April Fu Ying

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2013 Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting Recipient

Biography: April Fu Ying is a third-year student pursuing a Business Economics major with a Minor in Accounting. During her time at UCLA, she has developed a great interest in the study of accounting. In her sophomore year, she applied for the Summer Leadership programs at the Big Four accounting firms in order to gain a deeper understanding of the day-to-day work of an accounting professional. April also works as a tax preparer in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA), where she enjoys getting more hands-on training in the area of tax accounting. During her spare time, April enjoys traveling, cooking, and drawing.

Future Plans: April is currently interviewing with the Big Four accounting firms for a summer internship opportunity in the area of tax accounting. Upon her graduation in 2015, April hopes that she will be able to start full-time at a well-established accounting firm, continuously learning and growing in an occupation that holds her passion.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am extremely grateful and honored to be selected as the recipient of the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting. It greatly alleviates some of the financial burden of my parents and me, and allows me to stay focused and committed to pursuing my future goals. This award is also a wonderful recognition of my past endeavors and encourages me to dream bigger. Hence I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to the Professor Harry Simons Scholarship Donors for their kindness and generosity.

Sumin Yi

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2013 Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting Recipient

Biography: Sumin Yi is a third-year student pursuing a Business Economics major with a Minor in Accounting. Born and raised in South Korea, Sumin came to the United States alone about two years ago to study at UCLA. While being a hard worker, Sumin always tries hard to maintain a work-life balance. She is actively involved in the KOrean JOB Search (KOJOBS) club as a team leader of the board of marketing. She also enjoys working on campus part-time at the UCLA CLICC lab; the job is more of life than work to her. When given a chance, she wants to explore many different hiking courses in the area.

Future Plans: Sumin plans to start her career in a public accounting firm upon her graduation and to obtain a CPA license while working. After few years of working, Sumin wants to go back to school to pursue higher degrees such as a Master of business tax or Ph.D. in economics/accounting.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am honored to be the recipient of the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting for the 2013-2014 academic year. This scholarship greatly alleviates the financial burden of my family and allows me to focus better on school works and to explore more extracurricular activities. It also motivates me to keep working hard and stay committed to my future professional goal. Once again, I want to thank the donors for their generosity.

Brendan Yeh

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2013 The Boeing Company Scholarship in Economics Recipient

Biography: Brendan Yeh is a second-year student pursuing a major in Business Economics and minors in accounting and film. He was born and raised in Pittsburgh, developing himself as an elite academic student as well as a skilled soccer player and violinist. After graduating high school, Brendan chose to attend UCLA due to the educational opportunities, dynamic culture, entertainment industry and beautiful weather. Throughout his time at UCLA, Brendan has proven himself to be a high scholastic achiever in addition to being extremely active in the community. He is heavily involved with the Campus Events Commission, Undergraduate Business Society, the UCLA Department of Medicine, and Greek life as an active brother of Lambda Chi Alpha. In his free time, he enjoys getting together with friends and family, traveling, staying fit, playing soccer and embarking on thrilling experiences.

Future Plans: Brendan has broad future plans. His interests focus on a career in business ranging from consulting to a relevant position in the entertainment industry. He hopes to secure an internship with Deloitte, Disney, or Bayer Corporation this summer. Long term, he plans to pursue a MBA degree. Brendan also holds an interest in aerospace engineering. Broadly, Brendan’s professional goal is to be an altruistic, social, and well-rounded individual who is attuned to all types of people. As he still in the process of discovering his specific interests, his primary goal is to develop himself as a person. Upon graduation, Brendan hopes to spend some time traveling to expand his understanding of the world before continuing his career.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am honored and humbled to be named the recipient of The Boeing Company Scholarship in Economics. This award recognizes the hard work and passion I have put forth in my past achievements and encourages me to continue my dedication towards my studies and activities. With this scholarship, I will be more able to focus on my academics and involvement in the UCLA community. Additionally this scholarship will assist me in my path towards financial independence. Genuinely, I would like to thank the donors of The Boeing Company Scholarship in Economics for their generosity.

Paramveer Singh Toor

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2013 Patricia and Harry L. Bruce Endowed Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Paramveer Singh Toor is a fourth-year student pursuing a degree in Business Economics and Aerospace Engineering. Paramveer initially registered at UCLA as an Engineering major, but after taking his first microeconomics class with Professor Sproul, he developed a keen interest in economics and decided to add it as his second major. Paramveer’s credentials are multivariate; he extensively participated in engineering projects at UCLA such AIAA Design, Build & Fly, Baja SAE and Formula SAE. Lately, he devoted more than a year serving as a Drivetrain Technology lead for UCLA’s Formula SAE team. During his duration of time there, he participated in designing and manufacturing a race car for UCLA. Last summer, Paramveer also interned as a race-engineering intern in the motorsport industry, where he worked on drivetrain and control subsystems of racecars. Paramveer is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta & Phi Eta Sigma Honor societies and is a re-founding father of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity at UCLA. He has also conducted research on Inorganic Aqueous Solutions (IAS) in Professor Ivan Catton’s heat transfer lab in the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering department at UCLA. Paramveer currently works as a grader for an upper division Thermodynamics class in the MAE department. In the future, he sees himself inclining more towards quantitative finance and is planning to pursue a career in this field.

