2011 Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting Recipient

Biography: Dennis Drent Jr. is a third year student pursuing a Business-Economics major with minors in Accounting and Mathematics. Dennis grew up all over the United States, spending several years in Woodland Hills, Texas, Ohio, and Orange County, where he graduated from Esperanza High School at the top of his class. While attending UCLA, Dennis has become a member of the Executive Training Committee for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, where his main responsibilities include filing tax returns and training other volunteers how to file. Dennis is also a member of the Student Accounting Society, and enjoys working on campus for the UCLA Anderson School as a Senior Clerk for the Executive MBA Program. When he can, Dennis relaxes by jumping rope, playing basketball, spending time with family and friends, and watching SportsCenter.

Future Plans: Dennis plans to intern for a major public accounting firm the summer before his fourth year, and is determined to earn his CPA license within one year of graduating. After reaching a managerial position at an accounting firm, he plans to enroll in a top MBA program and focus on entrepreneurial studies. Dennis’ ultimate career goal is to find his niche in the global business world and start a successful company as founder and CEO.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I receive the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting award with extreme gratitude and appreciation. I feel very fortunate to be recognized for my hard work and pursuit of my passion in the field of public accounting. This award greatly alleviates the financial burden of getting an education at such a renowned university. I hope to one day be able to affect the lives of future accountants by contributing a similar gift to UCLA’s Economics Department. Once again, I thank the donors of the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting for their generosity.