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Nadezhda Nikonova

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.

Paul Evan Wong

2006 The Howard J. and Mitzi W. Green Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Paul Evan Wong was born in August 1986 and spent his formative years growing up in Alameda, California. Paul graduated cum laude from the Head-Royce School in Oakland and moved to Los Angeles in 2004 upon his acceptance to UCLA. Now in his third year at UCLA, Paul is pursuing a major in Business Economics and a Minor in Accounting. In addition to his primary major, Paul is also seeking a second major in History as a means of broadening his education. Considering universal academic pursuit a life-long interest and goal, Paul enjoys many other academic disciplines including Political Science, Psychology, and Astronomy, among others. While not engaged in coursework, Paul participates as a member of the UCLA Ski and Snowboard Team and works part-time in a law office. Also an avid soccer play and golfer, Paul enjoys all avenues of athletic gamesmanship. When not busy with any of the aforementioned, he enjoys cooking, reading, and napping in the sun.

Future Plans: Paul is attending the Chinese University in Hong Kong through the UC Education Abroad Program this quarter. While in Hong Kong, he hopes to gain an international perspective on business and economics. Upon returning to UCLA, he plans to continue his major coursework and to pursue a second major in History. Paul looks forward to finding an internship at a public accounting or investment banking firm in Los Angeles next summer. Following graduation in spring 2008, Paul hopes to work as a public auditor for a few years before attending business school. He then aspires to work as a financial consultant within the high-tech industry and ultimately hopes to someday run his own computer company, which provides affordable products to low-to-middle income households in a progressive eco-friendly manner.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: The Howard J. and Mitzi W. Green Scholarship means very much to me and it shall provide me with numerous opportunities that are invaluable to my growth, both as an academician and as a person. Without such a scholarship, I would be hard pressed to participate in the University of California’s Education Abroad Program. The aid that the Green’s scholarship provides has allowed me to go to Hong Kong to study. While there, I am primed to gain indispensable, first-hand knowledge of the economics and business in the region as well as an intimate understanding of my own cultural heritage. Returning to UCLA in the winter for the remainder of the academic year, the scholarship will further aid me in my endeavors. Both planning to begin Honors research and participate as a student-athlete, I am spread thin in my effort to also support myself financially. This scholarship will allow me to concentrate on my studies. The generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Green has made these upcoming, invaluable experiences possible. To the Greens and the Department of Economics at UCLA, I am grateful.

Liwen Tsai

2007 The Howard J. and Mitzi W. Green Scholarship Recipient

Biography: A fourth-year Business Economics major and Accounting minor, Liwen Tsai was born in Southern California, but spent four years of her childhood in Taiwan, where she became fluent and literate in Mandarin Chinese. Her previous travel experiences to different parts of Asia also helped to develop her career interests in the global economy to engage herself in both business and cultural exchanges with Pacific-rim countries. As a result, she also minors in Chinese as an extension of her interests in Asian languages and cultures. In 2005, she earned a scholarship to study at the Beijing Language and Culture University in China, where she expanded her horizons as she interacted with students from all over the world. Liwen’s first internship began at the Monterey Park Economic Development Center, where she worked alongside project managers of various developing ventures and participated in economic redevelopment projects of older commercial areas in the city. In 2006, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from East Los Angeles College before transferring as a UCLA Alumni Scholar. Since then she has been working at the UCLA East Asian Library. Currently she is also a tax intern at 20th Century Fox, where she is able to combine her interests in the media and entertainment industry with her knowledge in business and accounting. In addition, she has interned for two years with the Long Beach-Qingdao Sister City Association, an organization which promotes exchanges and cooperation between Long Beach and Qingdao (a port city on the northeastern Chinese coast). She has been managing the Association’s website and has gained valuable learning experiences about international relations and the import-export business community in Southern California.

Future Plans: After graduation, Liwen’s immediate goal is to work for a management consulting, investment banking or public accounting firm before pursuing an MBA. In the future, she plans to explore different fields and industries, and hopes to one day have the opportunity to work for either an international economic development agency or a global media/entertainment firm.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: I am extremely grateful to receive the Howard J. and Mitzi W. Green Scholarship. As a result of this scholarship, I will have less pressure to finance my education, therefore allowing me more time to focus on my academic and professional endeavors. This award serves not only as a source of financial support but also as a confirmation of my academic pursuits. Many thanks to both the Greens and to the UCLA Department of Economics.