Kirk Lam

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2018 Harold R. Mortenson Endowed Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Kirk Lam is currently a junior at UCLA double majoring in Business Economics and Statistics. He was born and raised in Hong Kong. At UCLA, Kirk is the president of Bruin Value Investing, a finance organization that manages a real-money fund, and he is also involved in Alpha Kappa Psi, a professional business fraternity. He has completed internship in investment banking, private equity and business development. In his free time, Kirk enjoys soccer, reading and traveling to new places.

Future Plans: Kirk plans to pursue a career in investment banking. This summer, he will be interning at Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s investment banking division in Los Angeles. Through his internship, Kirk hopes to gain invaluable knowledge and skills that will help him succeed in the financial industry.

What does this scholarship mean to me?: I am extremely grateful and honored to receive the Harold R. Mortenson Endowed Scholarship Fund Award. I would like to thank Mr. Mortenson, the Scholarship Donors and the Economics Department very much. Their generosity and dedication to help out UCLA students is very much appreciated. I plan to use the scholarship to assist with my educational expenses.

Nadiya Komzyuk

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2018 Patricia and Harry L. Bruce Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Nadiya Komzyuk is a third-year Business Economics student, who is passionate about applying economic theory and data analysis to strategy improvement. Her high academic achievement, business acumen, charisma, and sharp analytical mindset have earned her recognition as one of the top students in the UCLA Economics Department.

She is also very active in the UCLA community. In addition to being involved with several student organizations, she is currently the Vice Chair of the Finance Committee for the UCLA Undergraduate Student Association Council. In her free time, she enjoys taking road trips, spending time with her friends and family, and being a part of her local church.

Future Plans: This summer, Nadiya will be interning for a public-sector consulting firm in Sacramento where she will work on analyzing the economic and social impacts of various state projects and providing consultation regarding strategy, efficiency, and business process improvement. (She is also planning a back-packing trip to Asia!) Upon graduation, she hopes to expose herself to experience in different industries before potentially pursuing an MBA or law school.

What does the scholarship mean to me?:  I would like to sincerely thank the donors of the Patricia and Harry L. Bruce scholarship for their generosity and investment into my future. I am extremely grateful. For me personally, this scholarship could not have come at a better time, as this year has been very financially challenging for me and my family. This scholarship has given me the opportunity to take a leave from work to focus on the recruitment season, as well as to take advantage of the many opportunities for personal and professional growth offered by UCLA. Thank you, again, for your tremendous impact on my career and my future.

Valerie (Xiaoying) Huang

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2018 Harold R. Mortenson Endowed Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Valerie Huang is a third year student from China. She is pursuing a B.A in Business Economics and a B.S in Statistics. Valerie actively participates in student organizations, such as the Bruin Sports Analytics club. She is also conducting research under the guidance of Professor Han Du (Quantitative Psychology Department). Valerie is eager to learn new things and likes to take on challenges. She wants to make a difference in her community after she graduates. Outside her academics, Valerie is a big fan of tennis.

Future Plan: After graduating from UCLA, Valerie hopes to pursue a career as a business analyst because she is eager to solve business problems by integrating both her economics knowledge and data analysis skills. Valerie also plans on attending graduate school and pursuing an MBA or a master’s degree in Statistics in 5-7 years, after gaining some real-world experience in the industry.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am extremely humble and honored to be the recipient of the Harold R. Mortenson Scholarship. I am very thankful for the donors for their generosity. This scholarship is a recognition of my diligence and achievements, and I am really grateful for that. This scholarship helps to alleviate my financial burdens and allows me to work for fewer hours and focus more on academics and professional development. I was deeply inspired by this scholarship and hope to give back to the community and help other students in the future.

 

Zhidong Guo

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2018 Harold R. Mortenson Endowed Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Zhidong Guo is a senior student at UCLA majoring in Business Economics and Mathematics. Also, he is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Economics at the same time through the Departmental Scholar Program. Born in China, he’s a transfer student from East LA Community College. During his study at UCLA, he developed a passion for game theory, especially in adaptation. With his strong background in mathematics and physics, he wishes he can contribute to the field of game theory in a nontraditional way. Outside of school, he loves photography, astronomy, and geology. In particular, he’s an enthusiast in (deep-sky) astrophotography.

