Tag Archive for: Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting

2008 Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting Recipient

Biography: Avani Oswal is a fourth-year Business Economics major and Accounting minor student. She has been fortunate to work as a Research Assistant for the past three years under a distinguished faculty at the Anderson Graduate School of Management. Avani has been working at the UCLA Office of Residential for the past two years. She was a Student Leader in Hedrick her sophomore year. She then worked as a Resident Assistant at Hedrick Hall last year and will do so at Rieber Terrace this year. This experience has helped her gain counseling and leadership skills that will help her throughout her career. She is also an officer of the Student Accounting Society. This year she did a summer internship with a public accounting firm and gained valuable experience. Her hobbies include dancing, traveling, running, and playing tennis.

Future Plans: After graduation, Avani plans to start working full-time with a public accounting firm and earn her CPA license. She then wants to pursue a Masters of Business Administration. She also hopes to spend time traveling to broaden her cultural horizons and to develop a worldwide perspective that can be applied to the workplace as well as to her personal life.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am honored to have received Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the 2008-2009 academic year. I will be using it to help cover educational expenses for this coming year. This scholarship will enable me to focus on my studies and provide cash flow support to ease my financial burdens. This scholarship has renewed my belief that hard work pays off and others appreciate integrity, determination, and an overall passion for improvement as a student and as a person. By receiving this scholarship I hope to continue expanding my horizons through education as well as gaining experience in the business world. I am both fortunate and proud at having been recognized by Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship as being a worthy recipient. I would also like to thank the UCLA Department of Economics for making such opportunities available.

2010 Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting Recipient

Biography: Melanie (Mimi) Johnson is a third-year student pursuing a double major in Business-Economics and Psychology, with a Minor in Accounting. Mimi grew up in Redondo Beach, which made it very easy for her to decide that she wanted to stay in beautiful Southern California. She graduated from Redondo Union High School as co-Valedictorian of her class. Mimi is an active participant and committee leader in the Alumni Scholars Club, Beta Alpha Psi Accounting Honors Society, Student Accounting Society, and Psi Chi Psychology Honors Society. She enjoys community service and continues her work with students with special needs on campus. In her free time, Mimi loves spending time with friends and family, surfing, swimming, running, and relaxing at the beach.

Future Plans: Mimi hopes to intern with a public accounting firm in the summer following her junior year, and to obtain a full-time position with the firm following graduation. She hopes to earn her CPA license and continue a career in public or private accounting. She is looking into earning her Masters in Business Administration or a Juris Doctor degree in the future.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am truly honored to be awarded the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting. This scholarship is greatly appreciated. It will allow me to continue to devote my time in pursuing a top notch education at UCLA. With less pressure to finance my education, I will be able to focus more on academics, research, and community service. Furthermore, I will be able to take advantage of the numerous career-oriented workshops and events on campus that help me cultivate the skills necessary to achieve my professional goals. Additionally, I will relieve the burden on my parents and embark on the path to financial independence. This award recognizes my past achievements and encourages me to continue that hard work and dedication to my studies and activities. I would like to thank the donors of the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Scholarship for providing me with this opportunity.

2011 Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting Recipient

Biography: Kyungjin Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea. Kyungjin was fourteen years old when she read a book about Warren Buffet, which led her to an interest in business and investments. When she was seventeen, she decided to come to the United States on her own as an exchange student. She had a tough time because of the cultural and language barriers; however, she used every endeavor to succeed. As a result, she earned the Highest Honor Roll when she graduated from high school. After high school, Kyungjin entered Santa Barbara City College so that she may transfer to UCLA, which was her dream school. Now in her senior year at UCLA, Kyungjin is pursuing a major in Business Economics and a minor in Accounting. Last summer, she interned at the Hilton Hotel in Korea, and learned a lot about making contracts, analyzing financial statements, and performing marketing strategies. Kyungjin continues to strive for her best to achieve her goals in life.

Future Plans: After graduation, Kyungjin looks forward to going on a tour in Europe to see more of the world. She will then return to the U.S. to attain her CPA license, while working at an audit or consulting company. After a few years of work experience, she hopes to go back to Korea and enter graduate school to earn an MBA. One day, she hopes to start up her own accounting business, and establish a scholarship foundation to help students who are ready to pursue the career of their dreams.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am so honored to be one of the recipients of the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting. This scholarship will ease the financial burden on me and my parents, and allow me to fully focus on studies. I will also have more time to participate in extracurricular activities, and career related workshops for my senior year of college. Once again, I offer my sincerest thanks for this generous support.

