In Their Words: Aaron Justesen

aaron justesenDepartment: Economics

What Scholarship or Award did you receive?
Economics Department Undergraduate Award in Business Management Economics

What year are you (1st year, 3rd year)? 3rd

College: Cowell

Where do you call home? Long Beach, CA

What is your field of focus? Managerial economics, with an emphasis on e-business management.

With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out? Initially, my attention was caught by the beautiful campus. Then I learned of the Business Management Economics major, which fit perfectly with my interest in applicable managerial economics. Add the fact that Santa Cruz is world-renouned surf city, and I was sold.

What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz? My short-term plan is to travel to New Zealand for a few months and surf. Beyond that, I’d love to hop on board a start up. I’d definitely like to earn an MBA at some point as well.

What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here? I’ll always remember presenting my final project in Muppet Magic to the entire class in the Media Theater. I was super nervous but ended up getting some solid laughs. It was a great experience overall.

What does this scholarship/award mean to you? I think it can be easy to lose faith in the value of hard work. There’s a great feeling that comes with getting a good grade on a test or an A in a class, but GPA is our only concrete measure of academic success. After a while, those tenths or hundrethds of grade points begin to struggle to justify the days of studying and sleepless nights. This award is that extra justification that has kept me pushing through the heavy eyes. It has reminded me that there is always value in hardwork.

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