Carissa Yap is passionate about empowering women and closing the gender gap in the male-dominated industry of finance. Being raised by a single mother, she has witnessed firsthand that there are no limits to a woman’s capabilities when given the right opportunities and support. To enable her to achieve her goal, she is currently an undergraduate studying Finance and Economics at the National University of Singapore.

Standing for equality and conscious of her privilege of having access to education, Carissa is also an advocate for persons with intellectual disability (PWIDs). She volunteers with MINDsville Singapore where she engages with PWIDs on art projects to help hone their motor and emotional skills. Wanting to create an equitable society, she also hopes to help underbanked women as she believes that knowledge as well as having access to opportunities are the key levers of success.

Hoping to inspire other women and youth alike, Carissa wants to spread the message to “Be bold enough to use your voice, brave enough to listen to your heart, and strong enough to live the life you have always imagined.”

In her spare time, Carissa loves long nature walks and hot yoga. She also likes to explore and try adrenalin-pumping activities such as different types of martial arts from Taekwondo to Muay Thai.