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Masuma Tewari

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2005 Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting Recipient

Biography: Masuma is an international student from New Delhi, India. Hailing from a middle class family it was always her desire to pursue her higher education in the United States. Being the only child it was tough for her parents to send me so far away from home. It was her dream come true when she was able to secure admission at UCLA. She came here with the high goals and ambitions. Although she has not been able to achieve all that she had sought, nonetheless she is happy with her achievements. It was her desire to pursue an honors program in economics but her already rigorous coursework has left her with no time to pursue this dream. Currently she is a senior doing a double majoring in Business Economics and Mathematics/Applied Sciences with a minor in Accounting. Had she concentrated only on academics she would have been perhaps successful in attaining a GPA of 3.9 which was her initial target but she is a firm believer in the all round development. She has enjoyed participating in numerous extra curricular activities that UCLA offers. Interning at Aids Project Los Angeles, working at protein expression lab under Dr. Jeanne Perry, performing duties of an internal vice president of Saxon suites and being a dance team member of the Indian Students Union are some of most the enriching experiences she has had at UCLA.

Future Plans: After interning with Merrill Lynch in Global Markets and Investment Banking this past summer at Palo Alto she is extremely interested to pursue a career in investment banking. Having interned at a private equity firm and Merrill in healthcare industry group has further enhanced her interest in biotechnology. She is also keen towards the fields of strategic consulting and auditing. She plans to work for two to three years and procure a valuable skill set that will help her for masters. She plans to do Masters of Business Administration after this essential work experience. Eventually, she plans to go back to India and work there in the finance industry.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: To put it truly and simply this scholarship means the world to me. Not only it is an honor for me to be chosen for the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting, but it is also recognition of the hard work that I have put in the past three years. This award is a motivation for me in order to strive for more and achieve further academic excellence. The scholarship has come at a time when financially I really needed the support. As everyone is aware that tuition fee for international students has increased beyond normal expectations and my parents are under tremendous pressure financially. In fact it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to cope up. Thus, any amount of financial help is a major relief. Thanks to everyone for making this opportunity possible!

Tara Syed

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2005 Business Economics Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Tara Syed is a 4th year Business Economics major and will be graduating in June of 2006. She is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and would like to return there upon graduation. She is very interested in community service, and is an active member of the Bruin Belles Service Association at UCLA, where she is serving as Public Relations Director. Her other volunteer work includes fundraising and participating as staff for the California YMCA Youth & Government program. Tara enjoys politics, watching sports, spending time with her friends and family, and much more. She is also a very avid jazz fan.

Future Plans: After graduation from UCLA, Tara hopes to be able to obtain valuable work experience in either the Consulting or Accounting industry. She feels that her skills would be best employed in these fields and is currently in pursuit of a position. Eventually she would like to obtain a graduate degree and become an executive.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am extremely honored to be the recipient of such a wonderful scholarship. The grant that I have been given will surely help me reach my educational as well as my career goals, and I know that it will motivate me to do great things. It has already inspired me to work as hard as I can in my last year at UCLA and to put forth as much effort as possible into making a difference on campus and in the world in general. I am grateful to be given this opportunity and cannot express how much it means to me.

Qingling Sniderhan

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2005 Jeffrey W. Baus ’59 Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Qingling came from China to the U.S. four years ago. After attending two years of junior college- Cerro-Coso Community College and Antelope Valley College, she transferred to UCLA in the fall 2004. She is currently a fourth year Business Economics major with a minor in Accounting and expecting to graduate in June, 2006.

Future Plans: Being a CPA and pursuing a career in accounting business is one of Qingling’s ideal goals. To fulfill this goal, she plans to pass the CPA exam upon graduation. At the same time, she is planning to start her accounting career at a public accounting firm.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: To prepare for a career in accounting, I am currently taking a minor in accounting and soaking in accounting knowledge like a sponge. However, in the past quarters, while taking a full load of school work, I also had to take part-time jobs to help pay for school, which imposed a negative effect on my study. Now, with the scholarship money, I am able to quit my part time jobs and focus more on study. I also intend to use part of the scholarship money in the CPA exam preparations, such as study materials and the CPA review courses expenses. For me, the scholarship means I can focus more on acquiring accounting knowledge and better prepare myself for a career in the accounting business.

