Bethlehem, PA — On October 17th, FinAbility founder and CEO, Stacy Sawin, won Lehigh University's Young Alumni Award, which is presented to someone who has graduated within the past 15 years and has achieved extraordinary success or recognition by colleagues and peers for outstanding leadership and professional accomplishments.
The Lehigh University Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize outstanding achievement among Lehigh University alumni, honoring those who have succeeded in and impacted their respective industries and communities.
The following is Sawin's acceptance remarks:
It’s been challenging to find the right words to express my gratitude for receiving Lehigh University's Young Alumni Award. Sharing the stage with leaders like Cathy Engelbert, Maria L. Chrin, and Jeffrey Parks is a profound honor and moment I'll treasure.My journey from survivor to nonprofit executive is one of grit, courage, and hope. Equally, it is a story of privilege and luck. I share this not to downplay my gratitude or sense of accomplishment, but to provide context about the factors that have made my success possible.
✔ I was born into a family that prioritized my education, giving me the opportunity to attend a private university and receive a world-class education.
✔ When I became a stalking survivor, my employer covered hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses to keep me safe, allowing me to maintain my career and sparing me the financial and emotional toll that many survivors spend decades recovering from.
✔ I had the support to move back home, take a 75% pay cut, and build FinAbility from the ground up. And as someone who is white-passing, tall, with a prestigious enough career and education, I was taken seriously.
Without these advantages, FinAbility would not be what it is today. Additionally, if more survivors had access to these kinds of resources, startups like FinAbility would not be so rare or desperately needed.
If my journey or accomplishments resonate with you, I urge you to consider my story a case study—evidence of what's possible when we not only believe survivors but also empower and fund them.
When we empower survivors, we change the world.
Please join me and the FinAbility community in opening doors for more survivors to innovate, lead, and effect change on a national and global scale.
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