work in the cosmetics or skincare industry and possibly become a product designer. She got involved with OTM due to her belief in the importance of financial literacy and since it served as the perfect opportunity to get public speaking experience. In her free time, she likes to go on walks and do a variety of hobbies, such as making jewelry and crocheting.

Bernice Mai

Bernice Mai is currently a sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis. Originally from Chicago's Chinatown neighborhood, she now resides in McKinley Park. At WashU, she is deeply involved as a senior advisor at Panda Provisions, a student-run business on campus. Post-graduation, she aspires to work as a financial advisor, blending her passion for finance with her love for travel. Joining OTM was a deliberate choice to hone her public speaking skills and contribute to financial literacy education among Chicago's youth. Bernice is eager to expand her professional network within the field and beyond.

Jenin Hattab

Jenin Hattab was born and raised in Chicago, in the Belmont Cragain neighborhood. She is a sophomore at Wright College, transferring to Depaul University in the fall of 2025. She studies journalism and is a reporter at the Wright Times. She is a student ambassador at Wright College Advising and Transfer Center. Her goal is to be a reporter, for a global newspaper that reports on honest news. She became involved in On The Money Magazine/ Economic Awareness Council to broaden her horizons on financial literacy. Her hobbies include reading, watching movies, and hanging out with family and friends.

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, and JEC. 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.

Nicole Orduno

Nicole Orduno Gonzalez is a Money Mentor for the first year at the Economic Awareness Council. She graduated from Whitney Young Magnet High School with a 4.9 GPA and her Seal of Biliteracy medal. This upcoming fall, she will attend DePaul University and major in Business Administration. As a Mexican-American raised in Brighton Park, she aspires to own her construction company and nail salon. Nicole enjoys dancing, hanging out with friends, and swimming. Aside from being a part of On The Money, she has worked as a lifeguard, teaching assistant, and Potbelly.

Rhea Dewjee

Rhea Dewjee is a rising freshman at Kelley school of business at Indiana University and currently residing in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood. She is planning on pursuing a major in finance and entrepreneurship. Her passion for financial literacy led her to join the Economic Awareness Council, where she aims to expand her knowledge and share it with others. Outside of the Economic Awareness Council, Rhea enjoys playing golf, baking, and reading.

Umar Sheikh

Umar is from West Town and a rising Senior at Walter Payton. He plans on majoring in computer engineering and/or finance. He began working for EAC after having enjoyed participating at OTM for multiple years.

Saransh Gupta

Saransh Gupta is a rising junior at the NYU Stern School of Business studying Economics from the Little Italy neighborhood of Chicago. He aims to pursue a career in economic research/consulting. He got involved with EAC in high school through writing articles for On the Money magazine. He has interned at several organizations including the American Enterprise Institute and the American Sustainable Business Network. He’s also a startup consulting associate with Bridges for Enterprise, a NYU Stern Social Impact Scholar, and a former Brademas Center for the Study of Congress research intern.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

JOURNALISM INTERNS

2023 MONEY MENTORS

Iliana is a sophomore at Northwestern University studying journalism and international studies. She was born and raised in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood. Iliana serves as the creative director of North by Northwestern magazine during the school year and has stories published in Ms. Magazine, Medill Reports and The Daily Northwestern. In her free time, she loves knitting and taking care of her six pet snails.

Iliana Garner

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Armaan Shah

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.