MPAc Program

MPAc Recruitment and Admissions

The MPAc program recently celebrated its eighth graduating class this past June. The graduating class represented 106 institutions across the world in an incredibly diverse and dynamic group of students. Students entered the program from a host of unique majors including Criminology, Law and Society, Information Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Feminist Studies, Creative Writing, Mathematics, Psychological Sciences, Law, and Human Development. Faculty and staff are excited to see another fantastic group of graduates as they now embark on their professional careers. We also welcomed our newest class this Fall. Our international presence continues to grow within the global landscape. This year’s class comprises students from 13 countries, including China, India, Mexico, Pakistan, and Vietnam to name a few. Demand for our two-year program option, including many working professionals, has grown to the largest since its inception in 2017. With a focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, we are proud to have 20% of our domestic students from underrepresented groups, the largest since MPAc’s inception. The Merage School partners with Santiago Canyon College (SCC) to offer MPAc Pathway program for community college transfer students. A new partnership between SCC and the Merage School helps students interested in pursuing accounting careers. The UCI MPAc Pathway program comprises a 2+2+1 course of study: two years at SCC followed by two years at any undergraduate university and a final year studying within the Merage School’s Master of Professional Accountancy program. This new program maps a clear route to a master’s that looks beyond the traditional four-year degree path. While many transfer students may have graduate school in mind, it is important to formalize a pathway with clear objectives and steps given many are juggling non-traditional schedules. Benefits of the UCI MPAc Pathway Program include: • Early mentoring with the SCC accounting professors and counseling staff • Connection with the UCI student ambassador • Career support and guidance through accounting recruitment • Access to networking and professional development opportunities through the UCI Paul Merage School of

Business

MPAc Career Services

CLASS OF 2021 EMPLOYMENT RESULTS AS OF 1.13.22

General employment information:

Domestic Student Employment: 94.6% International Student Employment: 91.6% Overall Student Employment: 94.5%

Employment by position type:

Public Accounting:

Big 4:

Mid-size:

86.1% 24.4% 25.6%

Regional/Local: 36.1%

Industry: Government: 12.8% 1.1%

Brittney Nolivaiko MPAc ’18 worked her way through community college and transferred to UCI for her undergraduate degrees. Two years later, she returned to the Merage School’s Master in Professional Accountancy program and then joined Deloitte, where her career has rapidly expanded. The Merage School offers the new MPAc Pathway program for community college transfer students like Nolivaiko.

A Transfer Student’s Journey to Deloitte

Sitting where she is now at a Big Four accounting firm in Costa Mesa, it comes as a surprise to hear Brittney Nolivaiko MPAc ’18 admit she was uncertain about admittance to UCI. “At the time, I thought if I could get into a UC, that would be really big for me,” she says. “It was my goal, and UCI, with its prestige and reputation, was my top choice.” As a Santiago Canyon College (SCC) transfer student, Nolivaiko was accepted and graduated in 2013 with two bachelor’s degrees: one in psychology and social behavior and the other in criminology, law and society. Two years later, she returned to UCI and earned a Master in Professional Accountancy (MPAc) from the Merage School in 2018. Today, Nolivaiko is an external audit and assurance senior at Deloitte, and her career has expanded quickly in the three years since she joined the firm. “I landed a job at Deloitte through the MPAc program,” she says. “The School hosts all kinds of social events, seminars and on-campus interviews with the firms in the area, and Deloitte recruits directly from the Merage School.” “So, honestly, I would not have had this opportunity if I hadn’t been in Merage’s MPAc program.” The UCI MPAc Pathway Program Is Designed for Transfer Students A new partnership between SCC and the Merage School helps students like Nolivaiko interested in pursuing accounting careers. The UCI MPAc Pathway program comprises a 2+2+1 course of study: two years at SCC followed by two years at any undergraduate university and a final year studying within the Merage School’s Master of Professional Accountancy program. “One thing that stood out the most during our admissions interview with Brittney was her genuine determination to complete a graduate degree,” says Burt Slusher, director of recruitment and admissions for the specialty master’s programs, who sees a similar resolve in students throughout the community college system. “This new program maps a clear route to a master’s that looks beyond the traditional fouryear degree path.” MPAc Balances a Career MPAc’s one-year program, her deep affection for UCI and the support she received during her undergrad years took Nolivaiko back to her alma mater. “Everyone I knew who went to the Merage School had a great experience, and the School has a good success rate with their students obtaining jobs.” Her current role at Deloitte is the “heart of the engagement” within her department’s high-level audit of private and public companies. “I manage the whole project, which means I train staff, delegate work up to managers and partners, and make sure the entire audit is moving forward. It requires good communication with team members and the clients,” she says. “This whole industry moves so quickly. It never gets boring or stagnant. Just when you think you’ve mastered it, they bring you something you’ve never seen before, and that keeps it exciting.” Her ascension within the company is due in large part to her “unconventional” path to accounting. Through remarkable selfinitiative, she brought an understanding of psychology and the law to her MPAc studies, which in turn taught her the language of business that launched her accounting career. While her journey was indirect, she says, it was the right path: “Over the years, I’ve learned that your life and interests take you where they are supposed to take you.”

