Featured Article

by Inessa Bondarenko Ruffman, JonesTrading Institutional Services LLC & STA WIF Co-Chair

Growing up in Ukraine, March 8th, International Women’s Day, was one of the most important holidays of the year. It was a time to get together with family and friends to celebrate our mothers, daughters, grandmothers, wives, teachers, colleagues and every woman that surrounds us with love, care and inspiration. The holiday was filled with warmth, flowers and the deep appreciation for all the contributions that women make to our lives and to society.
Today, International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world in many countries. It represents the unity of women; the civil, political, cultural and economic movement with the purpose to highlight the fact, that women are the integral force in every aspect of our lives. History shows, that with every challenge, women will step up to new heights, and repeatedly break that gender bias.

Women step up, show up, come together, put on the uniform, whichever uniform that might be, for one goal: to keep the peace and have a free world for our children and future generations to come.

This has not resonated more strongly than during current tumultuous times in Ukraine, and the whole world. As Ukraine continues to fight to preserve its independence, culture and freedom, the women of its country, and women around the world, feel the unity. Women step up, show up, come together, put on the uniform, whichever uniform that might be, for one goal: to keep the peace and have a free world for our children and future generations to come.
On this International Women’s Day, the STA Women in Finance Committee wishes all women continue to stay strong, persevere, succeed and stay on our path of unity and equality. 

“Despite failures, you stand up. Despite sorrow, you cheer up. Despite the pain, you keep fighting! Keep dreaming to fly higher reaching new heights.”–Unknown

More about Inessa Bondarenko Ruffman

Inessa was born and raised in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. In 2001, at the age of 16 years old, she and her family immigrated to the United States.Inessa attended Baruch College in New York City. Upon graduation, she began her career her at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Today, she is a Managing Director and Head of Riskat JonesTrading and resides in Los Angeles with her family.

Read the full newsletter here.