Following the Class Day Ceremony on Cannon Green, students who earned a Minor in Finance from the Bendheim Center joined faculty and staff in the Julis Romo Rabinowitz building for an awards celebration. The Class of 2026, their friends, and family gathered in the atrium where Melanie Heaney-Scott, Academic Administrator, read the names of the 94 graduates who earned a Minor in Finance. Caio Almeida, senior lecturer in economics and the Director of Graduate Studies, then presented BCF’s two annual student prizes.

“Congratulations to all of our graduates,” Almeida said. “We look forward to cheering you on in your future endeavors.”

Tejas Iyer awarded the Birch Family Prize

Established in 2004 by William D. Birch Jr. ’64 and William Marco Birch ’92, the Birch Family Prize is awarded to a graduating senior with the highest grade point average in coursework related to the Minor in Finance.

Congratulations to Tejas Iyer, the 2026 prize winner. Iyer is an Operations Research & Financial Engineering major who earned the Minor in Finance.

The Kathleen Traynor Class of ’83 Research Fund Award presented to Annie Xu

Established by the Kathleen Traynor ’83 Research Fund Award in 2014, this prize is awarded annually to the graduating female senior with the highest GPA in coursework related to the Minor in Finance.

Annie Xu is the 2026 award winner. Xu is an Economics major who earned the Minor in Finance. 

The Bendheim Center for Finance created the Certificate in Finance program in 2000, and 2026 graduates represent the second Minor in Finance class and the first year in which only the Minor was offered.

Princeton Teaching & Advising in Finance Prize

The Princeton Finance Teaching and Advising Prize is awarded to a faculty member who demonstrates excellence in teaching Undergraduate Minor in Finance and Master in Finance courses and advising finance students. The prize is awarded annually with prize money of $4,000. The selection is based on nominations by undergraduates in their junior and senior years and Master in Finance students.

Smita Brunnermeier, Senior Lecturer of Economics and Executive Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Economics Department, spoke on behalf of Markus Brunnermeier, BCF’s Director, when awarding the prize to this year’s recipient, Caio Almeida. Of Almeida, Brunnermeier said, “He has a remarkable gift for making genuinely complex material approachable –taking ideas that could easily intimidate and rendering them in a clear, intuitive, and even exciting manner.”

The students agree, one of whom stated, “Professor Almeida is an exceptional teacher in the finance curriculum and takes a genuine interest in his undergraduate students,” in their nomination letter.

Congratulations to Tejas, Annie, and the entire 2026 graduating UMF class on their exceptional achievement. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.