Future Plans: After completing the curriculum for his bachelor’s, Paramveer plans to study quantitative finance and to pursue his career goal of becoming a quantitative trader. In this field, Paramveer would also like to commit his time to applying the skills he garnered and become a potential employee in a hedge fund as a senior-level trading analyst.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: Words do not even begin to describe how incredibly honored I am that my hard work is acknowledged. I would like to thank the UCLA Economics Department for availing access to this scholarship and Mr. and Mrs. Bruce for their generosity. This scholarship was given to me at a very crucial opportune time: the funds will not only help me apply to graduate schools but will also contribute to the tuition fee for the Spring Quarter. As a result, I can concentrate on my coursework and on my senior year UAV group project.

Manqian Shen

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2013 John J. Peterson Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Manqian Shen is a third-year student majoring in Business Economics. Born and raised in China, she chose to come to the United States for college after graduating from high school. She has a combined interest in politics and economics, and is passionate about socioeconomic policy research. She has been actively involved at UCLA in various student organizations from the Economics Department Undergraduate Roundtable to the Bruin Leaders Project and the UCLA Global Business Brigades. Manqian thinks it is important to give back to the community. Currently, she serves as the Co-Service Chair for the ALD|PES National Honors Society UCLA Chapter and organizes volunteer projects and activities. Manqian has gained experience interning at China CITIC Bank, Los Angeles Education Technology Organization, and JootStrap LLC, which was started by a team of UCLA Anderson students. In her free time, she enjoys reading, painting and singing.

Future Plans: Manqian will complete her B.A. in Business Economics at UCLA in June 2015. After graduation, she plans to further her studies in graduate school with a focus on advanced policy and economic analysis. Manqian’s long-term career goal is to hold an analyst position in an economic consulting firm.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am truly honored to receive the John J. Peterson Scholarship for the 2013-2014 school year. I am thankful to be recognized for my hard work and past achievements. This generous contribution will ease my financial burden and allow me to focus more on academics at this renowned university. The award also encourages me to continue my dedication to community involvement and extracurricular activities, and will inspire me to pursue higher achievements in both my future studies and career paths. I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the donor, Mr. John J. Peterson, for his kindness and generosity.

Jeremy Reynard

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2013 The Donald Edward Bragg & Diane Sims Bragg Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Jeremy Reynard is a fourth-year student originally from the Bay Area. He is currently studying Business Economics and plans to graduate in Winter Quarter 2014. Outside of class, Jeremy’s time at UCLA has been defined by his work with Camp Kesem, where he is the executive director and a camp counselor.

Future Plans: Jeremy will move back north and start his career at LinkedIn as a Global Sales Operations University Associate in September 2014. Later down the line, he may consider applying for business or other grad school.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I want to extend my deepest appreciation to the Bragg family for awarding me the Donald Edward Bragg and Diane Sims Bragg Scholarship. I am amazed by their generosity and commitment to UCLA, specifically the Department of Economics. The support will allow me to make the most of the last few months at UCLA, alleviating the burden of debt after graduation. Thank you! I hope to someday give back to UCLA like you have.

Mansour Rabbanian

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2013 The Lawrence and Joan E. Henderson Fund Recipient

Biography: Mansour Rabbanian grew up in Beverly Hills and attended Hillel Hebrew Academy Middle School and YULA High School. He served as student body president in both schools. Mansour was captain of his high school’s varsity tennis team from his sophomore year until he graduated. Although he took great interest in both mathematics and history, he ultimately decided to pursue a degree in Business Economics at UCLA, one of the school’s most challenging courses of study.
Mansour is currently interning at a real estate management firm, where he is learning the ins and outs of real estate financing and investing. He finds it very gratifying to apply his academic studies to a real-life business setting. Mansour also takes pleasure in exploring entrepreneurial ideas and bringing them to life. He plays basketball and follows the Los Angeles Clippers.

