6 minute read
Alumni
Heting Ren, MPAC ’21 – promoted to Tax Associate II at Armanino LLP and received the CPA license at the end of 2021.
Your Alumni Network
Your engagement with the Merage School extends far beyond graduation. Whether you are a recent graduate looking to build your network, or a longtime professional seeking to utilize the many benefits that the Merage School has to offer, Your Alumni Network is here to support you. Keep the Merage School alumni network strong by doing the following. 1. Engage and Connect
Attend events and visit us on campus during Homecoming. Follow us or join our social media pages and groups. Read Your Alumni Network newsletter for the latest news and events. 2. Share your Merage pride and experiences.
Become a mentor. Become a reunion class representative. Become a regional alumni ambassador. Become a guest speaker. 3. Think Merage First.
Help students and fellow alumni by hiring Merage School talent and sharing jobs.
Refer students to our world-class programs. Support or champion our missiondriven initiatives. 4. Further Your Education
Come back to earn another degree or certificate. Learn what is offered at the
Centers of Excellence. 5. Keep us updated.
Have a new job/promotion? Got married? A new baby? A new email address?
Keep your profile updated so we can share your news and proud life moments within the Merage School and Alumni Network: alumni.merage.uci.edu. We are here for you. Reach out to us anytime at meragealumni@uci.edu.
David Levinson, MPAC ’21 – sold his tax firm of 5 years in August 2021 and joined Baker Tilly as a Tax Senior in their high net worth division.
Daniel Kubov, MPAC ’17 – married to a fellow Anteater at the UCI University Club in June 2021.
Ting-Che Cheng, MPAC ’17 – transferred to the EY San Jose office from the Los Angeles office in 2020.
UCI’s Accounting Programs Need Your Support
Thank you for your continued support of the UCI Merage School Accounting programs. The UCI Accounting Programs fund provides our students and faculty members with top-notch programs and resources. Please consider giving to our programs to help us further enrich students’ learning experiences, embrace new opportunities and promote groundbreaking research. Your generous contribution directly supports our students as they prepare to enter the accounting profession by equipping us to offer a comprehensive and innovative curriculum. Contributions to the UCI Accounting Programs Fund may be made online at egiving.uci.edu or via check payable to “UCI Accounting Programs Fund” and sent to:
UCI Paul Merage School of Business, External Relations Office 4293 Pereira Drive, Suite 5600,
Irvine, CA 92697 Omar Ramil, MPAC ’20 – welcomed a baby boy named Noah in July 2020.
Thavit Phorn, MPAC ’19 – bought his primary house in Baldwin Park in April 2021, promoted to Senior Tax Accountant at HCVT in July 2021, and is in the process of closing escrow on an investment property in Upland.
Jamey Etherton, MPAC ’19 – since graduating from the MPAc program, Jamey has increased her salary over 60% and gave herself the best birthday gift, an MB GLE350, in 2021. Professional confidence as an accounting professional is worth celebrating!
Sean Cho, MPAC ’17 – received the CPA license at the end of 2021 and got engaged to his fiancée in February 2022.
Emily Su, MPAC ’21 – passed all four parts of the uniform CPA exam in August 2021.
Mike Mowrey, MPAC ’17 – purchased a home in April 2021 and welcomed a baby girl in July 2021.
Konstantin Shilkov, MPAC ’19 – married in February 2021 to Huong (Sarah) Ngo who is currently a student in the MPAc program, and welcomed a baby boy named Justin in December 2021.
MPAc Alumni Updates and Accomplishments
Travis Purtell, MPAC ’18 – moved to Zürich, Switzerland in April 2022 as part of a two-year audit rotation (secondment) with KPMG.
Henry Xu MPAC ’15 – promoted to Accounting Manager at EVGA in July 2021.
Qi Li, MPAc ’18 – started his own e-commerce business on Shopify and filed his company called TPARTS, LLC in 2021, selling Tesla accessories. In the past year, the company sponsored the largest SoCal Tesla Owners club and attended many local Tesla car meet events. In August 2022, TPARTS will be attending the largest official Tesla Owners event as a recognized vendor.
Jared Nassaney, MPAC ’19 – welcomed a baby boy and bought an amazing new house.
Kirsten Smith, MPAC ’21 – promoted to audit senior at Wright Ford Young in July 2021, and officially received the CPA license in December 2021. William Amsbary, MPAC ’19 – married in January 2022 and also passed all four parts of the uniform CPA exam.
Kimberly Hedges, MPAC ’19 – received the CPA license in June 2021, promoted to Senior at EY in October 2021, and will be getting married to Jonathan Braddock in October 2022 in Pala, CA. Kristin Nguyen, MPAC ’18 – married in July 2021 and bought first house with her husband in October 2021. She continues to thrive in her role as a Senior at EY in the Irvine assurance practice.
UC Irvine, The Paul Merage School of Business Irvine, CA 92697-3125
In Memoriam
Jasper Suh, MPAC ’17 Jasper was born on March 5, 1985 in Seoul, South Korea to Seok Jong and Shin Jung Suh. He often told stories about his grandma making kimbap for his field trips, and she told him a Korean saying, “If you take out a knife, you better stab a pumpkin.” This means that if you are going to do something, do it all the way. This saying really sums up how Jasper lived his life; he gave himself fully in all his pursuits. Whether it was pursuing the Lord, pursuing his wife Krystal, or fighting cancer, Jasper was all in. Jasper and his family moved to the United States when he was 13 years old. Even though he knew very little English when he arrived, he quickly picked up the language and was successful in high school. Upon his graduation from UCLA, he attended a post graduate Bible school (FTTA) for two years. After graduating from the FTTA, he served on the Christian campus ministry team at CSULB in Long Beach for seven years. It was during this time at CSULB, that he met his wife Krystal. They quickly fell in love and were married on January 13, 2013. In 2016, Jasper started graduate school at UCI and received his Masters in Accountancy in 2017. As he neared graduation, Jasper applied for a position at Price Waterhouse Cooper, a top firm that had only one position open. This did not deter him, rather he worked even harder and stood out among his peers and was offered the position. In 2017, Jasper and Krystal moved to Fullerton to be closer to family and welcomed their daughter, Luna, in March of that year. In May of 2021, Jasper and Krystal welcomed their son, Jacinth, into the world. For three months, they enjoyed being a loving family of four, nestled together in their home in Fullerton. Jasper was suffering from some odd symptoms over the summer and on September 11, 2021, he went to the emergency room and was quickly diagnosed with Acute Leukemia. Jasper stayed at the hospital for 5 months and he fought hard with every procedure and treatment, determined to fight the cancer. With Krystal, his loving parents, and his brother Sam by his side, Jasper passed away on February 12, 2022. Though his time on earth was too brief–the days he lived were full of meaning.
Program Contact Information
PhD
MPAc
Undergraduate
Beta Alpha Psi
ucibap@gmail.com accountinguci.com/aboutbap.html
Accounting Association
Students: aafaq01@gmail.com Firms: aaucirvine@gmail.com accountinguci.com
