Making a Difference
Alexandra Wolles received her bachelor's degree from California Polytechnic University of Pomona in Business Administration, an MFA from California State University, Los Angeles, and a degree in teaching special education and art from San Francisco State University. Alexandra is currently a special education/art teacher at Island High School, a continuation school for at-risk youth, in Alameda, California. During college and graduate school she took on a number of internships and studied abroad in Italy.

Kind and Driven
Alexandra continues to uphold the values of the Jefferies scholarship program and was recently nominated for the "Teacher of the Year" award in the Alameda school district. She enjoys teaching and plans to continue working to educate and help troubled youth.

"I wanted to make a difference, do something that would make the world a little bit better than when I came into it."

More than Just a Scholarship
While a recipient, Alexandra interned at Jefferies one summer. Former CEO Frank Baxter commissioned her to write a series of biographies on the founders of the firm--the "movers and shakers, the instrumental figures," at Jefferies.

Alexandra's sister, Regina de Wetter, a fellow JFS alumnus, has served as the Coordinator of the Jefferies Family Scholarship since 2000. Alexandra's stepfather, Rick Uribe, worked at Jefferies from 1986 to 1996 as the National Communication Manager.

A Generous Spirit
Regina describes her sister as incredibly determined and committed to her students and the field of education. Her professionalism and dedication, as well as the tremendous amount of respect and caring she has for her students and their families shows in everything she does. She consistently goes the extra mile to create an inspiring learning environment, often sacrificing her own time and her own money.

Alexandra credits the program for being tremendously effective in helping her succeed. "The program enabled me to obtain my degrees without a lot of debt. It also made my mother and stepfather very proud that I had won the award."

She feels the scholarship is a wonderful program that gives young people the opportunity to grow and continue their education, and has been donating to the program for the last several years.