Jian “Jessica” Gao ‘18
Major: Business Administration & Statistics

Jessica is currently a third-year student studying Statistics and Business Administration. She is very sensitive to numbers and would like to apply her quantitative skills to business fields. She interned at a data science company and an actuarial company last year, which made her more certain about working at the intersection of data and business. Outside of professional development, she cofounded a Wechat platform called Resonate that issues bi-weekly publications, shares women’s voices, and motivates young females.
“Thank you so much for giving me this award! My family is going through a major financial distress and this award is really helping us out! I will keep working harder in the future!”

April Li ‘17
Major: Operations Research and Management Science

Coming from a boutique city in mainland China, April embarked on her journey around the world when she was 14 years old, first stop — Singapore. Her experience in Singapore cultivated her immense curiosity towards different culture. She navigated through the multi-layered fabrics of her Asian identity as she traveled around Southeast Asia: "I was a girl in a cheongsam, eager to go farther, yet restrained from running because of the traditional dress". In 2012, she started her university studies in the US at Cal, setting herself on a mission to bridge the dialogue between the East and the West through the universal language of humanity. She pursued her plan single-mindedly until she dabbled in startups and venture capital through student organizations and internships. She became the President of an entrepreneurial club called ACE@Berkeley and was actively involved in the Berkeley entrepreneurial ecosystem.  Deeply drawn to the power of technology and innovation, she combined her original aspiration with her new-found passion. She says: "I'm ready for the long-waited run in my cheongsam". After graduation, she is going to continue working with startups as a venture capitalist in the Bay Area.

Shuk Yee Ma ‘18
Major: Media Studies

Wei Song ‘16 (December)
Major: Computer Science

Wei was part of the first cohort of the EECS Department CS Scholars, which aims to help students succeed in Computer Science with access to valuable resources. During her time at Berkeley, she also helped out in CS labs and supported Berkeley student-founded startups. Wei is planning on pursuing a career as a Software Engineer upon graduation.

"I'd like to express my tremendous gratitude towards the Berkeley Club of Hong Kong. The help I got from this award helped me through the most difficult time for my family and I, and gave me the chance to continue my life at Berkeley as normally as possible. Thank you!"

Kevin Tian ‘17
Major: Business Administration

Kevin is a true believer in entrepreneurship and social enterprise. During his study at Haas, besides pursuing a CFA license, he has been actively involved in the social entrepreneur community. As an instructor at the Young Entrepreneurs at Haas Program and Starting Point Mentorship Program, he mentored over 40 high school and college students and prepared them with knowledge and skills necessary to succeed at Cal. In 2014, Kevin initiated a platform to empower transfer students by connecting prospective students with college mentors and academic resources. In addition, Kevin is extremely passionate about sharing and promoting Hong Kong culture. As the facilitator and instructor of Cantonese classes at Cal, he has taught over 200 students.

Kevin is very grateful for receiving this scholarship.  He said, “Without your help, I could not have accomplished my degree at Haas. Thank you Berkeley Club of Hong Kong for your support!”. Upon graduation, Kevin will continue his pursuit in the social enterprise sector. He also aspires to join the Berkeley Club Hong Kong and empower the Hong Kong Community.  

Hao Zhang ‘17
Major: Economics

Hao loves to give back to the community and making impacts on people’s lives. During her freshmen year summer, she volunteered in Indonesia for two months. She also worked as a Peer Mentor at Berkeley International Office and a student assistant at Berkeley Extension for international programs. She has also completed several internships in the financial industry across countries and plans on pursuing a career within the financial industry upon graduation.

“I am really honored to be one of the recipients of the Berkeley Club of Hong Kong undergraduate scholarship. Thank you for the generous support and enabling this opportunity!”

Zheng Zhang ‘17
Major: Economics

Zheng hails from Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. He has been involved in undergraduate research in economics with Professor Yuriy Gorodnichenko and Professor Joseph Farrell since he was a junior and he has been on the Honor list for multiple semesters. Currently, under the supervision of Professor Farrell, he is writing his honor thesis studying the effect of regulations on alternative finance (payday loan, pawnshops, etc). After graduating in May, he is going to UCLA to pursue a Ph.D. in Economics. Zheng is interested in various economic policies that potentially can have significant impact on people’s wellbeing. He is particularly interested in behavioral economics that can have more descriptive power than traditional economic models, and he strongly believes that psychology and social structures should be integrated into the existing economic models.

“I’m extremely grateful for the Berkeley Club of Hong Kong undergraduate scholarship, with which I can finish my undergraduate degree and pursue my dreams.”