2019 Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting Recipient

Biography:  Fanru Zhao was born and raised in a southern town in China, With a dream to explore the world, she applied to universities in the U.S and started college at UCLA in 2016. Fanru has a deep interest in accounting as well as statistics and thus is pursuing a double major in economics and statistics. She actively explores future possibilities at UCLA and was on board for several student organizations on campus. In her free time, she enjoys reading, drawing and traveling.

Future plans:  In summer 2019, Fanru interned in Deloitte Tax in the San Jose office. She mainly worked in the International Tax group and served multi-national corporations in the silicon valley and received a full-time offer from Deloitte. After graduation, she will start working full-time in the Bay Area, while preparing for the CPA exam, which is crucial for her future career in public accounting.

How is the scholarship helping you?  As an international student, I pay out-of-state tuition and thus have to work 20 hours per week on campus to help with the financial burden on my family. Upon receiving this scholarship, I will be able to work fewer hours and spend more time on studying the CPA exam in the Spring quarter. I will also be able to afford extra classes from UCLA extension to fulfill my CPA unit requirements, which I won’t be able to pay for if I didn’t receive the scholarship. I am extremely grateful for this award and will continue to work to my best in my future studies and career.