2015 Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Natasha Elizabeth Gunawan is a fourth-year Economics major and Accounting Minor student. Born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, she moved to the United States in 2013 for her academic degree and career. She serves as the internal director of ABSA at UCLA and is a part-time employee of ASUCLA. She has completed a business development internship abroad with Robert Bosch. Prior to her journey at UCLA, Natasha was enrolled at De Anza College, where she was the vice president of UNICEF De Anza and the treasurer of the Social Entrepreneurship Club. She was actively involved in a lot of local community fundraising events and she had also established a home-cooked food delivery business with some of her friends. Throughout her journey, Natasha has developed a passion for entrepreneurship as well as social entrepreneurship, which she sets as her vision and goals for the future. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, traveling, photography, hand lettering, and writing in her blog.

Future Plans: After completing her degree at UCLA, Natasha will start her career in the field of management consulting. She plans to relocate to San Francisco or New York to immerse herself in two of the world’s greatest financial centers. She also hopes to engage herself in various conferences to enrich her perspectives. After gaining a lot of exposure and expertise in the field, Natasha plans to move back home to Indonesia, where she plans to build her family, establish her own startup, while at the same time coordinate a social entrepreneurship organization for Indonesia’s development.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am truly honored to have been selected as one of the 2015-2016 recipients of the Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship. The Wark Family’s generosity has helped me in securing my education and reaching my academic and career goals. Without a doubt, this scholarship will play an important part in my educational journey, especially in these times of economic uncertainties, as I can spend less time worrying about my finances and put more focus on my academic achievements. Furthermore, I also appreciate this award as a special form of recognition of my academic accomplishments. I truly hope that my hard work and commitment to success will reflect the Wark Family’s values and honor their lives. I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to the Wark Family for their investment in UCLA and the futures of students like me.