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Zhihao Zhao

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2015 Patricia and Harry L. Bruce Endowed Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Zhihao Zhao is a fourth-year student from Beijing, China, double-majoring in Business Economics and Psychology and minoring in Mathematics. He is also pursuing his Master degree in Economics through the Departmental Scholars Program. At UCLA, Zhihao has developed a strong passion for business strategy, entrepreneurship and education. He plans to bring his knowledge of educational psychology to Chinese schools and parents through an ed-tech start-up. He has completed his Honor’s thesis in Educational Psychology under the guidance of Drs. Karen Givvin and Jim Stigler, comparing U.S. and Chinese math textbooks and investigating how those differences influence students’ learning effects. To develop his business acumen, Zhihao is currently interning at DroneBase, a start-up providing aerial data collected by drones to real estate and construction clients. Over summer 2015, Zhihao interned at a private equity firm, Linden Education Partners, which invests in for-profit education institutes. Zhihao also has experience working in consulting and market research. 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.

Future Plans: Zhihao is currently looking for full-time opportunities in private equity and strategy consulting to gain more insights in business. 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 ed-tech start-up to design and supply hands-on lesson plans for the younger generation. The business will introduce a diversity of learning methods to complement the existing education model, which will eventually lead to better learning outcomes.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am very grateful and honored to be a recipient of the 2015-16 Patricia and Harry L. Bruce Endowed Scholarship. I appreciate Mr. and Mrs. Bruce’s kindness and dedication to supporting higher education. 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 school children and parents in China, which should ultimately make a positive impact beyond China as well.

Fan Yuan

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2015 Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Fan Yuan is a fourth-year student majoring in Economics and minoring in Statistics at UCLA. With the goal of finding her lifelong career passion, she decided to study abroad in the US. During her time in UCLA, she found great interest in finance industry and statistics related fields and is willing to take on all kinds of challenges to get to know more about these industries. She has completed many internships in the fields of consulting, venture capital, and is actively involved in the volunteer work. She is involved in many types of extracurricular activities and is trying her best to enjoy the rest of her college life in UCLA. She also enjoys reading, traveling, trying out new restaurants, and listening to music.

Future Plans: Fan is planning to further her study regarding finance and economics in graduate school and potentially will go into a business-related career such as consulting, data analysis, or investment banking after her graduation. She is applying for graduate programs now. Fan may also pursue a MBA, if necessary. She wants to enrich her knowledge and build a solid background before going into certain career.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am extremely honored and grateful to receive a Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship award. It not only alleviates my financial burden but it is also a great recognition of my academic achievements. I want to express my sincere gratitude to the Wark family for their generosity and their help not only to me but to all of the students able to receive this award. I am more inspired than ever to work harder and hoping to be able to return to the community someday.

Qi Yan

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2015 Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting Recipient

Biography: Qi Yan is a third-year student from China who is pursuing the Business Economics major along with Accounting and Statistics minors. After attending junior college in Singapore, she made the decision to study economics in the United States, motivated by a decision to pursue a business career. She has actively participated in and holds leadership positions in campus organizations such as iVolunteer, which organizes different domestic and international volunteer activities. She has also interned at Partnership UCLA and Twin Hills Capital Management, where she was able to learn and utilize her knowledge in an actual work environment. In her free time, Qi enjoys traveling, cooking and music.

Future Plans: Following her desire to pursue a higher degree in finance, Qi will be enrolling in a graduate business school to acquire a master’s degree or Ph.D. In the long run, she hopes to become a Certified Financial Analyst (CFA), using technical financial knowledge to provide business solutions to clients. Eventually, it is also her dream to travel around the world and open a corner café.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am incredibly honored to receive this scholarship. The award will help to relieve much of my financial burden of rising tuition costs, especially for an international student like myself, and to allow me to pursue my educational and career goals with greater freedom and flexibility. The recognition and support given by the scholarship donors have motivated me to continue working towards my goals with determination and never forget the importance of giving back to the community. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship donors for their generosity and dedication in supporting students.

