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Heather Lee

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2015 Jeffrey W. Baus ’59 Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Heather Lee is a third-year Economics major with a Minor in Accounting. She is involved in various student organizations and holds several leadership positions including president of Future Business Leaders of America – Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL). In addition to academics and extracurricular activities, Heather has participated in several professional undergraduate case competitions, for one of which she and her team was a finalist. In her spare time, Heather enjoys volunteering, watching football games, and spending time with her friends and family.

Future Plans: This upcoming summer, Heather will be an intern at PwC in the assurance practice. Upon graduation, she hopes to continue her career at PwC as an associate while working to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). In the long term, Heather hopes to continue her educational journey by pursuing a Master in Business Administration (MBA) and gain a better understanding of the business realm and global economy.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am extremely thankful and honored to have been selected as the recipient of the Jeffrey W. Baus ’59 Scholarship. Mr. Baus was a partner at the prestigious accounting firm PwC and I am excited to begin my professional journey on a similar path. This scholarship will allow me to focus more on my academics and extracurricular activities while relieving some of the financial burden of higher education. I am eternally grateful to Mr. Baus for his generosity and support and I hope that one day I will be able to give back to the community just as Mr. Baus has given to his.

Gregory-Joseph Lasala

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2015 Harold R. Mortenson Endowed Scholarship Fund Award Recipient

Biography: Gregory-Joseph (Joe) Lasala is a Senior Business Economics student with a Minor in Accounting. While at UCLA, he has found his passion for accounting. He is determined to obtain his CPA within the next year after graduating. During his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, reading books, and participating in community outreach volunteer opportunities.

Future Plans: After graduating in Spring 2016, Joe plans to work at Deloitte in its Audit practice and take the CPA exam. In the future, he is also interested in pursuing a MBA and working as a financial controller.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I cannot put into words how thankful I am to be selected as the recipient of the Harold R. Mortenson Endowed Scholarship Fund Award. This award greatly reduces the financial burden I have experienced over the last few years at college and encourages me to continue working as hard as I can to pay it forward someday. I am extremely motivated to ensure that I make the most out of the opportunity of being a UCLA student and that this award will help me for the rest of my Senior year. I want to reiterate that I am extremely grateful for this scholarship and will do my best to pay it forward.

Calvin Huyen

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2015 The Gumbiner Savett Inc. Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Calvin Huyen is currently a third-year student majoring in Business-Economics and minoring in Accounting. He was born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County. Calvin is involved at UCLA with Beta Alpha Psi, a nationally recognized accounting honors society as their officer of compliance. He enjoys learning to cook new dishes, longboarding, and attending concerts. Having completed summer 2015 abroad, he has also grown to enjoy traveling, and wishes to be able to experience a multitude of different cultures and languages in his lifetime. Calvin is very humbled and gives many thanks for being awarded the Gumbiner, Savett, Inc. Scholarship.

Future Plans: Calvin plans to start his career in accounting and is still deciding between public and private accounting. After graduation, he plans to take the CPA exam as soon as possible to open up later career options. He plans to work for a few years before returning to school to get a MBA. He hopes that a MBA will allow him to try out a different career path, possibly in finance or consulting, build a strong network wherever he goes, and find work that is meaningful and fulfilling to him. In addition, Calvin hopes that future success will allow him to give back to future Bruins.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: This scholarship will reduce a substantial amount of my financial burden, enabling me to focus more time and effort into school than worrying about my personal finances. It means a lot to me because I will be able to enjoy my time in college more, and leave with a more manageable amount of debt. Because of this scholarship, I believe that it will be easier for me to find an internship that will transition into a full-time job after graduation, allowing me to fulfill my financial obligations. I am truly thankful for this award.

Zhenxiong Han

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2015 The Donald Edward Bragg & Diane Sims Bragg Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Zhenxiong Han is a senior double majoring in Business Economics and Applied Mathematics, with a Specialization in Computing. Born and raised in China, he enthusiastically explores the world of quantitative finance. During school time, he balances classes and extracurricular activities. Zhenxiong participated in the California Teaching Program and UMSA mentorship Program which enables him to share his experience and knowledge with younger students. In summer 2015, he had an internship at China Investment Securities, through which he gained practical experience on stock analysis. He is conducting independent research on game theory with Professor Meyer-ter-Vehn

Future Plans: Zhenxiong will finish his degree in June 2016 and is currently applying for Master of Financial Engineering programs. He then prefers a position in quantitative analysis for an investment banks or hedge fund. After five to ten years, he would like to start up a financial company to implement his own trading models.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: It is my honor to receive The Donald Edward Bragg & Diane Sims Bragg Scholarship for the 2015-2016 academic year. I am grateful for the recognition of my school work and past achievements. The scholarship reduces the financial burden on my family and me, and, therefore enables me to focus more on pursuing my academic goal. This award also inspires me to further contribute back to the community. I want to express my deepest appreciation for The Bragg Family, for their consideration and generosity.

Heather Goryoka

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2015 The Boeing Company Scholarship in Economics Recipient

Biography: Heather Goryoka is a second year at UCLA majoring in Business Economics and minoring in Accounting. During the school year, Heather works for the Fink Center for Finance and Investments at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. She additionally holds roles on the luminaria committee for Relay for Life at UCLA and the community service committee for Kappa Delta sorority. Last summer, Heather worked for UCLA’s Department of Economics to launch the marketing campaign for the Master of Applied Economics program. Heather is originally from Agoura Hills, California, and enjoys hiking, cooking new recipes, and being surrounded by her friends and family.

