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The Accenture Foundation Management Minor Endowed Award
The Accenture Foundation Management Minor Endowed Award is awarded to undergraduate students who are pursuing a minor degree in management. The classroom experience, access to our outstanding alumni network and renowed faculty at the Merage School provides students with essential leadership skills for our constantly changing digitally-driven world.
During the 2019-2020 academic year, The Accenture Foundation Management Minor Endowed Award was awared to an undergradute junior, Brandon Kincaid. While currently earning his degree, Brandon is a Learning and Development Intern at First American.
For the 2020-2021 academic year, Alex Hong was the recipient of this award. Alex is a third year undergraduate student majoring in biology, with a minor in management. In addition to his course work, Alex participates in the following organizations to gain experience in the medical industry.
Training Coordinator - COPE Health Scholars, Kaiser Permanente International As a Training Coordinator, I am in charge of training the incoming health scholars. As a current health scholar myself, I assist nurses with a variety of activities, such as helping patients eat, bathe, restock supplies, etc.
Vascular Surgeon Scribe - OC Vascular and Endovascular Center As a scribe, I shadow vascular surgeons during procedures and take notes for them to review during their clinic days. This has taught me how to interact with patients and introduced me to clinic operations.
Undergraduate Researcher - Baram Lab UCI My position at the neurobiology lab focuses on how early-life adversity affects anhedonia, the inability to feel pleasure. I have handled mice, ran analysis tests, and analyzed data to learn more about neurobiology and the techniques used in this field of study.
ALEX HONG
Personal Statement
As a biology major interested in becoming a physician, I am always asked, “Why Business?” when stating that I am minoring in business management. Beyond the smiles of the receptionists, the comforting presence of the nurses, and the immense knowledge of the physicians, lies an intricate system in which everyone in the hospital is connected.
Indeed, people go to the hospital to get treated - to feel better. However, a hospital above everything else, is still a business.
My educational goals are simple, to become a surgeon and obtain an MBA. My career goals are not quite as clear. I have been involved with many areas of the hospital and I plan on learning the ins and outs of all departments within the healthcare system. When I become a physician, this will benefit my patient care that will not only help our patients and families, but all others involved.
Thus far, I have worked with the janitorial, housekeeping, and inventory staff at Kaiser. I have worked closely with the nurses to learn about the various procedural standards that are implemented to increase patient care. I have been actively discussing with my PI, who has an MD and PHD in research, to learn more about the lab side of medicine. I am also a licensed EMT, and looking to work for an ambulance company. With this, I will learn more about response times for emergency medicine. I am also becoming an MI3 intern at CHOC where I will be exposed to next-generation medical technologies to learn about the future of healthcare.
With the combination of my leadership skills, medical experiences, and management minor, I ultimately want to start a clinic.
A Letter of Appreciation
Thank you so much for believing in me and supporting my education. I chose The Paul Merage School of Business because I truly enjoy my undergraduate classes, particularly in management. I enjoy the critical thinking strategies around the different aspects of business, from cost-benefit analysis to customer relationship models. I hope to apply what I learned in my business courses to my medical studies, and implement management principles into my future endeavors, such as starting my own clinic. I am so thankful to those who continue to support me on this journey. This award is more than just financial support - it demonstrates the faith that donors and the Merage School have in students who are making an impact in the world.
Thank you once again for entrusting me with this scholarship.
BRANDON KINCAID
Personal Statement
When I first came to UCI as a freshman, I knew that I enjoyed social psychology, and really wanted to pursue something in that industry. That year, I conducted research on campus under Professor Pearce in an attempt to understand the field better. Unfortunately, I found out it wasn’t my passion, and my career options didn’t extend beyond contributing to research or becoming an academic.
I felt so unsure about what I wanted to do, I decided to consult my only psychology professor at the time, Professor Zinger. I asked her what her trajectory in psychology was and if she could help me find mine. Eventually, after some discussion, she opened my eyes to the possibilities of industrial-organizational (IO) psychology, which is social psychology but more applicable to the workplace. This seemed ideal, not only because it is the most profitable field of psychology (only a minor benefit) but also because it applies what I love to study to the real world.
Eventually, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to apply what I was learning with IO psychology to the world of human resources. I felt that I could help create a more welcoming work environment to an organizational culture that encourages employee satisfaction and motivation, while still making a living and doing something I enjoyed. Not only that, but I would also gain work experience after receiving my undergraduate degree and go back to graduate school if I wanted more. I then joined Circle K, a community service organization on campus. The primary reason I joined was to make new friends, but I was also really interested in giving back to the community. I think I found my true passion when I volunteered at a soup kitchen during my first quarter in the club. I felt such fulfillment helping those around me, especially when a homeless mother looked over at me and said, “Thank you for the food. It was very good.” After that moment, I knew I wanted to do more than just sustain my own well-being, but to help those who aren’t given the resources they deserve.
My plan after three years became this: I would start my career in human resources to gain valuable business knowledge, but I would eventually want to start my own non-profit focused on educating underserved youth. I believe the root to many of society’s problems stems from a lack of critical thinking and knowledge. Using my education and work experience in psychology and business will allow me to create great change in inspiring future leaders that might not have realized their true potential.
As of 2020, The Accenture Foundation Management Minor Endowed Award endowment is valued at $21,167. This endowed fund was established in 1992 and has a current annual payout of approximately $1,000.
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Endowment Growth and Market Value
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