News Stories

Tammy Ngo, Accounting & Information Systems ‘24, was awarded the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) scholarship of $10,000 for the 2023-2024 academic year.  Tammy also received a $4,000 scholarship from the Silicon Valley Chapter of Financial Executives International (FEI) for 2022-2023. These scholarships are merit based, geographically diverse programs that recognize academic dedication and achievements.  The committees were very impressed by Tammy's academic excellence, strong leadership skills, and passion to serve the community.

Tammy is from San Francisco, CA.  She is a Leavey School of Business peer advisor.  She is also involved in the Multicultural Center as one of the Co-Chairs of the Chinese Student Association, the LEAD Scholars Program for first generation students, and is a member of the honor society Beta Gamma Sigma.

Tammy wrote in the FEI scholarship application, “I found that a “why” that has been consistent throughout my life is living for other people. Coming from a first generation background with parents who are immigrants, I have always carried their expectations and hopes on my shoulders as I made my way towards higher education; as someone with a high sense of empathy, I always try to put myself in other people’s shoes.”

As Co-Chair of the Chinese Student Association (CSA) in the Multicultural Center (MCC), Tammy does her best to educate herself and others on the history of advocacy and foster an inclusive space by holding collaborative talks with other MCC clubs.  For example, Tammy worked with a student organization called Together for Ladies of Color, to provide a space for CSA club members to talk about the representation of women of color in various aspects of life. She also worked with the Korean Student Association (KSA), Ka Mana'o O Hawai’i Club, and the Japanese Student Association (JSA) to discuss the displacement of various indigenous peoples in respective cultures and countries.

In addition, as Tammy talked to alumni, recruiters, and associates, and as she completed her first accounting internship, she realized that this career path required not only lifelong learning, but also lifelong teaching.  She wrote, “A new experience during my internship that paralleled my life experiences was explaining and teaching clients about controls testing—these walkthroughs reminded me of all the hours I had spent explaining concepts of insurance, banking, billing, etc. to my mom who had immigrated to the U.S., confused by the complexity of all these programs and struggling with the English language.” Having to be a translator in this way influenced her affinity for tutoring and mentoring.  In the accounting field, she sees a career that aims to foster understanding between different people.