Donald Lipshutz Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Genevieve Trimbell is a second-year student from Seattle, WA majoring in business economics. She discovered her passion for economics in her AP Economics class in high school and never looked back. She loves gymnastics and currently participates in UCLA’s club gymnastics program as well as coaches for Bruin Gymnastics Academy. Additionally, she enjoys writing, and is a reporter for Daily Bruin Sports. Some of her other UCLA positions include membership in the sorority Gamma Phi Beta, strategic marketing manager for UCLA’s Bruin Sports Business Association, and junior consultant for Consult Your Community. Outside of these commitments, Genevieve likes hiking, exploring LA, painting, and reading. She loves the weather in LA and can often be found outside enjoying the sun.

Future Plans: Genevieve plans to graduate in June of 2024. She aspires to pursue a career in either consulting or in the sports business field, furthering her ambition to combine both the quantitative and qualitative skills learned in the business economics major. She is currently searching for an internship in management consulting or sports marketing. Passionate about travel, she hopes to study and potentially work abroad.

What does this scholarship mean to me? I am honored to be a recipient of the Donald Lipshutz Scholarship and am grateful for the generosity of the donors. As an out of state student, tuition is high, and anything I can receive to help is greatly appreciated. This scholarship will reduce financial need and allow me to put all my focus into my academic and extracurricular pursuits. I cannot express enough thanks to the donors and am thankful to in turn be able to contribute to the UCLA community.

Patricia and Harry L. Bruce Endowed Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Kristen Chan is a third year Business Economics major with a minor in Accounting and Digital Humanities. Growing up in the Bay Area, Kristen has always been passionate about startup culture. At UCLA, she is involved in both the consulting and accounting community, serving as the External Vice President of the Bruin Group Consulting and the Director of Student Affairs of the Student Accounting Society. She also joined Alpha Kappa Psi, a business fraternity to get more exposure to different careers in business. Outside of school, Kristen danced on multiple Foundation dance teams and was an event planner for the Association of Chinese Americans, the largest cultural organization on campus dedicated to spreading Chinese culture on campus. In her free time, Kristen enjoys going on food adventures, finding new viewpoints, and doing puzzles.

Future Plans: This upcoming summer, Kristen will be interning at Accenture as a Consulting Development Intern. After graduation, she plans on working full-time for a couple years before pursuing an MBA.

What does this scholarship mean to me? I am so grateful to be the recipient of the Patricia and Harry L. Bruce Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship affirms all the hard work I have put into school, clubs, and internships during my time at UCLA so far. Thank you again to the Bruce Family as well as the Economics Department for supporting me towards my academic and career goals.

Jeffrey W. Baus ’59 Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Joel Santiago is a 3rd year Business Economics major, minoring in Accounting. He was raised in Anaheim, California and is a first-generation student in college pursuing a career in the business industry. Joel became fascinated by the art of entrepreneurship and accounting from a young age and is always looking for innovative ways to succeed through business while also helping out his family and community in the process. In his spare time, Joel makes music with his bandmates and enjoys teaching others about several different subjects, always trying to find a way to entertain others and hoping to make a positive impact.

Future Plans: After graduating, Joel plans to work at an accounting firm while also pursuing to become a CPA. This is all to gain the experience needed to eventually start his own business to help others and his family live a better life. One day he hopes for him and his dad to start a non-profit in Mexico to help those in need and truly make a difference where it matters the most.

What does the scholarship mean to me? I am extremely honored to have been selected for the Jeffrey W. Baus ’59 Scholarship. I am truly grateful for this opportunity since now I don’t have the overbearing stress looming of having to worry about my financial situation, and instead put my full attention into pursuing academic greatness and search for opportunities that will enhance my career moving forward. This scholarship truly inspires me to keep pushing through the obstacles presented to me these years, and how proud I am to be at UCLA with the help of this scholarship and the Economics Department.

Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Ellie Taraska is a fourth year Economics and Statistics major. She is from Boston, Massachusetts but now considers Los Angeles her home. On campus, Ellie currently is a volunteer for UCLA’s Volunteer Income Tax Association and member of the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. Additionally, she works at the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Business in the Marketing and Communications department as a marketing intern. Outside of her classes and extracurriculars, Ellie likes exploring Los Angeles, playing soccer, and spending time with her friends.

Future Plans: Ellie will be staying in Los Angeles after graduation and will be starting full time at Intrepid Investment Bankers as an Investment Banking Analyst. She is excited to bring what she has learned from the classroom and her extracurriculars to the team and continue to grow and learn as a UCLA graduate. Additionally, she is considering going back to school after a few years to pursue a Master’s in Business Administration or a Master’s in Data Science.

What does this scholarship mean to me? I truly cannot express how thankful I am to the Wark Family for making this scholarship possible. With all the struggles that have come these past two year during the COVID-19 pandemic, scholarships like the Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship have become even more impactful. This scholarship will greatly impact not only my success at UCLA this year but also my success in the future. I am able to focus more on my extracurriculars, community service, and academics because of this scholarship. Being recognized by the Economics department for my academic achievements also means a great deal to me and motivates me to continue to work hard.

Robert D. And Margaret A. Wark Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Christine Tseng is a third-year Pure Mathematics and Economics double major. Having seen education rescue her immigrant parents from a life of poverty in the countryside of Taiwan, Christine grew up in awe of the unparalleled power of education and now strives for the highest academic excellence at UCLA. Though fascinated by both math and economics, Christine initially only planned to earn her math degree. However, engrossed with the elegant overlap and applications of math in economics, she has since also immersed herself in the Economics Department courses and enjoys every second of it. Despite early doubts from others, Christine has excelled as a woman in mathematics and economics, and she is particularly thankful for her parents’ unfaltering support of her seeking any education she loves.

Outside of school, Christine works to share this same support from her parents with her peers: as a member of the UCLA Learning Assistants Program, Christine strives to spread joy in learning as she works directly with students in math courses and also UCLA faculty who seek ways to make their STEM courses more inclusive to students of underrepresented backgrounds. She is also a member of the USAC Finance Committee and works to allocate funds to support the fantastic programs put on by student organizations. Having found so much opportunity at UCLA, Christine is incredibly proud of all of her academic and leadership accomplishments thus far.

Future Plans: Passionate about the role of mathematical modeling in economics, Christine Tseng intends to continue pursuing a future career in economic and financial modeling. After studying all Winter quarter on various mathematical models, Christine will launch an individual project on modeling financial market volatility in Spring quarter alongside a mentor graduate math student. In addition, this summer, she will join the UCLA Computational and Applied Math Research Experience for Undergraduates program to investigate applications of mathematical modeling to identifying quality claims for the California Innocence Project, an organization that works to free the wrongfully convicted from prison. Ultimately, Christine looks forward to continuing in her studies to receive her PhD, research in modeling, and someday come back to teach at UCLA.

What does the scholarship mean to me? I am beyond grateful to receive the Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship Award. With COVID-19 having taken a financial toll on my family, I am deeply appreciative of the generous scholarship from Mr. Walter Wark. This support has allowed me to cut back work hours for my campus jobs and instead focus more on seeking and preparing for yet higher education, especially as I hope to earn my PhD. I am indebted to Mr. Wark’s generous commitment to education and academic excellence in the Economics Department; I cannot wait to return as a researcher and educator to support future generations of UCLA students too.