Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting Scholarship Recipient

Biography: João Pedro Queiroga Zancanaro is a fourth year Business Economics major who is minoring in Accounting and Mathematics. He was raised in Brasília, Brazil, and is the first of his family to pursue an undergraduate education abroad. He first became interested in Economics during a History class that discussed Schumpeter’s “creative destruction”, and first became interested in Accounting after reading financial statements while taking introductory classes at UCLA. João Pedro has a passion for soccer and traveling, enjoys martial arts and singing for the UCC Music Ministry, and is always looking for new topics of interest to learn.

Future Plans: After graduating, João Pedro intends to work in an M&A firm while studying for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam and other finance and accounting-related certificates. If he goes back to Brazil, he also intends to validate his degree in either Accounting or Economics. In the long term, João Pedro hopes to have a business of his own, and to create a philanthropic organization to help fight poverty and illiteracy in South America.

What does this scholarship mean to me?: I am unbelievably grateful for being selected as the recipient of the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting. This scholarship not only provides me with financial relief, but also motivates me to pursue my dreams and to give something back to my family and to my community. As I know that my grades and past experiences have contributed greatly to my application, this scholarship also gives me a concrete example of how dedication yields fantastic results. I would like to thank my family for giving me strength and for inspiring me to be a better person, and I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all who made this award possible.