Future Plans: Zhidong Guo is seeking a career in researching about game theory. After graduation, he plans to apply for a Ph.D. on game theory. Specifically, he looks forward to understanding more about large-scale interacting systems.

What does this scholarship mean to me?: First of all, I want to thank the donors of Harold R. Mortenson Scholarship Fund and the Econ department. I am honored to be selected as the recipient and grateful for the support of my academic path. This scholarship reduced my financial stress and helped me to focus more on my study, especially as an international student. What’s more, it inspired me to be more confident with my research goals. The feeling of being trusted and qualified for a True Bruin deeply motivated me to work harder to approach my goals and gave me a strong desire to give back to the community. I hope one day I am able to inspire others just as how you inspired me. I can’t thank you enough for the memorable college experience that you brought me.

Kristin Silvie Dermenjian

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2018 Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Kristin Dermenjian is a fourth-year Business Economics major. A Los Angeles native, she grew up in Glendale and attended Glendale Community College before transferring to UCLA. While at GCC, she published her own research and presented at conferences at Stanford, UC Irvine, and UC Riverside.

After transferring to UCLA, Kristin not only focused on her academic development, but also looked for ways to further her career and get involved at UCLA. During the Summer of 2018, Kristin interned in the Treasury Department at Qualcomm. There she worked alongside professionals in different departments in corporate finance and collaborated with university students from all over the world.

Her senior year, she took on the role as a Peer Learning Facilitator at Advanced Academic Placement. She facilitates 6 sessions weekly where students review concepts from their upper division Microeconomic Theory class. Additionally, she is the Public Relations Chair for UCLA’s Armenian Student Association. Kristin’s involvement in this club allows her to immerse herself in her Armenian heritage and culture, as well as connect with peers.

Future Plans: Kristin will be joining the Operational Transactions Services (OTS) team of Ernst & Young’s Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) group. She will be working alongside professionals to assist in mergers & acquisitions throughout the West Coast. After a few years of gaining experience in the consulting field, Kristin plans to continue her education through an MBA.  With the skills and knowledge acquired through her experiences at UCLA, Ernst & Young, and future graduate programs and endeavors, she hopes to become an Economics professor.

What does this scholarship mean to me?: I am honored to receive the Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship. I would like to thank the Wark Family for their generosity in funding this scholarship and helping students like me pursue their education at UCLA. Receiving this scholarship motivates me to maintain my high GPA and complete my degree without worrying about the financial burden that comes along with higher education. This scholarship gives me the opportunity to continue contributing to the community and focus on pursuing a career in consulting. I am grateful for the Wark Family’s confidence and willingness to help me achieve my goals.

Roya Dadgar

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2018 John J. Peterson Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Roya Dadgar is a third year Business Economics major and Public Affairs minor. She is part of the executive board of a consulting club on campus, UConsulting, and oversees the external affairs of the club. She also plays club tennis and mentors high school students in financial literacy. As part of the UCLA Career Peers, she is passionate about helping fellow students pursue their career goals. During her free time, Roya enjoys spending time with friends, playing and watching tennis, and trying out new things.

Future Plans: Roya has accepted an offer to be a Summer Scholar at Deloitte Consulting in the Human Capital branch. Her passion for employee well-being and her curiosity for the future of the workplace make Human Capital a good fit. She plans to continue to work in consulting after graduation and pursue an MBA later on. Ultimately, she would like to work towards expanding corporate social responsibility.

What does this scholarship mean to me?: I am honored to have been selected as the recipient of the John J. Peterson Scholarship. My family is grateful for this scholarship’s contribution towards my tuition which allows me to reduce my work hours and further focus on my studies and extracurriculars, through which I hope to help shape other students’ UCLA experience as well. I am immensely thankful that the Peterson family chose to invest in my education and hope that I am able to do the same for a student in the future.