Future Plans: After receiving his B.A., Mansour plans to pursue graduate education in the field of real estate. He intends to work in the realm of real estate and investment and eventually to start his own firm.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: Receiving the Anderson Scholarship means a lot to me and it will be of substantial help. This scholarship will allow me to invest more time in my studies and cut down on my work hours. It is very important to me to make the most of my educational opportunities and to focus on my education to the greatest extent I can while I am at UCLA. The peace of mind that this scholarship gives me and the sense of accomplishment and pride I take in it are truly priceless. I would like to thank the Anderson family for their generosity and for their commitment to supporting business economics education and academic merit.

Jacob Rabbanian

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2013 Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Jacob Rabbanian was born and raised in Los Angeles, where he went to elementary and middle school at Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy and high school at YULA. He served as president of the student body at both schools and played on several sports teams. Jacob is second of four children in his family, with two brothers and one sister. In his free time, Jacob enjoys playing sports, making new friends, and exploring his family history. Jacob is currently nineteen years old and is in his final year at UCLA, where he is pursuing a degree in Business-Economics. His interest in business is motivated by his intellectual curiosity and his desire to contribute to a healthy American economic environment in the future.

Future Plans: After graduation, Jacob intends to apply his passion for real estate toward pursuing a full-time position in that industry. Jacob also hopes to enhance his business knowledge and skills by pursuing a MBA in the near future.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am incredibly honored and humbled to receive the Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship has provided me with great peace of mind by relieving much of the financial burden of rising tuition costs. This will allow me to pursue my passion for learning and to gain more business experience through internships and volunteer opportunities uninhibited by financial concerns. The existence of this scholarship has assured me that I am part of a caring community at UCLA that wants to see me succeed, and this knowledge motivates me to continue working with all of my energy and ability toward living up to those expectations. I am committed to one day reaching a level of success at which I can emulate Robert and Margaret Wark by supporting future UCLA students in need.

Jun Ki Jeong

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2013 The Ralph and Shirley Shapiro Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Jun Ki Jeong is a junior at UCLA with an Economics major, Accounting Minor, and is also considering a Specialization in Computing. He was born in Suwon, Korea, and moved to Torrance, California, with his family when he was in high school about six years ago. Although he did not have any interest in accounting While he was studying at El Camino College prior to transferring to UCLA, that changed after taking Management 127A, an individual tax law and policy, at UCLA. Furthermore, through his accounting internship and working as a part-time junior accountant at a local CPA firm, he has decided accounting is a career that he wants to pursue after college. He is currently looking for a full-time accounting internship so he can use what he is learning in his Accounting Minor and current work into real use as an accounting professional.

Future Plans: As a junior, Jun Ki is waiting for result from accounting internship interviews with public accounting firms. Based on the result, he will work as an accounting intern during the summer. Upon graduation in Spring Quarter 2015, he plans to participate in a volunteer trip around the world before he starts working full-time in the field of accounting. He plans to earn his CPA license not long after.I would like to express my attitude to Mr. and Mrs. Shapiro. I am extremely honored to be the recipient of the Ralph and Shirley Shapiro Scholarship. This scholarship will definitely be a big help for me to overcome financial hardships and allow me to put more effort into my academic work. I will be able to focus more on my studies and reduce my work hours with this scholarship.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: The Ralph and Shirley Shapiro Scholarship will help pay for my educational and living expenses. I am extremely honored to have been selected for this award.

Ariel Jao

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2013 Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Ariel Jao is a third-year student who is planning to complete her undergraduate degree in Economics with a Minor in Accounting. She is involved in campus organizations such as Delta Sigma Pi, Global Brigades: Business, as well as Unicamp. During her spare time, she enjoys playing volleyball, spending time with family and friends, and reading articles on the web. Currently, Ariel is interning with a Finance team at The Walt Disney Company in Burbank. Before graduating, she hopes to participate in a study abroad program such as EAP or Semester at Sea in order to broaden her culture and communication skills.

Future Plans: During the summer of her junior year, Ariel plans to find an internship in investment management or corporate finance. After graduating from UCLA, she hopes to move back home to San Francisco or to relocate to New York, where she can immerse herself in the world’s greatest financial district. Ariel plans to remain with a firm to gain exposure to all departments and until she feels ready for a change, which may be years down the line. Long-term, she hopes to get married, have kids and become a stay-at home mother. Hopefully, at one point in the far future, she can fulfill her childhood dream of being a high school counselor or teacher.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am honored to be selected as the recipient for the Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship this year. I am thankful for the generosity and acknowledgement they bestow on UCLA students like me year after year. I have been given the opportunity to decrease a portion of the financial burden that has brought stress into my family. My mother is currently putting my two siblings and me through higher education in the UC system. I have always prioritized work as well as to my education because one could not be possible without the other. I now feel more comfortable clocking in less hours during finals and midterms and focusing on my studies.