Jennifer Sihn

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2005 The Ralph and Shirley Shapiro Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Jennifer Sihn is currently a fourth-year student at UCLA majoring in Business Economics and minoring in Accounting.

Future Plans: After graduating from UCLA, Jennifer plans to work as a Senior Auditor at Ernst & Young. In the long run, she hopes to go to law school and eventually work as a district attorney.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: The Ralph and Shirley Shapiro Scholarship is helping pay my tuition during my final year at UCLA, allowing me to focus on my studies without having to work during the academic year for monetary support.

Michael Powell

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2005 Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Michael L. Powell is a community college transfer student from West Valley College in Northern California and the first person in his immediate family to attend a university. He is currently a fifth year undergraduate at UCLA, simultaneously pursuing a BA in economics with a minor in mathematics and an MA in economics through the departmental scholar program. In addition, he is in the process of applying to graduate schools.

Future Plans: Upon graduation this June and completion of the comprehensive examination for his master’s degree, Michael L. Powell will hopefully be entering a PhD program at a top five university. He is interested in the broad application of economic theory to real world problems. More specifically, he is interested in studying the effects of altruism and reciprocity on consumer and firm behavior. After graduate school, Michael hopes to become a professor at a research university.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: In light of family health problems, I was beginning to question whether or not it would be possible for me to attend UCLA for my fifth year and finish up the requirements for my master’s degree. Fortunately, the Robert D. and Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship allowed me to complete my final year, and it also greatly softened the financial blow of applying to graduate schools. Words cannot express my gratitude for the opportunities this scholarship has granted me.

Rikin Raj Patel

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2005 Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting Recipient

Biography: Raj Patel is a fourth-year student at UCLA with majors in Business Economics and Political Science and a minor in Accounting. Raj is president of Beta Alpha Psi professional honors society and is an officer of the Student Accounting Society, two of UCLA’s top undergraduate business organizations. Raj is also planning to pursue departmental honors in Economics.

Future Plans: Raj wants to pursue a career in public accounting and obtain an MBA in the future. He has had an internship in KPMG, LLP’s Federal Taxation practice and will be starting full-time with KPMG as a Federal Tax Associate in Fall 2006. Raj would also like to obtain a CPA license and a Masters in Business Taxation degree.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I have been awarded the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting. This scholarship is helping pay my tuition during my final year at UCLA, allowing me to focus on my departmental honors thesis without having to work during the academic year for monetary support.

Kamal Patel

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2005 Navigant Consulting Inc. Award in Business Economics Recipient

Biography: Kamal Patel is an undergraduate honors student with a double major in Business Economics and Political Science and a minor in accounting. At UCLA, Kamal is a manager of the Career Development Committee of the Undergraduate Business Society. As manager, Kamal is responsible with bringing firms from a variety of fields to recruit at UCLA job fairs. In addition, Kamal also has been involved with the Student Alumni Association to summon alumni to mentor current students and sit on panels about their careers. Finally, Kamal has worked in the legal, hospitality, real estate, and finance industries. Currently, Kamal is a law clerk at Richardson & Patel, LLP, located in Westwood.

Future Plans: In the future, Kamal hopes to either work in the finance industry for a few years and then attend law and business school or attend law school immediately after finishing his undergraduate degrees. In the long run, he hopes to work as a corporate lawyer working on mergers and acquisitions and contract law.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: Kamal Patel was ordered the Navigant Consulting Scholarship, which has allowed him to further his economic studies. The scholarship has allowed Kamal to meet individuals in the consulting industry, which he hopes will foster connections in the legal consulting industry.

Nadezhda Nikonova

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2005 The Howard J. and Mitzi W. Green Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Nadezhda (Nady) Nikonova was born on a cold winter’s night in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, just two hours before the New Year. She was one of the only Jews attending a predominantly Russian school in a predominantly Muslim country. With the fall of the Soviet Union came instability, so Nady and her family fled to the United States as refugees in early 1992. Two three-day train trips, three flights, a cracked sternum, a concussion and one scary hospital stay later, Nady somehow finished the second grade in a Los Angeles elementary school, knowing no English and missing three months of instruction. Nady’s English quickly outgrew the ESL (English as a Second Language) program and even spilled over into the honors classes by the end of elementary school. She was accepted into the magnet program and attended Paul Revere Middle School. Afterwards, she attended Palisades Charter High School, where she excelled in academics and took almost every AP course offered. She passed UCLA on the bus going to and from school every year since middle school, and was ecstatic to finally attend the university of her dreams. Currently, Nady is a Business Economics and Psychology double major, and makes a living as an English composition tutor at UCLA Covel Tutorials. She will be graduating with College Honors this June.

