2014 The Ralph and Shirley Shapiro Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Qianyi Zhao is a fourth-year student pursuing a Business Economics and Statistics double major with an Accounting minor. Born and raised in Beijing, China, Qianyi was proudly nurtured in the traditional Chinese culture, until she came to UCLA at the age of 18. At UCLA, Qianyi discovered her strong interests in numbers and in regulations by taking Accounting classes and volunteering at VITA. These experiences led her to choose public accounting as her intended career. In her spare time, Qianyi likes to swim, play the piano, and cook.

Future Plans: Qianyi is preparing for the CPA exams and hopes to pass all four exams before she graduates in June 2015. Upon her graduation with College Honors, Qianyi will join the US Tax Consulting Group in one of the Big Four accounting firms in China. In her early years of career, she hopes to gain a deep understanding in the US Tax system and to build a strong client circle. Her ultimate career goal is to run her own tax advisory firm to assist Chinese private investors in doing business in the US.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I truly appreciate Mr. and Mrs. Shapiro’s generous support on my undergraduate studies and intended career in public accounting. The Ralph & Shirley Shapiro Scholarship will greatly help me prepare for the upcoming CPA exams. It encourages me to take courses through the UCLA Extension program. In the future, I hope to give back to UCLA just as Mr. and Mrs. Shapiro gave to me.