Paying opportunity forward: Olga Troitskaya '05 establishes scholarship in mathematics inspired by her own journey

The Olga Troitskaya Endowed Mathematics Scholarship Fund will support a deserving student in SMU’s Department of Mathematics who demonstrates a passion and aptitude for mathematics, a strong work ethic and the determination to succeed. Through the endowment, Troitskaya hopes to give another student the same formative opportunity that scholarships provided for her–and a foundation from which to build a future. The scholarship is expected to become available as early as Fall 2027.

Olga's story is a powerful example of what becomes possible when talent and determination are met with opportunity,” said Janan Jayawickramarajah, Elisabeth Martin Armstrong Dean of Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences. By establishing this endowed scholarship, she is transforming the support she once received into a lasting investment in students in our Department of Mathematics. Her generosity will help future students pursue their ambitions at SMU and carry that impact far beyond the Hilltop."

Finding opportunities through mathematics

The scholarship reflects a journey that began more than two decades ago in St. Petersburg, Russia, where Ms. Troitskaya grew up in a family that placed a high value on education. Her interest in mathematics emerged early, beginning with her studies at a mathematics and science school in seventh grade. She came to the United States at the age of 15 to continue her education.

Affordability was central to Ms. Troitskaya’s decision to attend SMU. As an international student without the family resources to pay for an American university education, she needed significant financial assistance. The Robert Strow Scholarship, together with additional mathematics scholarship support, made her SMU education possible.

"Without scholarship support, an SMU education simply wouldn’t have been possible for me–it was the thing that opened the door to everything else that followed: my first job at a hedge fund in Dallas, a master’s degree in mathematics from the Courant Institute at NYU and any other successes that followed,” Ms. Troitskaya said.

Even with scholarships, she worked throughout her time on the Hilltop. Her campus jobs included staffing a front desk, working in Fondren Library and as a teaching assistant in the math department. She remembers pushing a book cart through the library stacks and balancing several part-time positions with her coursework.

For Ms. Troitskaya, the value of studying mathematics extends far beyond formulas. “To me, a math degree is about learning how to think—it teaches you to break a hard problem into its parts, reason through it logically and stay comfortable when the answer isn’t obvious,” she said.

Olga Troitskaya graduated in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and minors in business and Spanish. SMU’s career fairs and on-campus interviews also gave her access to employers in a professional world where she had no established connections. Those opportunities helped her secure her first position with HBK, a Dallas investment firm.

A foundation for a career in finance

Ms. Troitskaya began her career building risk models and valuing derivatives, applying regression, value-at-risk, and correlation analysis to complex financial questions. After developing expertise in the credit products she modeled, she moved into trading these same products.

At the same time, Ms. Troitskaya continued her education at New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, earning a master’s degree in mathematics while she was working full-time. As she progressed through advanced mathematics courses and later through the finance industry, she increasingly found herself one of few women in the room. “In more than twenty years in finance, I was almost always the only woman in the room—and before that, one of the few women in my mathematics classes at SMU and later at NYU,” she said.

Today, she serves as the Head of Credit Trading at a global investment manager. “Trading credit means constantly weighing probabilities–what a company is worth, how a situation might play out, where the market has mispriced risk and I feel that my training in mathematics gave me a good foundation for doing just that.” Her career in finance has now spanned more than 20 years across the United States and Europe.

“Students are the lifeblood of the department and of mathematics. This gift will enable us to attract the best and brightest graduate and undergraduate students which will in turn,

enhance the reputation of the department and SMU.” said Peter Moore, chair of the Department of Mathematics.

Paying opportunity forward

Olga Troitskaya’s experiences inform the purpose of her gift. She wants the endowed scholarship to support a capable, hardworking student interested in pursuing a degree in mathematics.

“The scholarships I received at SMU gave me the opportunity to study what I loved and build a career that I otherwise might not have had,” Ms. Troitskaya said. “I’m creating this scholarship so that another young mathematician with talent and drive gets that same chance.”

Her journey–from a teenager navigating an unfamiliar country and educational system to an accomplished finance professional–was shaped by determination and hard work. But Ms. Troitskaya also recognizes the importance of pivotal opportunities: a scholarship, an interview, or someone willing to invest in another person’s potential.

“I know how much it means to have someone invest in you when the path ahead looks uncertain,” she said. “I believe in the transformative power of education, and that a STEM education in particular can give us a strong foundation for everything else in life.”

Through her gift, Ms. Troitskaya is turning the opportunity she once received into an enduring source of opportunity for future SMU students.