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Chengappa Kodira

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2012 John J. Peterson Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Chengappa Kodira is a fourth-year Business-Economics student from Davis, California. At UCLA, Chengappa has gained experience working at the Anderson School of Management and also interning for Senator Barbara Boxer, Merrill Lynch, and most recently Deloitte & Touche. Chengappa has also been actively involved in several student groups from the Undergraduate Mock Trial Program, to the student-led consulting group Bruin Consulting, and the Undergraduate Business Society.

Future Plans: After graduating with a B.A. in Business-Economics, Chengappa plans to begin as a Consultant for Hitachi Consulting. Before he begins, though, he would like to explore his interests in entrepreneurship further. He would like to learn how to program and code, and work with other entrepreneurs in Southern California. Chengappa also hopes to earn an MBA in the near future, but in the long run, he wishes to run a consumer products firm that affects the lives of people around the world.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am truly honored to receive the John J. Peterson Scholarship for the 2012-2013 school year. I am thankful for this scholarship for recognizing both my dedication to extracurricular activities and entrepreneurial pursuits. Through such generous contributions, I am better able to pursue my career goals. I would like to sincerely thank Mr. Peterson for his financial assistance and support of my future endeavors.

Manqian Shen

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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.

Zhihao Zhao

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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.

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.

Isaac Hung

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2016 John J. Peterson Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Isaac Hung is a third-year Business Economics Major and Accounting Minor from the San Francisco Bay Area. He has had an amazing time at UCLA, where he is learning something new every day. He is a member of Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity. He is also a dedicated athlete on the UCLA Dragon Boat team. Isaac has done various internships in accounting, consulting, finance, and startups.

Future Plans: Isaac will be graduating in December 2017. He plans to learn as much as he can from the business world and possibly pursue an MBA a few years down the road. He is hopes to find a career in tech or consulting before becoming an entrepreneur in the future. This summer he will be interning in Deals Advisory at PricewaterhouseCoopers and going on a trip to Cambodia to teach English to underprivileged students.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am very thankful to receive the John J. Peterson scholarship. Since I started college, I have financially supported myself by working one or two jobs while in school. However, it became even more challenging for myself and my family when I stopped working in my junior year to focus on academics and recruitment. However, receiving this scholarship is a blessing that arrived at the right time. I am extremely grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Peterson for their help. Their support motivates to continue striving for success so that one day I can do the same for others.

Vedika Sanghai

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John J. Peterson Scholarship Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Vedika Sanghai is a third year double majoring in Business Economics and Psychology with a minor in Entrepreneurship. She was born and brought up in Mumbai, India and moved to Los Angeles 3 years ago to pursue her education. She is interested in various fields such as Consulting, Marketing and Social work. Vedika aims to work in a company for a few years after graduation, after which she aspires to move back to India and build her own social enterprise business, which would focus on alleviating poverty in rural parts of India through the channel of education. She has absolutely loved her experience at UCLA and believes that it has helped her grow as an individual. She hopes to make the best of the opportunities she was given at UCLA and help others achieve their dreams.

Future Plans: This summer, Vedika is hoping to do a strategy/ marketing internship within the entertainment industry. She hopes to apply the synergy of her Economics and Psychology major to accurately understand consumer needs and communicate with them effectively. She also aims to work on her own startup, alongside with an internship. After gaining adequate experience, Vedika strives to secure a job with a consulting company in the fall, where she aspires to work for the next 3-4 years. After working with a consulting company, Vedika will pursue her MBA and move back to India after, trying to build and grow her own social enterprise company

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am honored and overwhelmed to receive the John J. Peterson scholarship. Having seen my whole company start their own businesses and companies, I have always known that I would want to be an entrepreneur. Through the various Economics and Entrepreneurship classes I have taken at UCLA, I have been equipped with the knowledge to successfully start and run my own business. I will be using the proceeds of this scholarship towards my education as well as applying it towards my startup to get access to the initial resources I needed but did not have access to. This scholarship will help me get a head start with my company and give me the opportunity to become a successful entrepreneur by allowing me to apply what I have learned in the classroom to the real world. I am going to spend my upcoming summer working on my startup and hope to launch it in the Fall of 2017.