Holbrook Scholar Program 2020-2021 Recipients
Join us in celebrating the 2020-2021 recipients of the Holbrook Scholar Program!
This year, 15 students interested in tax received a scholarship ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 to help cover the cost of graduate school. Scholarships are awarded to third, fourth, and fifth-year integrated and traditional MPA students with high academic merit and financial need.
Congratulations, Holbrook Scholars!
Traditional MPAs
Natalia Capetillo
Austin Kirkpatrick
Sydney Tanner
Integrated MPAs: third-year
Hongxuan (Michael) He
Tabitha O’Connell
Integrated MPAs: fourth-year
Anish Antony
Heather Copeland
Francisca Guerrero
Dohyun Jou
Rahi Shah
Integrated MPAs: fifth-year
Emily Aguiar
Danyal Ali
Winnie Chen
Jackson Holland
Nhu Tran
Let’s meet a few of our Holbrook Scholar recipients!
Name: Natalia Capetillo
Hometown: Southlake, TX
Why did you choose accounting? I enjoy accounting because of the challenging nature of it. I am going into tax, which adds on its own challenge due to its complexity and ever-changing nature. I really enjoy my classes and am looking forward to the opportunities in the world of accounting in the future.
Why did you choose UT Austin? After doing my undergrad at TCU, I knew I wanted a change for my master’s degree. McCombs had always stood out to me because of the great programs it offers. UT and Austin have always been a dream of mine, and I knew I wanted to be a part of such a special group of people. I am so happy to be here. Hook ‘em!
Fun fact: Frankie Jonas (aka Bonus Jonas or the Forgotten Jonas Brother) went to my senior prom.
Plans for the future: I will be starting full-time at Ernst & Young in Dallas next summer as a Financial Services Organizations Tax Staff Accountant. I am really excited to start in public accounting and see where it takes me!
Name: Austin Kirkpatrick
Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO
Why did you choose accounting? After a family member recommended I try accounting, I enrolled in an intro to accounting course during my junior year at Colorado State University. The first day of class, our professor told us that some people may not enjoy the material and would have to work to understand it, but there would be those who very quickly grasped the material and found they enjoyed it and those people should consider a career in accounting. I aced the class and have been pursuing a career in the field ever since.
Why did you choose UT Austin? I was hired at UT as an accountant II with what was then the International Office (we’ve since changed to Texas Global). I found out after taking the position that UT has the highest ranked graduate accounting program in the nation, so I quickly set my sites on admission and the rest is history.
Fun fact: I am a diehard New England area sports fan.
Plans for the future: I plan to pursue a career in taxation after I graduate. I’m very interested in wealth management at this point so I think working in that area is a long-term goal of mine at the moment.
Name: Sydney Tanner
Hometown: Wylie, TX
Why did you choose accounting? I really enjoyed volunteering with VITA (volunteer income tax assistance program) throughout undergrad and decided I wanted to pursue a career in a related field.
Why did you choose UT Austin? I went out of state for undergrad and decided it was time to move closer to home. I knew McCombs would challenge me and also give me access to world class faculty and great recruiting opportunities.
Interesting fact: I have a (almost) hairless Chinese Crested dog at home!
Plans for the future: Stay in Austin and work in public accounting.
Name: Hongxuan (Michael) He
Hometown: Coppell, TX
Why did you choose accounting? My financial accounting class with Professor Donna Johnston-Blair inspired me to pursue a career in the field. Accounting seemed very logical to me, and I learned that it applies to nearly every aspect of business. I think that starting off with a career in accounting will give me a solid foundation and open many doors if I want to change to a different business area in the future.
Why did you choose UT Austin? I knew that I would get a great education if I came to UT Austin. I was also looking forward to exploring the lively city and making new friends. Austin is also close enough to home that I knew I could go back and visit anytime!
Fun fact: I started playing chess during quarantine and now it’s one of my favorite things to do in my downtime!
Plans for the future: Currently, I am interested in pursuing the taxation track. I have enjoyed my accounting classes so far, and I want to continue learning more to see what would be the best career fit for me after graduation.
