2011 Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Jakob Thomas is an international student from Berlin, Germany who transferred to UCLA from Santa Monica College in Fall 2010. He is a 3rd year Economics major and Political Science minor. Before he decided to pursue an academic degree in the United States, Jakob spent 18 months working for KPMG Europe LLP, an experience, which gave him considerable insight into the world of corporate business. Equipped with this experience, and the skills he obtained through his work as research assistant for the UCLA Economics Department, he was able to secure an internship at the Los Angeles office of Senator Dianne Feinstein, and a position as senior editor for the Undergraduate Journal of Economics at UCLA ( HYPERLINK “http://www.undergraduatejournal.com” www.undergraduatejournal.com).

Future Plans: During this Fall 2011 quarter, Jakob will intern as a research analyst for the Milken Institute in Santa Monica, an independent economics and public policy think tank. There, he will work with the Institute’s financial markets research group. Shortly after completing his B.A. in Economics at UCLA, Jakob plans to move to England, where his initial goal will be to gather more professional experience working in London’s financial sector. Subsequently, he will pursue a Ph.D. at the London School of Economics (LSE) with a focus on international banking and international finance regulation.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: Receiving this year’s Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship award is a true honor. Especially in times of economic uncertainty and ever increasing costs of education, this scholarship is an invaluable help to master my respective financial difficulties. In true economist’s spirit, I can’t help to think that this scholarship also holds a value beyond its nominal one since it releases me of the burden of lingering debt, and the associated interest I would have faced with an equally high student loan amount. Furthermore, aside from the tremendous financial support associated with this scholarship, I also appreciate this award as a special form of recognition of the work I have been investing in my education. With these things in mind, I would like to extend my earnest gratitude and appreciation to the Wark Family for their generosity and support of my educational goals.