2011 Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting Recipient

Biography: Kenneth Choo was born the third child of Ronald and Heasook Choo on July 5, 1991. As a child, he loved to play video games, talk history with his father, and try to impress his teachers with his wit. He played basketball but was never very good because of his physical constitution. He picked up snowboarding at an early age, visited the beach whenever he could, and always enjoyed the company of friends and family. He laughed readily, ate seldom, and enjoyed getting in trouble at times. Although rather smart, he was stubborn, prideful, and frank. He was also a bit closed minded, unaware of the sheer magnitude of knowledge he did not possess. After entering UCLA, walking its great campus, and absorbing the knowledge of its fine professors, one could say Kenneth Choo had a renaissance of the mind, a real awakening of the spirit. Those who have known him all his life have said he has undergone a transformation in the time he has attended UCLA, rendering him into a different person than from his youth age. He now enjoys lifting weights, CrossFit, and rock climbing. He is very much interested in the same things he ridiculed as a boy, such as musicals and classical performances. He lives unafraid of embarrassment, is not as stubborn, nor as prideful, but just as much outspoken. Kenneth says, “Life is easier when you enjoy more things,” an adage he now lives his life by. He is a proud UCLA student and eager to make a difference in this world for the better.

Future Plans: Kenneth Choo has a clear focus on the future. In these volatile times that are filled with uncertainty, it is increasingly important for Kenneth to strengthen resolve, and push forward with renewed vigor. Kenneth is planning on interning the summer of 2012 at either KPMG or another accounting/consulting firm. Travelling remains to be important to him. Having had a taste of it on a study abroad semester in Seoul, South Korea, he is quite eager to explore unknown lands with unknown possibilities, hopefully before he is too old to enjoy it. Kenneth’s ultimate goal is to land in a profession that requires long hours, extreme dedication, stressful nights, and nice suits. On top of these difficult prerequisites, having a career in finance that would accommodate travelling, make tangible differences in the lives of others, especially the less fortunate, and challenge him to utilize all of the tools he has gained from years of study and life would be ideal. Kenneth plans on moving forward into the darkness with purpose, yet never forgetting to smell the roses along the way.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I would first like to say thank you very much to the donors of the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Scholarship for the Study of Accounting. This scholarship not only means less hours at work and more hours in the library, but has come at a much needed time. My parents have been so kind as to put me through college and I can finally say thank you to them in a form other than Hallmark cards. Receiving this scholarship has made my time studying abroad in Korea so much more enjoyable. It has helped to ease some of the financial burden, and has allowed me to explore more of the city and the country with less guilt. On another note, receiving this scholarship has been a great boost to my esteem. I am one student among thousands, trying to find my way through college and through this world. Knowing that there are people out there who now know my story and believe in me enough to grant me such a prestigious distinction, has given me much hope for the future. This scholarship has affirmed my passion for finance and accounting, and has reassured me the reasons I want to go into this field. More than just money, this scholarship has given me the confidence to pursue my dreams heartily. Thank you for stoking the embers of my desires into flames.

2012 Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting Recipient

Biography: Dennis Drent Jr. is a fourth-year student pursuing a Business Economics major with minors in Accounting and Mathematics. He serves as one of two Directors of Training for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, where he greatly enjoys teaching new volunteers how to file individual income taxes. Dennis also loves working on campus part time for the UCLA Anderson School’s Executive MBA Program. When he can, Dennis relaxes by going on runs, spending time with family and friends, and watching SportsCenter.

Future Plans: Dennis is very excited to use the accounting skills he learned at UCLA to work full time as an investment analyst for a capital group shortly after graduating. After the company’s analyst program, he plans to enroll in a top MBA program and focus on entrepreneurial studies. Dennis’ ultimate career goal is to find his niche in the global business world and start a successful company as founder and CEO.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I receive the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting award with extreme gratitude and appreciation. I feel very fortunate to be recognized for my hard work. This award greatly alleviates the financial burden of getting an education at such a renowned university. I hope to one day be able to affect the lives of future economics students by contributing a similar gift to UCLA’s Economics Department. Once again, I thank the donors of the Professor Harry Simons Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship for the Study of Accounting for their generosity.