Name: Tabitha O’Connell
Hometown: Somerset, TX
Why did you choose accounting? I chose to pursue a degree in accounting because I have always had a knack for numbers and loved reading and writing, so accounting seemed to be the best fit for me that accommodated both of those passions. I love the thought of being able to understand the mathematical side of things, while also being able to portray that knowledge in words for other people to understand as well.
Why did you choose UT Austin? I chose to come to UT after participating in one of the McCombs summer camps, the Subiendo Academy for Rising Leaders, the summer after my junior year of high school. This program was absolutely amazing and really opened my eyes to all that UT and McCombs has to offer. I had no idea a career in business was something I would consider, but this program changed my perception completely. I am so grateful that this is where I ended up, but most of all I am very thankful for that program and its staff that have really made UT feel like home.
Fun fact: During quarantine I decided to get a kitten! His name is Riley, and he is definitely a handful, but it’s been fun having him around to keep me company during these crazy past few months.
Plans for the future: I plan on pursuing the tax track in the iMPA program and am hoping to start my career off in one of the big four public accounting firms practicing tax accounting. In the far future, I would also love to enter a PhD program for accounting and hopefully get a teaching position here at McCombs. I would love to be able to come back and extend my knowledge to the next generation of leaders.
Name: Anish Antony
Hometown: Houston, TX
Why did you choose accounting? I took DJB’s (Johnston-Blaire) accounting class my sophomore year and she got me to really enjoy the material! After some exploration, I felt like the accounting industry and the technical knowledge have appealed to me.
Why did I choose UT Austin? Growing up in Houston, I was lucky enough to have a lot of family around me who ended up going to UT. They told me all their stories about the school and ever since then I’ve always known I wanted to go to the best school in Texas! Luckily, I also ended up in the best accounting program there is too!
Interesting fact: I love spontaneous trips. In February right before the pandemic, my friends and I took a day trip to San Francisco! We packed nothing but the clothes on our back, our phones, and our wallets and spent 24 hours exploring the city!
Plans for the future: I am interning this upcoming spring with PwC in their Houston Tax practice. I hope to go back there full-time and see where things take me from there!
Name: Heather Copeland
Hometown: I don’t really have one, but I’ve lived in Florida, California, Colorado, and currently Texas!
Why did you choose accounting? I was the volunteer treasurer for my daughter’s marching band for three years, and I loved it so much I decided to make it a career. With every course I take, I am more convinced I made the right choice.
Why did I choose UT Austin? I toured McCombs while I was a student at Austin Community College, and I instantly felt like I belonged. I really wanted the high quality education that UT Austin offers.
Interesting fact: I’ve personally experienced nearly every kind of natural disaster there is except perhaps volcanoes, so that is on my bucket list.
Plans for the future: Finish the MPA program and work in tax at a mid-size public accounting firm.
Name: Francisca Guerrero
Hometown: The Woodlands, TX
Why did you choose accounting? I was originally interested in pursuing a career in law, so I chose to double major at UT as a Plan II and Business major. I eventually found out that my love for numbers, reading and writing, and passion for advising others could be combined in tax accounting.
Why did you choose UT Austin? I wanted to remain in-state to be close to my parents, and I knew UT had an exceptional business school. The Plan II Honors program at UT seemed like a great program to help me prepare for law school.
Interesting fact: I was born in Quito, Ecuador but moved to the U.S. when I was 2.5 years old, but I often go back during the summer to see family. As a result, I have a collection of touristy Ecuadorian shirts I wear and rotate throughout the week.
Plans for the future: I am currently recruiting for a summer 2021 tax internship and would like to travel to Japan before I graduate. Once I graduate and pass the CPA exam, I plan to pursue a career in international tax accounting. Also, I am interested in eventually going to law school to study tax law.
Name: Rahi Shah
Hometown: Ahmedabad (India – western region)
Why did you choose accounting? Upon high school graduation, I participated in a nine-week traineeship at PwC India that introduced me to the world of public accounting. My interactions within the Assurance team and with clients inspired me to pursue accounting for college.
Why did you choose UT Austin? After my nine-month journey with PwC, I was determined to leverage an international education and migrated to the States in May 2017. My desire for accounting intensified after my freshman year and motivated me to transfer to the country’s #1 ranked accounting school.
