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Salome Saliashvili, who earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in finance from UAH鈥檚 College of Business Administration, now works for software startup Social Tables in Washington, D.C.

It takes a lot of courage to give up the job security of a steady 9-5 position for the high-pressure demands of a startup environment. Yet that's exactly what Salome Saliashvili did just two years after earning her bachelor's degree in finance from UAH, when she was invited to leave her position at the nonprofit Urban Institute and become a financial analyst for .

"It was hard to say to myself, 'I'm going somewhere more stressful with a lot of hours and a different office environment,'" says Saliashvili, who also earned a second bachelor's degree in Spanish while at UAH. "But at the end of the day it was a really exciting opportunity."

Social Tables, which is based in Washington, D.C., is an industry leader in providing collaborative diagramming software that allows event planners and properties to work together effectively. The software is currently used by organizations in over 30 countries, including UAH. "When I first started I asked if they had called UAH," she says. "So they did, and two months later, UAH got it!"

I had great professors in finance who really gave me a strong foundation, and the internship opportunities I had were crucial.

As an analyst, Saliashvili's job is to build out the company's financial foundation. "Every day is different, every day is a challenge," she says. Fortunately, her time as a finance major and economics minor at UAH helped prepare her. "I had great professors in finance who really gave me a strong foundation," she says. "And the internship opportunities I had were crucial."

Just as useful was her extracurricular time spent honing her soft skills in the field. Saliashvili participated in the College's and its Capital Management Group, which tasks students with managing two investment portfolios totaling more than half a million dollars. She also presented a research paper she worked on with Drs. Dan Sherman and William MacKenzie in front of a "world-class audience" in Italy.

"Every semester I did something, so I think I learned a lot," she says. "I had a great experience." And one day, she hopes to go back to school to earn an MBA. But for now - despite the long hours - she's happy with the choice she made to come to Social Tables. "We're still a young company but I really believe in it," she says. "I think our growth trajectory will be incredible, so I plan to stay with it."