When Dariya Radulova decided to come to the United States six years ago, she was betting on herself. Originally from Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, Dariya had dreamed of becoming a professional tennis player. But when she was just 16, a knee injury and long recovery forced her to reconsider what her future looked like. After receiving offers from multiple universities in the United States, she decided to take the leap and compete again.
This decision was made on her own. Dariya shared that once she decided to pursue a collegiate tennis career in the States, “I applied for my visa, signed all the paperwork with the college, and then I told my parents.” For her, it was important to come to this decision all on her own.
This decision brought her to Virginia Tech where she spent four years competing on the Women’s Tennis team while earning her Bachelor of Science in Business Management. During her time at Virginia Tech, she was named to the Pamplin College of Business Dean’s List, the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, and represented the tennis team through the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Now, six years after first arriving in the United States, Dariya is pursuing her graduate degree at the University of Portland, beginning a new chapter as a Division I assistant coach for the university’s Women’s Tennis program, all while building a future in finance and wealth management.
Through every transition, challenge, and success, one thing has remained a constant in Dariya’s life: her willingness to bet on herself.
Finding Her Place in Wealth Management
Dariya has always been drawn to finance, but wealth management was a career path she didn’t know existed growing up in Bulgaria.
That changed through conversations with her boyfriend’s father, a longtime wealth manager, and through her own experience during a wealth management internship with RBC.
“I didn’t even know what wealth management was,” Dariya said. “In Bulgaria, we don’t have wealth managers.”
As she gained hands-on-experience, she began to see herself in the field. Today, becoming a financial advisor is her top career goal.
Numbers have always come easy to Dariya. But the appeal goes beyond working with numbers. She wants to help women become more confident and informed about their personal finances and build financial freedom.
Growing up, she rarely saw women taking responsibility for managing their family finances. That experience has shaped her desire to help change that.
“I want to be able to help women understand their personal finances and family finances,” she said.
Her goal aligns closely with the work of the Women’s Alliance of Financial Advisors: creating a stronger future for women in financial advising while helping women build careers, confidence, and connections within the profession.
A Scholarship That Makes a Difference
Dariya’s path has required an extraordinary amount of determination but pursuing her education has also come with financial challenges. She shared that finding financial support during graduate school has been difficult. Last year, she balanced early-morning lessons, classes, tennis coaching and other work to help cover her expenses. With six classes remaining in her graduate program, she worried about how she would be able to afford the rest of her education and complete her degree.
Receiving the Women’s Alliance Student Scholarship offered a welcome sense of relief and reminded Dariya that she doesn’t have to navigate the journey alone.
“I was so happy when I found out,” Dariya said. “I didn’t expect it at all.”
More than financial assistance, the scholarship reminded Dariya that there are people willing to invest in her future.
“It’s a relief, you know, they’re people out there who are willing to help.”
And that is exactly what the Women’s Alliance hopes to provide.
More Than a Scholarship
For students and women beginning their careers, having access to a supportive community who understand your goals and can offer guidance is important.
As a new member of the Women’s Alliance Community, Dariya is now part of a network of women across the country who can offer mentorship, perspective, and encouragement as she continues building her career.
For someone who has spent much of her journey navigating the unknown alone, she understands the value of having people in your corner.
That is at the heart of the Women’s Alliance. Through scholarships, mentorship opportunities, educational programming, events, and more, the Women’s Alliance is committed to helping women at every stage of their journey.
Dariya’s story is a powerful example of what can happen when determination meets opportunity and when women have a network willing to invest in their potential.
Looking Ahead
Daiya is expected to graduate in May of 2027. After graduation, she plans to return to Bulgaria for the summer to spend time with her family before coming back to the United States to pursue a career in wealth management.
She knows that there is still plenty ahead of her. But if her journey so far is any indication, we have no doubt she is ready for whatever comes next.
“I’ve worked extremely, extremely hard for the last five years to get to where I am now,” she said.
Now, she has a community cheering her on. And the Women’s Alliance is proud to be part of her journey.
