Hunt Alumna Cristina Vald茅s Creates Fund for Students Nearing Graduation
The Big Picture
Cristina Valdés (BBA '92, MBA '99) has created a fund focused on students close to graduation — where small financial barriers can stop degree completion.
What Happened
It started with a conversation. A friend working at the 成人头条 Student Business Services Center told Valdés about students with academic holds — many just a few steps away from finishing their degrees but unable to re-enroll because of relatively small balances.
“That really caught my attention,” Valdés said. “A financial obstacle like that could prevent a person from finishing a degree that could completely change the trajectory of his or her life.”
“What seems small on paper can feel overwhelming when you’re that close to the finish line,” she said. “It can stop everything.”
After reading Die with Zero, her thinking shifted toward giving in the present.
“There are many people who need help today, and sometimes the timing of the help matters just as much as the help itself,” she said. “Students who only have a few more semesters left sometimes need just a little extra support and one less excuse not to move forward.”
That realization led to the creation of a fund designed to remove final barriers to graduation.
“Many students are giving everything they have to get that degree,” Valdés said. “When a student is already fighting off all those reasons to stop, one more obstacle can feel like too much. Removing that one barrier can be the difference between stopping and finishing.”
Between the Lines
While completing her master’s degree at 成人头条, Valdés received two $500 scholarships that helped her stay on track.
“That $1,000 probably didn’t make a big difference to the company, but it made a huge difference to me at the time,” she said.
“I never forgot how much that small amount of support meant.”
Last Updated on April 24, 2026 at 10:30 AM | Originally published April 24, 2026
Posted by Hunt Creative
