Shannon Leo

/in /by
Shannon Leo

 

Biography: Shannon Leo is a rising senior double majoring in Business Economics and Financial Actuarial Mathematics with a Specialization in Computing. As a very organized and detail-oriented person, she loves playing around with numbers and solving problems through calculations and analytical thinking, and she has always been curious about how the economy works. Committed to exploring her passion for mathematics and intellectual curiosities in the world of business and healthcare, Shannon quickly became drawn to the actuarial field as an empowering and innovative discipline that combines mathematics, statistics, and finance to analyze and minimize the risks and costs of uncertainty. Within UCLA, Shannon is also a member of the College Honors program and has been actively involved in various student organizations, including Bruin Actuarial Society, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, Alumni Scholars Club, and Club Badminton. Besides focusing on her academic and career endeavors, she enjoys music performance, badminton, skiing, traveling, and DIY crafts.

 

Future Plans: With her mind set on pursuing a career as an actuary, Shannon hopes to continue to expand her actuarial knowledge by taking a full-time position as an actuarial analyst in the healthcare industry, as well as to develop her leadership and technical skills by connecting with the actuarial community, gaining exposure in various actuarial areas of practice, and seizing opportunities to participate in leadership conferences and high-visibility projects. On top of that, she aims to complete the rigorous series of actuarial examinations offered by the Society of Actuaries (SOA) to attain her Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA) designation and be well on her way towards acquiring her Fellowship of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) designation. Post-graduation, she also wants to give back to the UCLA community by keeping in touch with various student organizations and participating in volunteering and alumni events.

 

What this scholarship means to me?: I am extremely grateful and honored to be selected as the recipient of the John J. Peterson Scholarship. As a fourth-year undergraduate student and an aspiring actuary, I recognize the financial burden on students and their families in the pursuit of higher education and understand the costs for actuarial science students as they continue along the pathway to becoming a full-fledged actuary. This scholarship will help me, as a full-time college student and part-time worker, reduce my financial costs of education and enable me to devote more time to focus on my studies, extracurricular activities, and career development while allowing me to expand my network of connections with diverse and vibrant groups of accomplished individuals, thus presenting opportunities to engage in leadership, research, and global experiences.

Catherine Chen

/in /by
Catherine Chen

 

Biography: Catherine is a 3rd-year student majoring in Business Economics at UCLA. Having been involved in community service since high school, she has continued to volunteer for her community through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) organization, which also spurred her interest in tax as a career. This year, she will be serving as one of the co-presidents and looks to expand VITA’s partnership to a larger community within Los Angeles. In addition to volunteering, she also spends her Friday nights rehearsing with the Game Music Ensemble (GME). In her free time, she enjoys reading or playing through endless runs of Hades.

Future Plans: Following the 2023 – 2024 academic year, Catherine will be interning with Deloitte’s tax practice. Upon graduation, she aims to pass her CPA exams and pursue a career in either international tax or in state and local tax.

What this scholarship means to me? I am immensely grateful to have been selected as a recipient for the Donald Lipschutz Scholarship. I would also like to thank Ms. Marugo for continuing this amazing scholarship. The scholarship will help alleviate financial costs and I hope to continue to give back to my community during my time here at UCLA.

Trevor Gadsby

/in /by
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? Receiving this prestigious Economics scholarship means so much to me. I am truly thankful, and I appreciate the Donald Lipschutz Scholarship 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 UCLA Business Economics has been an amazing experience. Each day I feel encouraged and supported, and I hope to give back to UCLA in scholarships one day.