Future Plans: Seeking opportunities to apply her studies into a practical setting, Heather is excited to spend her summer participating in Summer Leadership programs with KPMG, Deloitte and EY. She has always enjoyed seeing a practical application of numbers and this concept drew her to the career of accounting. After graduation, Heather plans on taking the CPA exam. She also hopes to secure a public accounting internship to continue growing within the field. Her interests span throughout the entertainment, technology, aerospace and consumer products industry. Heather would like to pursue a MBA degree one day and, hopefully, return to her Bruin roots at Anderson.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am extremely grateful to be awarded The Boeing Company Scholarship in Economics. I am humbled to be recognized for my leadership and academic passions. As the youngest of three girls, I am grateful for this scholarship because it will allow me to focus on my passions and continue working toward my professional and academic goals.

Raul Fonseca

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2015 Chair’s Discretionary Fund Award Recipient

Biography: Raul Fonseca is a fourth year majoring in Economics with a Minor in Film. He is a first generation college student of Mexican descent. At UCLA, Raul has had the amazing opportunity to learn many things through coursework, internships and extracurricular activities. His favorite part of UCLA, though, has been the wonderful and inspirational people he has met who encourage him to strive for even greater things. During his spare time, he enjoys playing soccer or basketball, traveling, watching anime, and learning new things.

Future Plans: Throughout college Raul has interned for EY, The Walt Disney Company, and is currently interning for Amazon.com. After graduation he hopes to work somewhere where he can learn and always be challenged. A few years after graduation, he will either pursue a MBA or go to graduate school for education.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am truly grateful to be selected as the Chair’s Discretionary Fund Award recipient. Words cannot express how thankful I am to receive this award and I know it will play a pivotal role in reducing the financial burden for both my parents and me. I hope to give back to those in need in the future and pave the way for future students just like this scholarship has done for me.

Dhanawat Darakananda

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2015 The Ralph and Shirley Shapiro Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Dhanawat Darakananda is a fourth-year Business Economics and Financial Actuarial Mathematics double major, with a Minor in Accounting. He is pursuing both College Honors and the Economics Departmental Honors Program, as part of which he is writing his Honors thesis on developmental economics and human capital accumulation. He is the president of the Undergraduate Economics Society and an active member of many professional student organizations. Over the summer of 2015, he interned at Cornerstone Research, an economic and financial consulting firm. Outside of school and professional development, he enjoys traveling, hiking, and reading. He is incredibly honored to have been awarded the Ralph and Shirley Shapiro Scholarship.

Future Plans: Dhanawat plans to return to Cornerstone Research after graduation. As financial consulting work requires in-depth knowledge of accounting and finance, he is preparing for and planning to take both the CPA and CFA examinations. After a few years in consulting, he is considering pursuing a MBA or a business Ph.D. In the long term, he believes that family, friends, and new experiences would shape his professional ambitions.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am extremely grateful for the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Shapiro. This scholarship not only helps to reduce my financial burdens, but it is also recognition of my academic achievement, which pushes me to keep on working hard. I cannot explain in words my gratitude to the Shapiro family. I would like to thank my family, friends, and everyone at the Department of Economics for their support. This scholarship will, indeed, allow me to devote my time to academic and professional development during my last few quarters at UCLA, especially the Honors thesis and last few accounting courses for the CPA exam.

Natasha Elizabeth Gunawan

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

Biography: Natasha Elizabeth Gunawan is a fourth-year Economics major and Accounting Minor student. Born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, she moved to the United States in 2013 for her academic degree and career. She serves as the internal director of ABSA at UCLA and is a part-time employee of ASUCLA. She has completed a business development internship abroad with Robert Bosch. Prior to her journey at UCLA, Natasha was enrolled at De Anza College, where she was the vice president of UNICEF De Anza and the treasurer of the Social Entrepreneurship Club. She was actively involved in a lot of local community fundraising events and she had also established a home-cooked food delivery business with some of her friends. Throughout her journey, Natasha has developed a passion for entrepreneurship as well as social entrepreneurship, which she sets as her vision and goals for the future. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, traveling, photography, hand lettering, and writing in her blog.

Future Plans: After completing her degree at UCLA, Natasha will start her career in the field of management consulting. She plans to relocate to San Francisco or New York to immerse herself in two of the world’s greatest financial centers. She also hopes to engage herself in various conferences to enrich her perspectives. After gaining a lot of exposure and expertise in the field, Natasha plans to move back home to Indonesia, where she plans to build her family, establish her own startup, while at the same time coordinate a social entrepreneurship organization for Indonesia’s development.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am truly honored to have been selected as one of the 2015-2016 recipients of the Robert D. & Margaret A. Wark Memorial Scholarship. The Wark Family’s generosity has helped me in securing my education and reaching my academic and career goals. Without a doubt, this scholarship will play an important part in my educational journey, especially in these times of economic uncertainties, as I can spend less time worrying about my finances and put more focus on my academic achievements. Furthermore, I also appreciate this award as a special form of recognition of my academic accomplishments. I truly hope that my hard work and commitment to success will reflect the Wark Family’s values and honor their lives. I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to the Wark Family for their investment in UCLA and the futures of students like me.