Future Plans: Nady’s quasi-nerdy interest in economics is only surpassed by her obtrusive fascination with antitrust cases and business law. This is why she is eager to bolt over to Law School as soon as possible to pursue a J.D. degree with a specialization in economics. She is uncertain of her eventual career path, but sees herself utilizing her knowledge of law and economics in and out of the legal field. Since it is too early in the year to know which Law Schools have accepted her, the possibility of taking one or two years to work in finance or marketing is still very real.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: This scholarship provides both financial and moral support. I cannot overstate the importance of the financial help. The scholarship enables me to be more independent and devote more of my time from work to my studies, reinforcing higher education as an attainable priority (a value that is very important to me). Moreover, to receive such a prestigious award after competing with some of UCLA’s best and brightest students boosts my confidence in my abilities. Receiving the scholarship means being awarded for doing something I love to do (learn) and being recognized for doing it well. This means a lot to me as a student and as an individual, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank Hoard and Mitzi Green for their generous contribution and the Economics Department.

Megan Moen

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2005 Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting Recipient

Biography: Megan Moen will graduate from UCLA in June 2006. With her remaining time at UCLA she plans to write a thesis and complete the departmental honors program for Economics. After working for Deloitte as an Audit Intern during the summer, Megan signed with the public accounting firm and will start full time next fall. She intends to fulfill all of the requirements necessary to take the CPA exam by graduation, and obtain her license soon after. Megan is also considering attending graduate school for an MBA after a few years of working.

Future Plans: Megan Moen will graduate from UCLA in June 2006. With her remaining time at UCLA she plans to write a thesis and complete the departmental honors program for Economics. After working for Deloitte as an Audit Intern during the summer, Megan signed with the public accounting firm and will start full time next fall. She intends to fulfill all of the requirements necessary to take the CPA exam by graduation, and obtain her license soon after. Megan is also considering attending graduate school for an MBA after a few years of working.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am sincerely grateful for the generosity of Mr. Paul C. Sung and the Harry Simons Scholarship Donors. This scholarship is an immense help to both myself and my family—a significant supporter of my college career. While I continue to work in addition to attending UCLA, the scholarship has unloaded a great deal of financial stress which will enable me to concentrate on and excel in academics, as well as enjoy my final year at UCLA. I have worked very hard in school and the reward is truly cherished. I will continue to show my appreciation for the benevolence of the donors through success in my education at UCLA, and future in Accounting.

Trang Le

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2005 Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting Recipient

Biography: Trang Le was born and raised in Da Nang, a small province of Central Vietnam. She is the youngest of seven children. Trang studied and received her high school diploma at the most prestigious High School in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Le Hong Phong High School. During her studies in Vietnam, she received many National Academic awards, including an award in the National Gifted Student Competition. In 2000, she decided to move to the United States with the hope to find further opportunities for higher education and to reunite with her brothers and sisters. She came to UCLA in 2004 majoring in business economics and a minor in accounting. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, go to movies, and volunteer in community work.

Future Plans: Although she was raised in a family where both of her parents and a brother are doctors, she never found medicine appealing to her. Instead, she was captivated by the business aspect of her parents’ clinic. Her current goals are to obtain a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics with a minor in Accounting and to work for an accounting firm like KPMG, where she did her internship during the summer of 2005. Trang’s long term academic goal is to pursue an MBA degree at the UCLA Anderson School of Business. Ultimately, she hopes to open her own accounting firm in the future.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am very fortunate to be the recipient of this wonderful scholarship. Having the scholarship reduces my financial burden and affords me more time to focus on my studies, rather than having to find work. More importantly, the scholarship reinforces my decision to pursue a career in business economics and also serves an encouragement for me to strive harder in my academic endeavors.