Manqian Shen

/in /by

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

/in /by

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

/in /by

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

/in /by

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

/in /by

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

/in /by

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.

Zhihao Zhao

/in /by

2014 John J. Peterson Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Zhihao Zhao is a third year student from Beijing, China, double-majoring in Business Economics and Psychology and minoring in Mathematics. At UCLA, Zhihao has developed a strong passion for business strategy, entrepreneurship and education. He plans to bring his knowledge of developmental psychology to Chinese parents through a future start-up business. In addition, Zhihao is currently the External Vice President of Building Engineers and Mentors (BEAM) at UCLA and a circle docent for the Los Angeles Math Circle (LAMC) in the Department of Mathematics at UCLA. He is an undergraduate research assistant at the W.M. Keck Center for Neurophysics, studying the formation of spatial consciousness. He is also working on a psychology project under the guidance of Drs. Karen Givvin and Jim Stigler, comparing differences in the U.S. and Chinese Math textbooks and investigating how those differences influence students’ learning effects. To develop his business acumen, Zhihao has interned during the past summers at an economic consulting firm, Dezan Shira & Associate, a global leading market research company, The Nielsen Company, and a Fortune Global 500 industrial services company, Shougang Group. He enjoys playing racquetball and swimming in his spare time.

Future Plans: Zhihao is currently looking for internship opportunities in strategy consulting industries to gain more insights in business and management. He plans to obtain a MBA and a doctorate in education within the next ten years. After finishing those degrees, he plans to go back to China and establish his own schools to provide high-quality education to younger generations. The business will seek to establish schools that better encourage students psychological development and help remedy the widespread problem of psychologically inappropriate educational methods in China.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am very grateful and honored to be a recipient of the 2014-15 John J. Peterson Endowment Scholarship. I appreciate Mr. & Mrs. Peterson’s kindness and dedication to supporting higher education. To me, this scholarship represents much more than the wonderful financial benefit it provides to me and my family. I also regard this scholarship as an encouraging validation of my previous work and a mandate to pursue my career goal in entrepreneurship and education. I expect to bring the benefits of this scholarship to bear on schoolchildren and parents in China, which should ultimately make a positive impact beyond China as well.

Qianyi Zhao

/in /by

2014 The Ralph and Shirley Shapiro Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Qianyi Zhao is a fourth-year student pursuing a Business Economics and Statistics double major with an Accounting minor. Born and raised in Beijing, China, Qianyi was proudly nurtured in the traditional Chinese culture, until she came to UCLA at the age of 18. At UCLA, Qianyi discovered her strong interests in numbers and in regulations by taking Accounting classes and volunteering at VITA. These experiences led her to choose public accounting as her intended career. In her spare time, Qianyi likes to swim, play the piano, and cook.

Future Plans: Qianyi is preparing for the CPA exams and hopes to pass all four exams before she graduates in June 2015. Upon her graduation with College Honors, Qianyi will join the US Tax Consulting Group in one of the Big Four accounting firms in China. In her early years of career, she hopes to gain a deep understanding in the US Tax system and to build a strong client circle. Her ultimate career goal is to run her own tax advisory firm to assist Chinese private investors in doing business in the US.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I truly appreciate Mr. and Mrs. Shapiro’s generous support on my undergraduate studies and intended career in public accounting. The Ralph & Shirley Shapiro Scholarship will greatly help me prepare for the upcoming CPA exams. It encourages me to take courses through the UCLA Extension program. In the future, I hope to give back to UCLA just as Mr. and Mrs. Shapiro gave to me.

Nikita Zalevskiy

/in /by

2014 Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Nikita Zalevskiy is a senior majoring in Business Economics with minor in Mathematics. He is originally from Kaliningrad, a small Russian exclave in the Eastern Europe. He immigrated with his family into United States in 2007 when he was 13 years old. Majority of his time in the United States he spend living in San Diego. Upon graduating high school, Nikita attended 3 community colleges before transferring to UCLA as a junior within one year. Nikita actively speaks and advocates on behalf of transfer students on campus. He is part of senior leadership in the Economics’ department undergraduate professional society Economics Roundtable. Nikita previously interned in a technology consulting firm Agile Systems, Inc. and The Walt Disney Company. In his spare time, Nikita enjoys reading, watching movies and following politics.

Future Plans: Upon graduation in 2015, Nikita is planning to start off his career as financial analyst most likely with The Walt Disney Company. After working for couple years, he intends to pursue MBA in order to pivot his career into strategic consulting. Long-term, Nikita hopes to be working in Corporate Strategy and Business Development in the technology or entertainment fields. One day in future, Nikita would like to develop his own company in those desired fields.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am enormously grateful for generosity of Wark family and recognition of my achievements by the Economics department. The pursuit of college education was not always in my reach. During the recession my family had to burn through majority of savings to keep our construction business alive. In order to secure some financial stability, I always held one or two part time jobs since junior year of my high school while pursuing education full time. This scholarship will allow me to devote more focus on pursuing my dreams instead of worrying about my finances. It will also help to reduce my debt burden that I accumulated while pursuing higher education. This incredible generosity inspires me to help others to pursue their dreams.

Danny Vivier

/in /by

2014 The Gumbiner Savett Inc. Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Danny is a fourth year Business Economics student from San Diego, California. He was raised by parents Dave and Joanne Vivier and has two younger brothers, Michael and Stephen. While attending UCLA, Danny has held leadership roles for the Undergraduate Business Society, Bruin Consulting, and the Disney Club of UCLA. In addition, Danny has completed several internships in the fields of wealth management, consulting, and investment banking. Outside of school and professional development, Danny enjoys landscape photography, UCLA athletics, and playing basketball. He is incredibly thankful and humbled to have been awarded the Gumbiner Savett Inc. Endowed Undergraduate Prize.

Future Plans: This past summer Danny completed a 10-week investment banking internship with Morgan Stanley. At the end of the 10 weeks he was offered a full time position post-graduation and immediately accepted. Danny plans to work for Morgan Stanley for the next two years before deciding to return to school and pursue his MBA, or continue in finance. If he chooses to return to school, Danny would like to attend a competitive university that would surround him with ambitious entrepreneurs who he could potentially partner with in starting his own business. If he chooses to continue in finance, Danny will likely pursue a career in private equity. Long term, Danny hopes to develop a career that services his life, rather than developing a life that services his career. He prioritizes faith, family, and friendship above all else and will allow those priorities to shape his professional ambitions.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: Like all other recipients, this scholarship will go a long way in helping to reduce my financial burdens. It is a huge blessing to be able to receive an education from this university without drowning in debt. Thanks to this scholarship, help from my family, and summer work, I am blessed to say that I will leave college without a debilitating amount of debt. Furthermore, this scholarship provides a kind of recognition for all of my hard work over the course of the last four years. I am humbled by the award and encouraged to rightfully represent this university, this scholarship, and myself in the years to come.