Scholars in the News
Reshma Tharani, 21, is part of a new breed of community college student
Scholars in the Arts
"I am fascinated by the breadth of Art History and by how painting teaches a culture about itself."
Alex S. Haley-Liu
“Emerging countries should not have to bear the burden of exploitation by more developed countries because they lack understanding and expertise of global markets.”
- Program: 2008 Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Recipient
- Resides: New York, NY
- Hometown: Sacramento, CA
- Age: 25
- Community College: Mt. San Jacinto College
- Four-year College or University: New York University
- Academic/Career Pursuits: Business Economics, Probability, Statistics
Biography
PROFILE: While serving in Iraq, Special Ops Marine Alex Haley-Liu heard the “clink-clink” sound of a fragmentation grenade and realized: "there is no upside to full-scale war, as both parties end up losing more than originally invested.”
During his four years as a Marine, Alex rose to the rank of Sergeant. Wounded in Iraq in 2005 and awarded a Purple Heart, he volunteered for a second tour in 2006, was nominated for a meritorious promotion, and was awarded a Bronze Star with Valor.
Alex grew up across the globe. He was “thrown” into schools in Taiwan as the only American student, and in Salamanca, Spain, where he had to quickly learn Spanish. Despite these challenges, Alex “dealt with reality” and “never lost the will to excel.”
INSPIRATION: “I have witnessed the perils of war, poverty, and disease that are brought upon nations because of the lack of proper education. My eyes have seen the light as to why education is the cornerstone to fundamental change in society.”
ASPIRATION: Alex plans to pursue his interest in statistics and quantitative finance. Alex explains: “Quantitative finance is a relatively new discipline that is increasingly in demand and can be used in real-world practical applications.” Combining his studies with his international experience and command of Spanish, he hopes to bring his talent and training to a global company such as Goldman Sachs.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Alex works to help other students achieve their goals, spending time with those who need help in their mathematics courses.
ACCOLADES: Alex belongs to Phi Theta Kappa and his college honors program.
INTERESTING FACT: Alex loves scuba diving, snowboarding, and writing poetry. He says that Erich Fromm’s The Art of Loving should be a “mandatory read at the high school level.”
Other Scholars Like Alex
Le Aye
Undergraduate Transfer Scholar
University of California, Los Angeles
Clint Greene
Undergraduate Transfer Scholar
University of Texas at Austin
Rachel Brewer
Undergraduate Transfer Scholar
Johns Hopkins University
Rose Lynch
Undergraduate Transfer Scholar
The University of Tulsa