MPAc Application Process

The application for the next MPAc class is available online. The application deadlines are as follows: • August 15

Early round for students entering their undergraduate senior year or early applicants. • October 15 • November 15 • January 15 • March 1

Final deadline for international applicants; all application materials, including recommendations must be submitted by this date to ensure sufficient time for visa processing. • May 1 • June 1 If you would like more detailed information regarding our MPAc class profile, upcoming information sessions, or to access our MPAc application, please visit merage.uci.edu/mpac. We also welcome students for one-on-one consultations. Appointments can be scheduled online.

MPAc Program Services Awards

Academic Year 2020-2021 Awards:

Excellence in Teaching Awards: Ben Lourie (core), Mark Krueger (elective), Daniel Leong (TA) Most Inspirational: Shannon Benson, Poly Chuong, Kirsten Smith, Zitong Song Most Entrepreneurial: Nazim Hakimi, Zhiru Wan, Trevor Wise, Chelsea Xiao First MPAc Student to Make Partner: Ziwen He, David Levinson, Maya Prager, Jacob Troge MPAc Mentor of the Year: Yutaka Fujimoto MPAc Mentee of the Year: Shannon Benson Top GPA Award: Anthony Aguiar, Jessica Chang, Hyo Jin Jang, Kirsten Smith Dean’s Scholar and Beta Gamma Sigma: Anthony Aguiar, Jessica Chang, Weiling (Wallis) Chang, Guiqing (Clover) Chen, Carina Chou, Shuran Cui, Hyo Jin Jang, Zhenxin Li, Kirsten Smith, Emily Su, Lanxi (Viola) Sun, Grace Wu, Chenlong (Leo) Zhang Beta Gamma Sigma: Arina Ivanieva, Siqi Li, Renee Navarro, Ryan Njotowidjojo, Xiaoxuan (Jeremy) Qu, Qiying (Angel) Tang, Siqi (Ella) Wu, Jing Ye

Recruiters from public accounting firms share fall recruiting best practices on a virtual panel to MPAc students.

Jose Ocampo BA ’21, MPAc ’23 Receives Prestigious PCAOB Scholarship

Growing up, Jose Ocampo (BA ’21, MPAc ’23) saw his parents take great care with their money and work hard to support their family. “From a young age, I had experience in budgeting,” he shares. “Studying economics as an undergraduate student and now getting a higher degree in accounting has been a natural transition, and something I thought I could use to help my family.” Ambitious and eager for a challenge from the start, Ocampo earned a major in economics with double minors in accounting and digital information systems during his undergraduate years at UCI. Ocampo was selected as one of this year’s PCAOB scholarship recipients. Since the fund’s inception in 2011, he is only the second UCI MPAc student to receive the support. “These funds amount to almost a year’s worth of my pay,” he says. “I see my short-term goals like a ladder on my way to achieving bigger goals, and most of the early rungs have been related to savings. Not only does this money alleviate my need to work overtime, but it also frees me to fully concentrate on my studies and my family.”