Qin Shen

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2015 The Donald Edward Bragg & Diane Sims Bragg Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Qin Shen is a senior pursuing a Business Economics major and a Mathematics Minor at UCLA. Born and raised in Shanghai, she came to the United States for a better college education after graduating from high school. She has been actively involved in various student organizations and community services including Global Connection Council, the Chinese Student Association, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), and Bruin Tzu Ching. Qin has also worked as an intern in both the Agricultural Bank of China and Oriental Public Accountants Ltd. During her free time, she enjoys reading, playing the piano and
traveling.

Future Plans: Qin plans to pursue a master degree in economics after she receives her bachelor degree or to find a full-time job in a financial advisory company or accounting firm.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I feel so honored to be the recipient of the Donald Edward Bragg & Diane Sims Bragg Scholarship for this 2015-2016 school year. This scholarship greatly eases my financial burden and allows me to focus more on my school work. The award also encourages me to dedicate more to my extracurricular activities and inspires me to pursue other higher achievements in the future. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the donor, the Bragg Family, for their kindness and generosity.

Susanna Rafalovich

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2015 Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting Recipient

Biography: Susanna Rafalovich is a third-year Business Economics major and Accounting Minor. She joined Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VUA) in her first quarter at UCLA and has continued to pursue her interest in the accounting world ever since. The following summer she was an accounting intern at SD Mayer & Associates, LLP. She participated in summer leadership programs with the Big Four and other firms in 2015. She has also been a dancer her entire life and has pursued this passion at UCLA through HOOLIGAN Theatre Company for which she has both performed and choreographed.

Future Plans: Susanna is looking forward to her summer internship at Deloitte in the Audit practice. She intends to graduate a quarter early to have more time to take—and pass—the CPA examinations. She hopes to be invited to start full-time at Deloitte and obtain her CPA licensure.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am beyond honored and grateful to have received this award. Financial independence upon graduation has always been a goal of mine and I have worked to alleviate the financial burden on my parents. Although I have learned a lot at my job as a Senior Student Supervisor at Lu Valle Commons, it takes time away from school and extracurricular activities. Thanks to the Professor Harry Simons Scholarship donors, I look forward to spending less time at work and more time studying and exploring my interests. Furthermore, the recognition motivates me and reaffirms my dedication to pursue accounting. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity.

Sarah Park

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2015 Business Economics Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Sarah Park was born in Los Angeles and moved at the age of two to Korea, where she received her primary and secondary education. She became interested in art and fashion during her high-school years, so she decided to attend college in Korea to strengthen her skills in fashion design. At the age of 20, her family moved back to the United States. Sarah firmly believed that this would be a great opportunity to explore cultural diversity and made a bold decision to study in a different country. Currently, she is a senior at UCLA, majoring in Business Economics.

Future Plans: During the remaining years of her undergraduate studies at UCLA, Sarah hopes to further understand business economics to cultivate her aptitude for analyzing marketplace behavior in an optimization view. She wishes to continue her studies in graduate school, focusing on managing scarce resources and allocating these resources in an optimal way including financial resources and human capital resources management. After graduating, she hopes to work in a consulting firm to help companies with optimizing their business strategies.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am extremely grateful to be receiving the Business Economics Undergraduate Scholarship Fund Award. After transferring from De Anza College, the tuition at UCLA was a significant burden on my family. Now, my family and I are very thankful that the scholarship significantly alleviates our financial burden. This scholarship allows me to fully concentrate on my academic goals and, more importantly, gives me the confidence and motivation to strive for the highest level of achievements.

Nicole Orefice

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2015 Harold R. Mortenson Endowed Scholarship Fund Award Recipient

Biography: Nicole is a senior at UCLA pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics. At UCLA, Nicole has had the opportunity to gain work and volunteer experience in organizations such as the Alumni Scholars Club, VITA at UCLA, UCLA Student Media and UCLA Athletics. Nicole is currently an Integrated Sales Marketing Intern at KNBC, one of NBCUniversal’s Owned Television Stations. Nicole is a Los Angeles native, and aside from her studies, enjoys hanging out with friends, attending sports games, and DIY-ing many Pinterest projects.

