Biography: Alex Guzman is the proud son of two hardworking Guatemalan parents. At a young age, he demonstrated qualities of being proactive, tenacious, devoted, and disciplined due to watching and admiring his parents. These qualities gave him the foundation to excel academically and in other extracurricular activities. Alex was also able to obtain and hone various valuable skills through the sports he participated in throughout his childhood, particularly soccer in which he learned the importance of communication, cooperation, and understanding one’s role. Ultimately, his efforts and accomplishments in both school and sports came to fruition, landing him the honor of enrolling in the University of California of Los Angeles after graduating from high school. At this prestigious school, Alex continues to thrive in his education keeping a record of straight A’s, while balancing his part-time job. 

In addition, Alex’s parents owned a humble convenience store in downtown Los Angeles. Upon growing up, he would devote the majority of his free time to helping his parents, especially during the pandemic. In that store, Alex developed a strong passion for business and an urge to help his parent’s financial endeavors. For these reasons, he is strongly determined to secure a top position as a financial advisor to take care of his parents and their business with the expertise he obtains. 

Future Plans: Alex Guzman plans to retire his parents one day and as soon as possible. Therefore, during his time at UCLA, Alex has been pursuing higher education and is in the process of securing internships at well-respected firms. Alex has continued to broaden his connections with people in his school, and those he has been in contact with through his internship application. Furthermore, post-graduation, Alex aims to pursue his MBA or gain a tremendous amount of valuable work experience as a financial advisor or wealth management associate. Ultimately, he wants to use his wisdom and experience to enhance his parent’s small business and secure a well-paying job at a high-level corporation. Alex aspires to become an important figure at his future corporation. Moreover, he will climb the corporate ladder, ultimately securing prestigious positions and having a heavy impact in the time that he is there. 

What this scholarship means to me: First and foremost, I am eternally grateful and appreciative of this honor from the bottom of my heart and soul. My decision to commit to UCLA was heavily influenced by scholarships as receiving them allowed my dreams to become a reality. Due to my family’s financial situation, the primary wall preventing me from accomplishing my dream was the fees and expenses to attend this prestigious school. Thus, when I first received my acceptance letter, it was a bittersweet moment as I realized I had been accepted by my dream school but would have to be burdened with thousands of dollars in loans. However, I have been blessed by these scholarships throughout the years as they helped make the cost of attending UCLA more affordable. As I come to a close in my second year, I can proclaim how important these scholarships were in attending UCLA. After seeing the tuition, cost of living, and other expenses pile up in my BruinBill I am relieved and once again reminded of how grateful I am to be granted these scholarships. Furthermore, this scholarship in particular will immensely contribute to my living circumstances next year, lifting another financial burden off my shoulders. 

Once again, thank you so much for choosing me as the recipient of this esteemed scholarship. The stress of having to pay these expenses has been drastically diminished for me and my parents. You have extremely helped keep my dream of graduating as a UCLA Bruin alive. Thank you. 

Biography: Nathan Goldberg is a third-year Economics major at UCLA. He is minoring in Environmental Systems and Society and also plans to obtain a minor in Accounting. He is originally from East County San Diego, where he lived until attending UCLA. His goal is to work in public accounting as an auditor after he graduates. Nathan is currently a pledge for UCLA’s accounting society, Beta Alpha Psi. He is also a Co-Chair for the Zero Waste Campaign of E3 (Ecology, Economy, Equity), one of UCLA’s largest environmental organizations. Some of his outside interests include hiking, cycling, photography, and traveling. 

Future Plans: After he graduates from UCLA, Nathan Goldberg’s plan is to work in public accounting as an auditor. His goal is to work for one of the Big 4 accounting firms, though he is happy to work for any public accounting firm in Los Angeles. During the next academic year, Nathan hopes to work in an accounting-related internship. He is considering pursuing a master’s in accountancy but most likely plans to move straight into full-time work after his undergraduate studies.

What this scholarship means to me: This scholarship will be of tremendous value toward the remainder of my education and beyond, and so I am immensely grateful to the Wark family for their generosity. As we all know, college is an investment into one’s future self, and that investment can often be large and burdensome. This scholarship will help alleviate a great deal of this financial burden on both me and my family. This is especially helpful since I have a sibling who is also currently enrolled in college, which amplifies the financial strain. Most importantly, this scholarship will allow me to focus my mind and energy more purely on my academics and career ambitions, rather than finances. This clarity of mind will set the most ideal conditions for me to maximize my academic performance here at UCLA. Furthermore, it is well-known that the financial burden of college can carry on well into one’s full-time employment, as it can be difficult to set money aside for the future. Therefore, this scholarship will be of immense help not only now but also in the years following my graduation, allowing me to focus my energy toward excelling at my job and preparing for the CPA exam. 

Biography: Jacob’s life is in great part, fueled by the relationship he had with his father. Almost every night when he was growing up, his dad would read to him before he went to bed. While the characters and settings varied slightly, they always told stories of grand adventures, driven by heroes traveling through unknown lands and defeating the challenges they faced. Some of the tales he remembers best were from the Magic Tree House collection, one of the first book series he ever read with his dad. His dad and he would also create stories of their own, like having his stuffed animals go on quests, traversing the uncharted lands of his bedroom. He wishes he could tell even more stories of the books they read, but in the summer before sixth grade, his father passed away. His guide to the unknown worlds within the pages of books and, more importantly, to the real one in which he lived was gone. He was determined to make his father proud trying as hard as he could throughout high school. He attended Brentwood School where he was valedictorian, concertmaster of the orchestra, founder of the school’s first esports team, and creator of the social entrepreneurship club. He also played water polo and swam for all four years. Apart from academics, he created his own video game startup, interned at the Motion Picture Corporation of America, and is currently working on the development of a film startup. He is currently a sophomore at UCLA studying Business Economics and is looking forward to what the future may hold for him. 

Future Plans: This summer, Jacob was fortunate enough to be chosen to be an intern in a selective group at Grandview LA. Grandview is a talent management company where he will be able to pursue both his interests in business and in film, gaining priceless skills in each. After college, he hopes to get a job in either consulting, film production, or a similar field in order to gain foundational business knowledge. At any point during this process, or after, his dream would be to create his own company producing things that will inspire others and create a positive impact in their lives. Once he comes up with a strong enough idea, he will begin pursuing it and stay on that track for as long as it takes.  

What this scholarship means to me: This scholarship means more to me than just financial aid. It represents being able to take opportunities to further my education and career without a substantial financial burden. My brother will also be entering college soon, and without scholarships, I was worried he would not be able to go without entering serious debt. Without these worries, I will be able to be more motivated and focused on my schoolwork. Additionally, with my interest in entrepreneurship, I would also possibly be able to pursue my dreams of starting my own company. This summer, I was able to gain a selective internship, however, it is unpaid, so this scholarship will be even more valuable to me.