[dropcap sid=”dropcap-1446585320″]H[/dropcap]iba Sharief (’01) has always aimed high. The Sudan native enrolled in Baruch at a precocious 16 years old—and her first class was Advanced Calculus. “I was so intimidated,” she recalls, laughing, “surrounded by math majors who were so smart and intense.” As it turned out, Ms. Sharief was up to the challenge.
She graduated summa cum laude with a BBA in computer information systems and finance. Today the alumna serves as vice president of information technology at Oportun, a Silicon Valley–based financial technology company that provides affordable loans to individuals with little or no credit. In her role, she oversees the building and maintenance of the software and applications that keep the company running.
“The only other options available to many of our customers are predatory loans,” she explains. “It’s rewarding to go to work each day and know we are truly changing lives, allowing individuals to make a better future.”
Her accomplishments haven’t gone unnoticed. Silicon Valley Business Journal recently named her to its “40 Under 40” list of the “best and brightest” in the Bay Area, and software company MongoDB nominated her for Female Innovator of the Year.
“Baruch played a major role in my success,” says the alumna, whose combined focus on business and technology prepared her well for the innovative and fast-growing financial technology industry in which she currently works. As a student, she also participated in a wide range of extracurriculars, including Business Technology Professionals (which she co-founded), Peers for Careers, Table Tennis Club, the Kung Fu Association, and intercollegiate women’s basketball—all while working 40 hours a week.
After graduating Ms. Sharief worked at Lehman Brothers before pursuing consulting roles with Accenture, EMC, and Slalom. She has worked in more than 20 countries and currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is active in humanitarian organizations and advocates to increase the number of women in technology.
“I don’t see myself leaving the Bay Area anytime soon,” she says. “It’s amazing to be surrounded by such talent.”