2012 The Ralph and Shirley Shapiro Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Nicolas (Nick) Waizman is a fourth-year student pursuing a Business Economics degree, with a Minor in Accounting. Nick was born in Madrid, Spain, and has since lived in Montevideo, Uruguay, Los Angeles, and San Diego. After graduating from high school, Nick chose to stay in Southern California due to its impeccable weather and diversity of ideas. Nick is very passionate about the environment and maintains an active role in his fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi, as the Environmental Chair. At UCLA, Nick has had the opportunity to be a participant in a community service trip to Uruguay through Hillel as well as study abroad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for six months through the UCEAP program. Further, Nick has gained valuable insight into the fields of accounting and finance after holding internship positions at Sony Electronics, Sony Pictures, and Deloitte LLP. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, playing sports, and learning about new cultures.

Future Plans: Upon graduation, Nick will begin a career in the assurance practice at Deloitte LLP in Los Angeles and will look to earn his CPA license soon after. After considerable work experience, Nick plans to pursue his MBA in the field of sustainable business in the hopes that one day he will be in charge of a sustainable development program within Latin America. In addition, Nick plans on traveling to all seven continents and becoming fluent in at least four languages.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am truly honored to be named the recipient of the Ralph and Shirley Shapiro Scholarship. This award recognizes the hard work and dedication I have put forth in my past achievements and encourages me to continue my hard work and dedication to my studies and activities. This scholarship will allow me to continue to devote my time to finishing my degree at this renowned institution. With less pressure to finance my education, I will be able to focus more on academics and community involvement in my final year. Additionally, I will relieve the burden on my parents and embark on the path to financial independence. Once again, I would like to thank the donors of the Ralph and Shirley Shapiro Scholarship for their generosity.