2005 Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting Recipient

Biography: Masuma is an international student from New Delhi, India. Hailing from a middle class family it was always her desire to pursue her higher education in the United States. Being the only child it was tough for her parents to send me so far away from home. It was her dream come true when she was able to secure admission at UCLA. She came here with the high goals and ambitions. Although she has not been able to achieve all that she had sought, nonetheless she is happy with her achievements. It was her desire to pursue an honors program in economics but her already rigorous coursework has left her with no time to pursue this dream. Currently she is a senior doing a double majoring in Business Economics and Mathematics/Applied Sciences with a minor in Accounting. Had she concentrated only on academics she would have been perhaps successful in attaining a GPA of 3.9 which was her initial target but she is a firm believer in the all round development. She has enjoyed participating in numerous extra curricular activities that UCLA offers. Interning at Aids Project Los Angeles, working at protein expression lab under Dr. Jeanne Perry, performing duties of an internal vice president of Saxon suites and being a dance team member of the Indian Students Union are some of most the enriching experiences she has had at UCLA.

Future Plans: After interning with Merrill Lynch in Global Markets and Investment Banking this past summer at Palo Alto she is extremely interested to pursue a career in investment banking. Having interned at a private equity firm and Merrill in healthcare industry group has further enhanced her interest in biotechnology. She is also keen towards the fields of strategic consulting and auditing. She plans to work for two to three years and procure a valuable skill set that will help her for masters. She plans to do Masters of Business Administration after this essential work experience. Eventually, she plans to go back to India and work there in the finance industry.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: To put it truly and simply this scholarship means the world to me. Not only it is an honor for me to be chosen for the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting, but it is also recognition of the hard work that I have put in the past three years. This award is a motivation for me in order to strive for more and achieve further academic excellence. The scholarship has come at a time when financially I really needed the support. As everyone is aware that tuition fee for international students has increased beyond normal expectations and my parents are under tremendous pressure financially. In fact it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to cope up. Thus, any amount of financial help is a major relief. Thanks to everyone for making this opportunity possible!