2005 John J. Peterson Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Nicole Abranian grew up in Glendale, CA. She attended Glendale Community College after graduating from Glendale High School in 2002. It is at Glendale Community College that Nicole began taking economics courses. After a couple of courses, Nicole saw that economics is what really interested her and knew that she would continue to study economics throughout her college career. After two years Nicole transferred to UCLA as a pre-business-economics major, she was then delighted to be accepted into the Business-Economics major last spring. At UCLA she is involved in the Regent’s Scholar Society as well as Alumni Scholars. She has caught bruin fever and enjoys attending various sporting and campus events to support UCLA. This fall marks the start of Nicole’s last year at UCLA. She is currently in Washington, DC participating in the UCLA Center for American Politics and Public Policy Program. Nicole has truly enjoyed being a part of the economics department at UCLA and cannot believe that her time there is almost over.

Future Plans: Working in Washington, DC has sparked Nicole’s interest in public policy and government work. She currently is interning with the Food Research and Action Center and is working with their lobbyist to meet with Senators and members of House of Representatives to oppose budget cuts that would deeply hurt the Food Stamp Program and subsequently, victims of Hurricane Katrina. She has also been learning more about the Economic Research Service, located in Washington, DC, and how their works relates to both economic research and public policy. Nicole still has part of her heart in Los Angeles where she is interested in working on the business side of the film industry. Looking into the future, Nicole also has a goal of obtaining her Master’s degree in Business Administration.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am extremely grateful for the opportunities this award is providing me with. It has been incredibly helpful and is one of the primary reasons that I was able to participate in the CAPPP program this quarter. When I return to UCLA for the winter and spring quarters, this scholarship will allow me to work less so that I have more time to focus on classes and take a more active role with student groups on campus. I am very thankful for the support of Mr. Peterson, his generosity has truly made a difference.