Luke Garlick

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Luke Garlick

Biography: Luke Garlick is wrapping up his Junior year in the Economics department at UCLA and after approval of his application to the Data Science Engineering minor, the Computer Science department. Luke is a dedicated student and executive at the Bruin Capital Management club on campus. He is transitioning well from his upbringing in the small and economically disadvantaged Northern edge of California aided by the strong and kind UCLA community where just about anyone can feel welcome. While the competitiveness and unbelievable successes of his peers can be daunting, it motivates Luke to excel. With his final year and graduation quickly approaching, he is eager to explore life beyond education and is thankful for what he has learned, the confidence he has gained through his studies, and the connections he has made at UCLA. 

 

Future Plans: Luke is looking forward to his wealth management internship this coming summer and the opportunity to build on the education he has received from UCLA. He is not cemented on any career path but is hopeful that wealth management will be a promising career option, allowing him to add real value to individuals and institutions. His educational plans include finishing his last few Econ classes in the coming quarters, completing a Data Science Engineering minor, and continuing in club leadership at Bruin Capital Management. Upon graduation, Luke will see where his intersection of skills in finance, economics, and data science takes him. However, he would prefer to use these skills in industries with a real capacity to improve the lives of people like AI, robotics, infrastructure, and urban design. In combination, improvements in these sectors offer hope of dramatic improvements in the human condition and rapid growth toward a sustainable global economy. He is also open to pursuing an MBA or master’s program in Computer Science or Economics if necessary to open doors into interesting fields.

 

What this scholarship means to me: I am ecstatic about this unbelievably generous scholarship. Besides being a reflection of my academic accomplishments, it is a huge monetary benefit that will not go to waste. It makes continuing my education at UCLA and beyond more attainable and for that I am grateful. However, this scholarship means so much more to me than the dollar amount. It is a fulfilling culmination of a difficult and academically rigorous year. I am so appreciative of the generosity of the family of Mr. Donald Lipschutz and of their continuing quest to make education more accessible. I hope that the UCLA Economics Department scholarships continue to touch and inspire UCLA economics students like me for decades to come.

The National Institutes of Health Awards a $3.1 Million Grant to UCLA Professor Martha Bailey

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UCLA Professor Martha Bailey was awarded $3.1 million from the National Institutes of Health for her project, “LIFE-M 2.0: Data Infrastructure for Understanding the Longitudinal and Intergenerational Determinants of Health and Aging.” In process since 2014, the Longitudinal Intergenerational Family Electronic Micro-dataset (LIFE-M) project aims to create data infrastructure to understand the influence of early-life and intergenerational factors in shaping American health. The project uses cutting-edge techniques in machine learning and deep learning-based neural networks to integrate millions of U.S. birth, marriage, and death records with decennial censuses over four generations and add new information, such as cause of death. The newest part of the project, LIFE-M 2.0 will add six additional states to the database, bringing LIFE-M’s coverage to 26% of the U.S. population in 1940, and expand its records to cover the Social Security Death Index and Numerical Identification Files, the 1930 and 1950 Censuses, and the World War I draft and World War II enlistment records.

Op-Ed by UCLA Professor Lee Ohanian in the Washington Post Proposes a Way to Expand Affordable Housing

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An article in the Washington Post by UCLA Professor Lee Ohanian and James A. Schmitz (University of Minnesota) argues that an amendment to the 1974 National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act would expand the demand for manufactured homes – homes built within a factory and delivered to the buyer’s site – an affordable alternative to houses built on-site by construction workers.

The article can be found here.

Paper by UCLA Professor Andrew Atkeson featured in the Economist

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The paper “There is No Excess Volatility Puzzle” by UCLA Professor Andrew Atkeson and coauthors Jonathan Heathcote and Fabrizio Perri at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis was featured in the June 8th 20024 edition of the Economist. The paper argues that movements in the price of a broad share index between 1929 and 2023 can be explained purely by expectations about future dividends. The article in the Economist can be found here.

The paper can be found here.

Jacob Galant

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Jacob Galant

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. 