Haomin Chi

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2018 Professor Henry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Haomin Chi is currently a senior with a Business Economics major and an Accounting minor. As a transfer student from De Anza College, he believes that university experience can significantly enhance his overall ability and guide him toward the actual business world. After coming to UCLA, he found an internship in Revelations Entertainment which helped him explore to the business culture in the United States. This past summer, he spent 4 weeks in a real estate company in China. In her spare time, she enjoys playing basketball and other sports with his friends.

Future Plans: After graduation, Haomin will apply to graduate school to improve him ability in finance and pursue him enthusiasm in finance more deep. In the future, he plans to pursue her his career in the finance field. After that, he will return to China and seek employment in financial institutions to pave the way to investment bank.

What does this scholarship mean to me?: I am incredibly honored and grateful to be one of the recipients of the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship and I am so thankful for all the donors who have supported me in my education. This scholarship has initially relieves my financial stress and has allowed me to spend less time to worry about financial issue. Thanks again for the generosity of the donor, and I hope I can give back to the society one day in the future.

 

Anqi Chen

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2018 Jeffrey W. Baus ’59 Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Anqi Chen is a third year student double majoring in business economics, piano performance and minoring in accounting. She was born in China and moved to Italy at age 12. She is fluent in three languages and is proud of her multicultural background. She started her college journey as a music performance major. However, after excelling in her economics and accounting classes, she decided to pursue business economics as her second major with the accounting minor. Coming from a small Italian town with minimal infrastructure and few resources pushed her to be proactive at UCLA and fully utilize the resources on campus to achieve holistic growth as a student and as a leader. She has multiple leadership positions on campus, such as co-founder/president of the student organization Bruin Bonding, Peer Learning Facilitator for Econ 11 – Macroeconomics Theory, Peer Coach for the UCLA Financial Wellness Program and International Student Ambassador for Italy.

Future Plans: Anqi will be an audit/assurance intern at Deloitte this incoming summer in the San Jose office. She plans to become a Certified Public Accountant after graduation. She does not know yet if she can stay in the U.S for long, but she is open to opportunities all around Asia and Europe. She is also planning to pursue a Master degree after gaining few years of working experiences.

What does this scholarship mean to me?: I am so grateful and honored to receive the Jeffrey W. Baus ’59 Scholarship. It means so much to me. Before receiving the scholarship, I was struggling financially due to the high tuition fee for international students. I had to work two on campus jobs to help me pay rent and personal expenses. I was often stressed because of my busy schedule. This scholarship is a great financial support as now I can focus more on my academic endeavors. I cannot find words to express how much I am thankful for Mrs. Baus for this precious award. I will work hard to pursue my career goals and hopefully I can give back to the community one day as well.

Denis Chetverikov named Sloan Fellow

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Denis-Chetverikov

Denis Chetverikov

Denis Chetverikov has been named as a 2019 Sloan Fellow, one of eight economists nationwide.

Denis Chetverikov is a theoretical econometrician with broad interests. His worked has greatly enhanced our understanding of high dimensional and nonparametric models – an area often referred to as “big data”.  Among his most important contributions are the high dimensional central limit theorem and the incorporation of machine learning methods into econometrics.  Together, these insights have enabled applied researchers to conduct inference using new complex models and estimators.

The official announcement is here.

Lee Ohanian’s work on WWII featured in Financial Times

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A recent article in the Financial Times leans heavily on research from UCLA Professor Lee Ohanian.  According to the piece, “How the US actually financed the second world war,” the US raised taxes on capital from 44 to 60 percent during the second world war.  Further, labour taxes doubled, from 9 to 18 percent.  According to Ohanian, the higher taxes were used to make borrowing possible and keep interest rates down.  Ohanian said, “The US typically has done a really good job of financing wars that don’t impose a huge burden on the economy.  There’s a tension in that ideally you’d like to finance with debt as much as possible, so you can spread the distorting burden of higher taxation out over as many years as possible.  Ideally, you don’t want to have someone hit you on the head with a hammer really hard once, but if someone taps you on the head with a hammer very gently for ten years, you’re going to prefer that.”

To read the rest of the article, please visit the following link.