2009 Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Matthew Frost is entering his fourth year as a Business Economics major with both Spanish and Accounting minors. He is from Stockton, California, where he attended Bear Creek High School. Matthew has two sisters: one who is 25 and attended Long Beach State and also a twin sister who currently attends Fresno State. While at UCLA, Matthew has been a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, serving as Pledge Educator in Fall Quarter 2007 and VP of Finance in 2008. He has also served as a tutor to underprivileged youth as a member of the Watts Tutorial Program, and is entering his third season with the UCLA Baseball program as a student equipment manager. Matthew has also had the chance to travel abroad while at UCLA. He went to Barcelona and Madrid as part of the International Business Travel Study Program in August 2008. After his month in Spain, Matthew traveled to Paris, Munich, Amsterdam, London, and Dublin before returning to begin the Fall Quarter. Matthew spent the past summer as an assurance intern at Ernst & Young and also worked at the UCLA Baseball summer camps.

Future Plans: Matthew’s goal is to land a teaching position with Teach for America. He hopes to teach math for two years in a low-income school district in the Bay Area. Matthew also plans to apply for finance, marketing, and/or accounting positions at large public companies in the Bay Area. He would ultimately like to use his economics degree in a variety of ways over his lifetime, both as an employee helping companies reach their goals and as a teacher helping children reach their dreams.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: The Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship gives me and my family the opportunity to be under less financial stress during my last year at UCLA. I have worked continuously throughout my college career, not only to excel in the classroom, but also to provide financial aid to my family to pay for my education. I feel extremely honored to be recognized by the Wark Family, whose contributions to students and belief in the power of education are admirable and inspiring. The Wark Family’s generosity provides me with the chance to focus more on learning and career opportunities while thinking less about financing my education as I enter my final year as an undergraduate.