Trevor Gadsby

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Trevor Gadsby

Biography: Trevor Gadsby is majoring in Business Economics with a minor in Accounting and a concentration in the Benjamin Graham Value Investing Program. He is currently a teaching assistant for undergraduate accounting classes at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Trevor holds numerous leadership positions in clubs at UCLA including the Alumni Scholars Club where he is the Director of Alumni Relations. He is also involved in business clubs, such as Bruin Asset Management. He balances all of this while working as a private equity intern throughout the year. Trevor loves to help others and is an excellent problem solver. In his free time, he loves cooking, paddle boarding, golfing, and attending UCLA sporting events.  

 

Future Plans: Trevor has accepted a position as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst following his Junior year. He aims to utilize his business, finance, accounting, and leadership skills in his future career. Trevor also plans to continue his ties to UCLA after he graduates by giving back and supporting future students.  

 

What this scholarship means to me: I am truly thankful, and I appreciate the Harold R. Mortenson fund donors and the Department of Economics for recognizing me with this honor. From the amazing UCLA Professors, engaging classes, and these great scholarship opportunities, being a part of the UCLA Business Economics program has been an amazing experience. Each day I feel encouraged and supported, and I feel inspired to give back to UCLA in scholarships one day.  

Claire Ding

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Claire Ding

Biography: Claire Ding is a second-year student from China pursuing a B.A. in Business Economics with a minor in Accounting. As the first in her family to study abroad, Claire is highly motivated in her academics, maintaining a high GPA and actively engaging in campus organizations such as Beta Alpha Psi and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. After taking introductory accounting classes and participating in VITA, helping residents and international students prepare their tax returns, Claire discovered her professional passion for public accounting, particularly in tax. In addition to her professional interests, Claire is an avid music lover. She sings classical voice and serves as a co-music director for a UCLA a cappella group. She is also passionate about social impact and education, which she pursues by working as a learning assistant at UCLA. 

 

Future Plans: During her junior year summer, Claire will intern at Ernst & Young (EY) in their Los Angeles office as a Diversified Staff Group Tax Intern. Upon graduation, she hopes to return to EY as a full-time staff member, become a CPA within the first few years, and specialize in tax, most likely international tax given her background. Claire is also interested in consulting and plans to network with professionals from different sectors during her internship to explore opportunities at EY. Additionally, she is eager to participate in EY’s social service organization, helping to empower youth through financial literacy education. 

 

What this scholarship means to me: I am extremely excited and honored to be the recipient of the Gumbiner Savett Inc. Endowed Undergraduate Prize. I am very thankful for the donor’s generosity. This scholarship not only relieves a part of my financial burden but also serves as recognition for my hard work in maintaining an outstanding academic record while actively engaging in school activities. It also motivates me to continue striving in my career path and to give back to my school and community in the future. 

Maria Bozhkova

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Maria Bozhkova

Biography: Maria Bozhkova is a rising junior international student of Business Economics from Bulgaria. Driven, motivated, and ambitious, she is a stellar honors student, part of the William F. Sharpe Fellowship Program and the UC Investments Academy. She has experience in the financial industry, ranging from start-up companies to multi-million dollar corporations. Outside of academics, she is actively involved on campus with the student-led hedge fund club Bruin Capital Management, focusing on the AI sector. Maria has relevant leadership experience in business clubs at UCLA and has strong interests in value investing, data optimization, and innovation.

 

Future Plans: Maria sees herself working in a motivating and dynamic environment and wants to pursue a career in investment banking. Next summer, Maria will be an investment banking analyst in the healthcare sector at Citi in their New York office. She is looking forward to exploring her passion, as well as working and learning among one of the best teams in the world in that respective field. She has high ambitions for the future and wants to be a female leader in the industry.

 

What this scholarship means to me: I am beyond grateful to be receiving recognition for my academic achievements at UCLA with the award of Harold R. Mortenson Endowed Scholarship fund. With this award, I feel honored for my academic accomplishments and have faith in my future success and professional development. Being an international student, the Harold R. Mortenson scholarship gives me the confidence that I have served as a good example and have been a leader on campus. This scholarship will allow me to have more financial freedom and be able to allocate more time towards my professional development and personal growth. It will help alleviate any financial uncertainty I am experiencing. I appreciate and value this scholarship as it is the highest recognition of my academic strengths, and it is of great support to my wellbeing and education at UCLA.