Aaron Chien

/in /by
Aaron Chien

 

Biography: Since high school, Aaron has shown an interest in economics. He enjoyed the critical thinking and analysis of business decisions and strategy, how different components of both individual and international businesses interacted and how it was this one big complicated system. The theories he learned gave him a new way of thinking and allowed him to really consider factors that no one ever really did. Although initially deciding on becoming an accountant, he quickly switched aspirations to become an analyst on the business side. To help support that, he chose to minor in Data Science Engineering and to learn more about tech and computer science. His journey in tech and computer science was faced with struggles as he never coded before in his life but after a few classes and YouTube videos on python, R studio, C++, and SQL, he quickly built a portfolio of projects. He applies what he’s learned with Foundations Choreography, a dance organization on campus examining data of members, financial health of the organization, and managing data of audition processes and deliberations. Aaron’s current goal is to further enrich his knowledge in tech by obtaining a master’s in CS and hopefully become a data scientist or engineer.

 

Future Plans: Although initially wanting to become an accountant, Aaron has long since steered away from that career goal as he feels more fulfilled doing analytical work for companies instead. Wishing to pivot into the field of data science and computer science, he has taken courses in C++, R studio, data science, and self-taught himself python, SQL, HTML/CSS, and JavaScript. Currently, his aspirations are to become a data scientist or engineer, working around data and analyzing data to create models predicting trends, analyzing behavior, or discovering new patterns. After undergrad, he intends to be working as an analyst for a company whilst taking courses in computer science at a community college. Hopefully, he will also take the GRE and apply for grad school and obtain a MBA/MCS.

 

What this scholarship means to me? Coming to UCLA, I knew that college would be expensive, and living in LA would be more expensive and realistically, I couldn’t just stay in my apartment, attend class, eat at home and sleep or else the college experience would’ve been one with regrets and misery. I believe that no college experience should solely just be for educational purposes, part of the implicit monetary value in going to college is the unique experiences and people you will meet. Memories are part of the college experience one could say. I am in a very privileged position in which my parents and family are able to fund my entire college journey with the help of some financial aid and grants of course, but I can see how this is creating a toll. Recently, my family accumulated costs as my family down-sized and moved back into our small house in Rowland Heights and needed to pay for renovations. My sister is also starting grad school soon and family members overseas are facing health issues which requires us to send money over there. With me still going to college, I wanted to be able to help my family so I applied for this scholarship. I am forever grateful to receive the Patricia and Harry L Bruce scholarship to help afford my tuition and lessen the burden on my parents. Furthermore, this would help me with my goals as I took this summer to take classes in order to prepare for grad school as I realized towards the end of my junior year I wanted to enrich my skills and knowledge and take my academic and professional career to the next level by obtaining a MBA or a MCS. I realized the opportunity cost of working would’ve given me money to help my parents, but they are so proud of me for wanting to go to grad school and assured me that there is no financial issue with me choosing to go to grad school. This is why I am very thankful to receive this scholarship, It will significantly help me achieve my own goals while simultaneously helping my family.

Anthony Ngo

/in /by
Anthony Ngo

 

Biography: Anthony Ngo is a second generation Vietnamese American from Orange County. He graduated from Trabuco Hills High School with academic distinction before attending UCLA. He has an academic interest in economics, philosophy, and anthropology. His hobbies include reading, creative writing, and hiking. Anthony takes distinct pride in his heritage and culture. He wishes to carry the legacy of his forebears with honor.

 

Future Plans: Anthony plans on completing his degree in Business Economics before pursuing a career in public accounting. He anticipates graduating by the end of Spring Quarter 2024. He has recently finished an internship at Ernst & Young. His other objectives include pursuing higher education in economics or mathematics and obtaining Certified Public Accountant licensure in the state of California.

 

What this scholarship means to me? The scholarship will help me pay for general cost-of-living expenses in addition to alleviating the general stress of paying for education. I’m sincerely grateful for the opportunity to receive this scholarship. I hope to live up to the moral standards of the generous donors. Given the fact that the donors are private individuals, I wish to express special thanks to Patricia and Harry L. Bruce. I find that this incident echoes a similar event to my family’s past. After the Vietnam War, my father and his family were left destitute under an unfavorable regime. It was only through private American individuals who kindly sponsored my father’s family that he was able to pursue a better life in the United States, which in turn enables my existence to this day. Similarly, I think this scholarship will help me pursue a better future by investing in my education.