Alex Banos, MPAc ’18 has found success in the accounting world and wants to use their voice to elevate others (pronouns: they/them/theirs).

Women’s History Month: Community Leader Alex Banos MPAc ’18

Just a few short years ago, Alex Banos MPAc ’18, was packing up their dorm at UC Santa Cruz. They were moving in with their mom and grandma to a one-bedroom apartment so Banos could attend the UCI Paul Merage School of Business in pursuit of their Master of Professional Accountancy degree. Now Banos, who was offered a position at EY upon graduation, was able to upgrade their family to a spacious 3-bedroom home in the city Banos grew up in—Compton— and is currently thriving in a new role at Agile Fund Solutions, LLC in Beverly Hills. Battling Imposter Syndrome At first, as a Latinx and queer-identifying young professional entering the workforce, Banos battled imposter syndrome. “I remember my first few months at the firm were the most challenging as it was my first time in a full-time professional role in the business industry,” Banos said. “I was navigating this experience on my own because I’m the first person in my family to work in this type of industry. Sometimes I had self-doubt and my confidence wasn’t the best but eventually I reconnected with the confidence in me before I had joined the firm. I realized I’ve worked smart and hard to get here and I deserve the opportunity just as much as anyone else.” “As a member of the Latinx community, I eventually Iearned to embrace my own differences to bring more value and perspective to the teams I was placed in,” Banos said. Now Banos is an assistant controller at Agile Funds Solutions, LLC, where Banos can apply their knowledge of private equity and hedge funds and expands their knowledge of the financial services industry. Paying it Forward Helping other minority groups succeed in business is always at the top of Banos’ mind. One of Banos’ ultimate goals is to give back to the LA community by starting a LGBTQ+ center in Compton and kicking off a mentoring program there. In the meantime, Banos is on the board of the nonprofit Kids Can Cosplay, where Banos is helping them seek 501c3 status as a tax-exempt nonprofit. Cosplaying is a fun, artistic hobby for Banos that they started doing in their undergrad years.

Banos volunteers at Kids Can Cosplay

MPAc Emerging Topics in Accounting: Focus on Career and Professional Development

The MPAc Emerging Topics in Accounting course provides students with information and practical skills for success in the program and for professional accounting and business career planning. • MPAc 2-unit course taken in Fall and Spring focuses on developing practical skills for career success • Discussions of current issues in the accounting profession • The course also includes 6 panel discussions with guest speakers from public and private sector, along with case study workshops highlighting current accounting issues. • For example, one of the case study workshops focused on improving client interview skills which is of the most important skills in public accounting. Students were given a mock interview case as independent auditors and had to formulate questions to ask invited professionals roleplaying as CEO/CFO of a client company.

Thank you to the following companies for participating in the Fall Panels: • Tax Consulting and Compliance Panel: HCVT, KPMG, RSM, Deloitte • Audit and Attestation Area Panel: PwC, BDO, EY, Grant Thornton • Fraud and Forensics Panel: Deloitte, FBI, CliftonLarsonAllen • Specialty Track Panel: KPMG, PwC, Blythe Global Advisors, Deloitte • Financial Management and Analysis Panel: El Pollo Loco, Pacific Life, TTM Technologies • Emerging Technologies in Accounting: RSM, EY, KPMG Thank you to the following companies for participating in the Spring Case Studies: • Mock Role Play – The Fraud at High Flying Corporation: Developing Audit Interview Skills: Advantex Professional Services, BDO, Golden State Foods, Moss Adams, KPMG, Paul Hastings, Singer Lewak, RSM, • Alumni Transition & CPA Tips: Deloitte, KPMG, EY MPAc Interns Available in Winter or Spring

• Students eligible to work winter quarter can intern part-time or full-time to get a “busy season” under their belt • Alternatively, students may intern part-time during spring quarter (up to 20 hours per week) • MPAc 241, Accounting Internship Course, can be taken for 2 elective units

Thank you to the following companies who have hired MPAc students for a winter or spring 2021 internship: Arete Advisors AcuteMax LLC Best Cheer Stone Dada Tech Grant Thornton Jenny S. Park, CPA & Co. KPMG MaloneBailey MGO PwC Wright Ford Young & Co. Tina T. Chiang Accountancy Corp.