Interesting facts: I have a twin sister and I am fluent in three languages: Hindi, English, Gujarati. I also love Bollywood movies to the extent that I can recite dialogues verbatim.
Plans for the future: I want to pursue a career in public accounting upon graduation. While I am not 100% sure of what my ideal career looks like, I am confident that iMPA will prepare me to thrive no matter which path I choose.
Name: Emily Aguiar
Hometown: Pearland, TX
Why did you choose accounting? I chose accounting because I love the puzzle of figuring out how everything works together. I also feel like a good understanding of accounting is a very powerful tool for anyone because it is the language of business and hides some really important gems of information.
Why did you choose UT Austin? UT was the only college I visited and I knew I wanted to come here after my first visit! The wonderful mentors, professors, and friends I’ve had here have proven to me that I made a good choice.
Fun fact: My favorite movie is You’ve Got Mail. Joe Fox is the businessman we all wish we knew.
Plans for the future: I will be going to work at KPMG’s Houston office as a tax associate in the fall 2021.
Name: Danyal Ali
Hometown: Bedford, TX
Why did you choose accounting? After having Professor Kamas for ACC 311, I found accounting interesting and resonated with the idea that things need to balance. This interest was further catapulted after taking a few MPA courses. Of course there will always be grey area, but like a puzzle, an answer will come through.
Why did you choose UT Austin? Having a sister go to Texas, UT had always been a school I saw myself possibly attending. Austin is a city where I could do things on my own while knowing that home was a three-hour drive away. Being here five years now, I definitely made one of the best decisions of my life.
Fun fact: I went skydiving a few weeks ago!
Plans for the future: I will be joining Ernst and Young in the Dallas office in their Financial Services Group.
Name: Winnie Chen
Hometown: Houston, TX
Why did you choose accounting? At UT, I had the opportunity to take an accounting practicum class where we volunteered to prepare tax returns for low income individuals. The experience opened my eyes to how accounting impacts a myriad of people. I chose accounting because not only does it touch every aspect of the business world, but the career also allows us to use our skills to help anyone and everyone.
Why did you choose UT Austin? I chose UT because of the iMPA program. UT has the best accounting program in the world and I wanted to learn from the best professors, alongside the most challenging students.
Fun fact: I recently became a dog mom to a Pembroke Welsh Corgi!
Plans for the future: I will be starting with PwC as a tax associate in Los Angeles. This will be my first time living out of state, and I am excited for what’s to come!
Name: Jackson Holland
Hometown: Houston, TX
Why did you choose accounting? Coming to college, I knew I wanted to be in business but had no idea what area to focus in. After taking several accounting and finance courses, I realized that accounting is: 1) something I enjoy and comes somewhat naturally to me, 2) a career that fits my personality, and 3) a great starting point for anything I want to do in business down the road.
Why did you choose UT Austin? I grew up being a UT football fan, despite the fact that no one in my family went to UT. In high school, I realized how good of a school UT was, and after visiting campus and meeting a ton of UT students, I really couldn’t see myself going anywhere else!
Fun fact: I love playing guitar.
Plans for the future: I will be moving back to Houston to join the Business Tax Services group at Deloitte next fall. From there, I’m just excited to learn and experience many different areas of business, and I’ll see where that takes me!
Name: Nhu Tran
Hometown: Houston, TX
Why did you choose accounting? I really enjoyed my first accounting class ACC 311 with Professor Kamas.
Why did you choose UT Austin? Austin is a very vibrant city, and I believe McCombs will give me a lot of opportunities to learn and grow.
Interesting fact: I’m an officer of a board game club, and my favorite board game is The Settlers of Catan.
Plans for the future: Graduating from MPA then begin working as a tax professional.
Thank you Terri Holbrook and Ed Blechschmidt!
MPA Senior Lecturer Terri Holbrook and her husband Ed Blechschmidt started the Holbrook Scholar Program in 2014. Terri and Ed have committed $1 million to this scholarship over a ten-year period. Once a student applies, an independent committee of faculty and staff awards the scholarships. Thank you, Terri and Ed, for your continued support of these outstanding students and the MPA program!