Future Plans: Nicole’s interest in marketing ensues from her coursework at UCLA and has significantly enhanced due to her internship and work experience at the Daily Bruin and KNBC. Upon graduation in Spring of 2016, Nicole aspires to develop a career in marketing in the entertainment industry. Ultimately, she hopes to start her own business.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I cannot be more thankful and honored to be selected as the Harold R. Mortenson Endowed Scholarship Fund Award recipient for the 2015-16 academic year. This scholarship will grant me the opportunity to focus more on school and post-graduation, therefore allowing me to better enjoy my senior year. I am extremely grateful for Mr. Mortenson’s generosity, and am proud to represent him and the UCLA Economics Department. I hope to one day be able to give back to my fellow Bruins, as the contributions from alumni and donors are invaluable.

Lizzie Yuting Ma

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2015 The Lawrence and Joan E. Henderson Fund Recipient

Biography: Lizzie (Yuting) is a third-year Business Economics student with minors in Accounting and Russian Language. Upon coming to UCLA as a Pre-Business Economics student, Lizzie was uncertain about developing a career out of her area of study. However, after attending a variety of recruiting events last year, she found herself extremely passionate about a future career in public accounting, particularly, tax services. Apart from career interests, Lizzie spends a considerable amount of time working on campus and holding leadership positions. She also plays piano, writes songs and novels, and enjoys calligraphy and landscape painting.

Future Plans: After attending summer leadership programs at several accounting firms, Lizzie accepted a tax internship offer from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for summer 2016. At this point in her life, she is ready commit herself to becoming a future tax professional and will be preparing for the Certificated Public Accountant (CPA) exam upon graduation.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: It was my greatest honor to have been selected as a recipient of the scholarship. The award will absolutely go a long way towards reducing my financial burden and allow me concentrate most of my time on academics and career development. I would really like to express my deepest gratitude for the generosity of the Anderson family. Their recognition and support have motivated me to strive for higher life goals and to look forward to giving back to the community that has inspired me the most.

Bin Liu

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2015 John J. Peterson Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Bin Liu is a third-year student in Business Economics major and Accounting Minor. In addition, he is also planning a Minor in Mathematics. Born and raised in Shanghai, China, Bin came to the United States alone for college study at the age of 18, which was his first time living in another country. Inspired by the diverse culture and rigorous academic environment at UCLA, he soon devoted fully into his study of economics, mathematics, and accounting. He also volunteers as a research assistant for a professor in the field of macroeconomics. During his spare time, Bin enjoys jogging, piano, and doing Sudoku.

Future Plans: Bin is in the process of searching for an internship opportunity to gain more experience in real world of business. He will complete his degree in June 2017. After graduation, Bin seeks to commit his time to applying the skills he has garnered and becoming a professional in the financial services industry. He also will consider further deepening his knowledge by studying the field of finance or economics in graduate school.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am extremely honored to be the recipient of the John J. Peterson Scholarship for 2015 – 2016 academic year. The award is recognition of the hard work I have devoted in my past two years as well as a motivation for me to continue striving and achieve further academic excellence. The scholarship has also lightened my financial burden, which allows me to concentrate more fully on my studies as I continue. I would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Peterson for their generosity and for the opportunities it has granted me.

Yu Qian (Mandy) Lin

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2015 Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting Recipient

Biography: Yu Qian (Mandy) Lin is a fourth-year student, double-majoring in Business Economics and Psychology, with a Minor in Accounting. She was born in Fuzhou, China, and later moved to Vancouver, Canada. Her Chinese and Canadian cultural upbringing allows her to be open to new ideas and willing to accept new challenges. While being a diligent student, Mandy tries to maintain her work-life balance. She enjoys her on-campus part-time job, her research experience, and her club activities. When given the opportunity, she would like to travel and try new things such as skydiving and scuba diving. In her free time, Mandy enjoys going to the gym, reading, and drawing.

Future Plans: Mandy expects to graduate in June 2016. After a graduation, she plans to complete the CPA exams and go to graduate school for Master of Science in finance. After that, Mandy plans to pursue a career in the financial services area.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am honored to be a recipient of the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting award. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the donors of the scholarship and Professor Harry Simons. The scholarship alleviates my financial burden to pay for the out-of-state tuition and it also allows me to devote more time to my study and extracurricular activities at UCLA. This award recognizes my past achievements and motivates me to continue my dedication to achieve even more. From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank the donors of the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Scholarship for this reward.