T
he CRE Finance Council (CREFC) and the Schack Institute of Real Estate at New York University's School of Professional Studies have announced their 2025-2026 CREFC Scholars. This year, two undergraduate students and four graduate students were selected for the prestigious program.
Undergraduate scholarship recipients include Matthew Volkening and Phuc Le. Volkening is a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Real Estate Finance with a minor in Creative Writing. He gained industry experience as an Investment Analyst at MCRE Partners and was involved in all aspects of the firm's acquisition, asset management, and market research efforts.
Le is also a senior at NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Real Estate Finance. He interned at Silverstein Properties, where he screened properties for potential acquisition or development related to The Avenir project, which aims to deliver 2,000 housing units with 25 percent designated as affordable housing.
Graduate student scholarship recipients include Souleymane Ba, Julie Dettwiler, Ahmed ElTir, and Juliana Rivera Vallejo. Ba is pursuing a Master of Science in Real Estate with a concentration in Finance and Investment at NYU's Schack Institute of Real Estate. He has valuable internship experience in the real estate industry, gaining exposure to different markets and businesses.
Dettwiler is also pursuing a Master of Science in Real Estate. She worked as an infrastructure and data center sector analyst for the NYU Reit Investment Fund, where she conducted NAV analyses and detailed financial modeling to assess the valuation of infrastructure and data center companies.
ElTir is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., and is pursuing a Master of Science in Real Estate. He has experience working as an intern in Qara Markets, where he helped with financial modeling and financial planning for products in Saudi Arabia and Kenya.
Vallejo is currently pursuing her Master's in Real Estate Finance and Investment at the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate. She holds a Graduate Specialization in Corporate Finance from CESA and a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from Universidad de los Andes.
The CREFC Scholars program selects students based on factors such as academic excellence, leadership potential, and a career focus on commercial real estate finance. This year's pool of applicants was robust, with 37 students applying for scholarships.
As part of the program, scholarship recipients are granted complimentary CREFC Academic membership, access to CREFC's Resource Center and Career Center, and all CREFC programming. They also have the opportunity to apply to CREFC's mentorship program, which pairs students with industry mentors, and attend major conferences, seminars, and educational programming.
"We salute this year's CREFC Scholars Program recipients and their early accomplishments in real estate finance," said Lisa Pendergast, President and CEO of CREFC. "Our program continues to attract top-notch students by offering a host of professional development, mentorship, and educational opportunities in the commercial real estate capital markets."