Employers of MPAc Graduates:

ACG Tax Alliance Funding Group Apercen Partners Armanino Baker Tilly BDO BPM CAPATA CPAs Cathay Bank Chan & Lo CPAs Chen & Fan Accountancy

Group China Post Group Co. LTD CITIC Securities Considine & Considine Crowe Dada Tech Deloitte Duffy Kruspodin Eric Zhang & Associates EY Frazier & Deeter GoGoSonic Grant Thornton Guangzhou Zhongzhixin CPAs HCVT Jenny S. Park CPAs KBF Kim & Lee CPAs KMJ Corbin & Co. KPMG MaloneBailey Mazars Maze & Associates Moss Adams Pham Yaeger PwC RSM SES Risk Solutions Shenzhen Oriental Fortune

Capital SingerLewak Student Medicover TE Connectivity (LI) The Pun Group Tina T. Chiang Weworski & Associates

MPAc Professional Development Workshops

Professional skill development workshops and events are offered to help our students acquire and hone skills needed to be successful, not only in today’s competitive marketplace, but also throughout their career. MPAc workshops and events include: • CliftonStrengths - Building Your

Personal Brand • The Art of Networking • Interview Success Essentials • LinkedIn Best Practices • MPAc Recruiter Panel • MPAc Alumni Mock Interview • Job Search Strategies for

International Students • International Student Alumni Panel • MerageFirst Virtual Industry Night –

Accounting • Best Practices for Starting a Career in

Accounting

MPAc Ambassador Message

After walking off the stage and graduating from CSU Long Beach with a Bachelor’s with an emphasis in Accounting in 2018, I knew I wasn’t done. I had more to learn and wanted to grow as a business professional. In order to build a strong academic foundation in accounting, I started applying for the two-year program at UC Irvine’s Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAc) program. Alondra Olea Once I received my acceptance letter from the MPAc program I immediately began mentally planning on ways I was going to balance school, work, and my social life. I focused on mundane tasks such as needing new tires for my car, making sure I packed enough food for school and work, and finding time to fit in studying for my courses. However, the COVID-19 outbreak changed everything and I began the MPAc program in a fully virtual setting. I wouldn’t have the opportunity to formally meet my cohort until my second year in the program and recruitment would be conducted online. While it took some time to adapt, the staff and faculty at Paul Merage worked magic during the pandemic because everything ended working just as efficiently as if it were in person. The MPAc program offered many resources and opportunities to enhance my interview skills, strengthen the probability of securing second-round interviews, and develop genuine relationships with firm recruiters. Through these resources, I was able to successfully secure a full time offer as Audit Staff at Baker Tilly LLC in their Irvine office after participating in fall recruitment during the second year of the MPAc program. UCI’s location is incredibly advantageous because it is surrounded by multiple public accounting firms that are aware of the MPAc program and specifically recruit students from the program. With that being said, what has made my experience valuable these past two years is pushing myself out of my comfort zone and taking advantage of all the recruiting events, workshops, and career service counseling. I am grateful for the opportunities offered to me in the MPAc program to create genuine and impactful connections as I start my career in public accounting. Whether one is switching careers into accounting or aiming to augment your business acumen, I am certain that they will surrounded by people who genuinely care and will help them reach their goals.

Hiring from UC Irvine

By attracting the brightest talent from around the globe and offering an integrated curriculum that develops students both technically and professionally, our program graduates professionals who are ready to add immediate value to an organization. At least 91% of employment-seeking domestic students from the last three graduating classes obtained full-time positions within six months of graduation. Also note that our graduates are: • CPA eligible upon graduation • Available for full-time or part-time internships in Winter or Spring • Receive intensive one-on-one career coaching and professional development If your company would like to learn more about UC Irvine’s MPAc program or how to get involved in on-campus recruiting events, please contact Kelly Swanholm, Associate Director of Employer Relations at kelly.swanholm@uci.edu.