 

Haig Simitian

/in /by
Haig Simitian

 

Biography: Haig Simitian is a fourth-year student at the University of California, Los Angeles, majoring in Business Economics with a minor in Accounting. Born and raised in Glendale, California, Haig enjoys spending his time playing pickleball, going to the gym, and trying new restaurants. His coursework has provided him with a well-rounded breadth of econ knowledge from a variety of subtopics, while each accounting class continued to add additional complexity and intuition to his understanding of fundamental accounting principles and their application in the business world as a whole. During his time at UCLA, he served on the executive boards of the Business-Law and Investing Society, Beta Alpha Psi Accounting Honor Society, the Bruin Stock Group, and the Armenian Pre-Law Student Association.

 

Future Plans: After graduating from UCLA, Haig will start his full-time job at Deloitte in their Business Tax Services practice as a Tax Consultant. He intends to pursue a CPA license within his first year working there. Haig also plans to attend law school in the near future to further his education and enhance his career opportunities.

 

What this scholarship means to me? I am profoundly grateful for the honor of being selected as a recipient of the Gumbiner Savett Inc. Endowed Undergraduate Prize. As I reflect on my journey, I am reminded of the transformative impact education has had on my career goals and aspirations. The generosity of this award will allow me to make further use of the endless learning opportunities at UCLA and is an inspiration to keep working hard to make my career goals come to fruition.

Jacob Banuelos

/in /by
Jacob Banuelos

 

Biography: Jacob Banuelos is a driven fourth-year Business Economics major. He was raised in Calabasas, California, and is pursuing a career in the Financial Services industry as a Wealth Manager and Analyst. Currently, Jacob has been involved on campus by volunteering with Volunteer Income Tax Assistance at UCLA and working at University Credit Union as a Member Service Specialist. In his spare time, Jacob loves to go to the gym, play chess, and partake in creative writing.

 

Future Plans: Upon graduation, Jacob plans to join a Wealth Management firm as a Wealth Advisor, and plans on specializing in alternative investments such as private equity and venture capital. In the long run, he wants to eventually garner the skillset and knowledge to establish his own Wealth Management firm dedicated to serving members of the lower-income community. Through his future experience, he aims to develop a holistic financial philosophy that he can utilize for the benefit of individuals from all walks of life.

 

What this scholarship means to me? It is a great honor and privilege to be accepted for the Donald Edward Bragg & Diane Sims Bragg Scholarship. I come from a single-parent household, and as the oldest of three brothers, I know that financing our higher-level education will prove challenging. This award goes a long way towards not just my own goals, but my younger brothers’, goals of being able to graduate with the weight of student loan debt being as minimized as possible. I am dedicated to using this award to help continue my academic success, and to set as high of a standard for my younger brothers as they enter university and the real world as a whole. Thank you so much to the UCLA Economics Department for granting me this prestigious award and for making all of this possible!

Lydia Sun

/in /by
Lydia Sun

 

Biography: Lydia Sun was born in China to a family of local farmers. She grew up in a small village and learned the value of hard work and kindness. She left her village in order to get higher education. In 2018 Lydia moved to America, and she attended community college as well as worked full time. Lydia was accepted to UCLA for the 2022 academic year. Lydia Sun, an enthusiastic and dedicated individual, embarked on her academic journey at UCLA with an unwavering passion to excel in the fields of business and accounting. Her diverse work experiences in both domestic and international e-commerce reflect her leadership prowess and her ability to implement efficient business strategies. Beyond her academic pursuits, Lydia’s proactive stance, complemented by her versatile skill set, positions her as an invaluable asset in any professional setting. Rooted in a dedication to perpetual advancement, Lydia’s aspiration to achieve CPA licensure underscores her unwavering commitment to pursuing excellence and embracing ongoing growth.

