2014 Jeffrey W. Baus ’59 Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Jonathan is a fourth-year economics major with a minor in accounting and a specialization in computing. On campus, Jonathan has served on staff for the Higher Opportunity Program for Education, an organization committed to providing access to higher education to at-risk high school students, and participated in the pilot group of Assistant Directors for the Student Accounting Society. Currently, Jonathan serves as the Director of Training for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA at UCLA), where he manages a team of five trainers to prepare the organization’s volunteers in tax law and filing. VITA serves low-income individuals and families in the greater West Los Angeles community. In addition to his extra-curricular activities, Jonathan enjoys working part-time as a Program Assistant for the Executive MBA Program at the Anderson School of Management. In his free time not spent sleeping, Jonathan is an avid follower of reality television competitions and hopes to one day outwit, outplay, and outlast his fellow castaways on the CBS hit, Survivor.

Future Plans: Having done an internship with PwC this past summer, Jonathan will be joining the firm after graduation as a Tax Associate in the Los Angeles office. In the summer before he starts, Jonathan hopes to study, sit for, and pass as many sections of the CPA exam as time permits; he also hopes to sneak in a trip abroad somewhere in that time. Long term, Jonathan is thinking about obtaining an MBA but is currently approaching his career with an open mind, trying to learn as much as he can and seeing where his career trajectory may propel him.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I accept the Jeffrey W. Baus ‘59 Scholarship with utmost gratitude and appreciation. It is a privilege to be recognized for one’s achievements, and I am honored to have been bestowed such an award. With fewer financial complications, I will have the opportunity to reduce my work hours and redirect my efforts accordingly– this scholarship will avail me time to devote to my academic, professional, and extra-curricular careers here at UCLA, as I complete my final courses as an undergraduate, prepare myself to take the CPA exam, and further commit my time to my service through VITA. I am grateful to Mr. Baus for his continued generosity and sincerely thank him for the scholarship award.