2013 Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Ariel Jao is a third-year student who is planning to complete her undergraduate degree in Economics with a Minor in Accounting. She is involved in campus organizations such as Delta Sigma Pi, Global Brigades: Business, as well as Unicamp. During her spare time, she enjoys playing volleyball, spending time with family and friends, and reading articles on the web. Currently, Ariel is interning with a Finance team at The Walt Disney Company in Burbank. Before graduating, she hopes to participate in a study abroad program such as EAP or Semester at Sea in order to broaden her culture and communication skills.

Future Plans: During the summer of her junior year, Ariel plans to find an internship in investment management or corporate finance. After graduating from UCLA, she hopes to move back home to San Francisco or to relocate to New York, where she can immerse herself in the world’s greatest financial district. Ariel plans to remain with a firm to gain exposure to all departments and until she feels ready for a change, which may be years down the line. Long-term, she hopes to get married, have kids and become a stay-at home mother. Hopefully, at one point in the far future, she can fulfill her childhood dream of being a high school counselor or teacher.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am honored to be selected as the recipient for the Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship this year. I am thankful for the generosity and acknowledgement they bestow on UCLA students like me year after year. I have been given the opportunity to decrease a portion of the financial burden that has brought stress into my family. My mother is currently putting my two siblings and me through higher education in the UC system. I have always prioritized work as well as to my education because one could not be possible without the other. I now feel more comfortable clocking in less hours during finals and midterms and focusing on my studies.