 

Future Plans: Lydia Sun, a dedicated student, envisions a future that marries her passion for accounting and her drive to excel. As she progresses through her studies at UCLA, Lydia’s determination is evident in her decision to postpone graduation from after the completion of the 2023 winter quarter to spring 2024 in order to undertake additional accounting coursework in preparation for her CPA licensure. After completing her studies, Lydia aims to secure internships in prestigious firms like one of the big 4 companies and to gain practical experience and expand her skill set. With a keen interest in data analysis, marketing, and customer service, Lydia aspires to bring a holistic approach to her career, focusing on optimizing business strategies and financial practices. Her commitment to professional growth is evident in her dedication to achieving CPA certification 225 units and courses by September 2024.

 

What this scholarship means to you? Receiving the Prof. Harry Simons Endowed Undergrad. Scholarship for the Study of Accounting is an incredible honor and privilege for me. This scholarship means not only financial assistance but also a recognition of my dedication to pursuing a career in accounting. As a Business Economics major student with a minor in Accounting at UCLA, this scholarship will alleviate some of the financial burden associated with pursuing higher education. It will enable me to focus more on my studies and extracurricular activities that contribute to my professional growth. I am truly grateful for this opportunity, and it motivates me to excel in my studies and future career as a CPA.

 

Yohann Byun

/in /by
Yohann Byun

 

Biography: Yohann Byun is a 4th-year Economics major and Accounting minor student at UCLA. He’s passionate about pursuing a career in accounting/finance as he accrued experience both in finance and accounting through internships at Citi and EY. Through the internship experience, he found interest in public accounting and financial statement analysis which he seeks to continue his career in. Academically, he will be part of the Fed Challenge and represent the UCLA team as one of the presenters in the upcoming Fall. He also works as a student staff at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and aids various MBA programs under the Strategic Research Program.

 

Future Plans: After interning at EY during the summer of 2023, Yohann is seeking to work full-time at EY upon graduation. He’s currently on track to be eligible for the CPA exams by graduation, and in the long run, he wants to work more with M&A advisory work and explore the buy side of the finance world.

 

What this scholarship means to me? I am truly grateful to be the recipient of the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting, and this scholarship inspires me to continue working towards graduation and finish my last academic year at UCLA strong. Moreover, my goal to build a professional career in accounting/finance is more achievable with the financial support provided by this scholarship. I thank the donors and the department for awarding this scholarship.

 

Sasha Zhang

/in /by
Sasha Zhang

 

Biography: Sasha Zhang is a rising third-year majoring in Business Economics with a minor in Data Science Engineering. On campus, she is a member of 180 Degrees Consulting, the world’s largest volunteer consultancy for nonprofits and social enterprises, where she currently serves as the Director of Consulting Connect. Consulting Connect is a subgroup of 180DC dedicated to improving the accessibility and visibility of consulting within the UCLA student body through skill-building workshops, disseminating professional development resources, and in the coming Fall 2023 quarter, launching a client-facing consulting project initiative open to all UCLA students.

 

Future Plans: In the future, Sasha plans to pursue consulting which will expose her to a wide range of industries and expertise, and allow her to continue building her business acumen and technical skills. She believes consulting is the prime learning ground for her to gain a multifaceted worldview, where she will ultimately discover her niche purpose and be able to create a broader
impact. In the past summer, she was a Private Equity Intern at a real estate investment firm where she worked on underwriting a multifamily property deal, as well as working on the asset
management side conducting financial analysis on existing portfolio properties. She was also a UCLA Economics Teaching Assistant teaching two summer courses on economics, finance, and
data science concepts to high school and college students.

 

What this scholarship means to me? I want to sincerely thank Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence and Joan E. Anderson for the incredible honor of choosing me as the recipient of the Lawrence and Joan E. Anderson Fund Scholarship. Your generosity has immensely eased my financial burden with tuition and educational expenses, and your extraordinary kindness and support towards my academic goals truly means so much. This award will forever serve as a reminder to always approach learning with intellectual curiosity and integrity, to continue working hard and striving to use my skills to make a tangible impact, and to pay forward to the UCLA community all the privileges, lessons, and advice I’ve been fortunate enough to receive. I’ll continue striving for excellence in all facets of my life. With the deepest gratitude, thank you.