Meet Katie Yang

Tell us a bit about your background

I graduated from the Rady School of Management with a Master’s in Professional Accountancy in June 2024. My undergraduate studies were completed at UC San Diego, where I earned a degree in Business Economics with a minor in Accounting. During my undergraduate years, I interned with KPMG and will be joining the firm as a full-time audit associate upon graduation. I chose to advance my education at Rady to enhance my accounting expertise and to fulfill requirements for CPA licensure. I am honored to have received the Rady Incoming Fellowship and the UC Fellowship, which supported my academic pursuits. Additionally, I was recognized with the Dean's Award by Rady and inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma. Furthermore, I was named an Outstanding Graduate Accounting Student by the Financial Executives International.

What are you studying/researching? 

I was a research assistant for the Rady Incentives Lab diving into research that surrounds the impacts of incentives and the willingness to pay. Professor Uri Gneezy was kind enough to allow me growth within this space from my undergraduate years to my graduate years. I find this type of research to be interesting given the common use of various incentives in the workplace.

As previously mentioned, I served as a research assistant and also took on the role of teaching assistant. Additionally, I was an active member of Beta Alpha Psi and mentored several undergraduate students during my time at UC San Diego. I am also grateful to the United Accounting Society and Student Foundation for keeping me connected with exceptional undergraduate students. Throughout my graduate studies, I engaged with prospective students by participating in Rady Preview Day and coffee chats. Moreover, as a KPMG campus ambassador, I had the opportunity to guide students through the accounting recruitment process and provide insights about the firm. I resided in on-campus graduate and family housing, and some of my favorite campus activities included attending music events organized by Associated Students and enjoying coffee from the TEC Café. I particularly love the sunsets in San Diego, which offer brighter colors compared to those in Los Angeles.

Why UC San Diego?

I will forever reminisce about my graduate student experience at UC San Diego. The people in my cohort, professors and students, made the year thrilling. San Diego became much brighter with them. I've been fortunate to build these connections that will remain with me throughout my life.