Achieving Excellence: The Inspiring Journey of Michael King

When it comes to outstanding achievements, those of Michael King, a senior majoring in Accounting at UIC Business, stand as shining examples. Michael is an excellent student with a 4.0 GPA who has held various leadership positions on campus, such as treasurer of the American Marketing Association (AMA), and VP of Finance for Black Students in Business (BSIB).

Recently, Michael was awarded the prestigious Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group Foundation Scholars Program scholarship. This highly competitive scholarship provides support for the education of underrepresented minorities in degrees related to finance and technology. Each student receives up to $20,000 per year depending upon financial need.

“I come from a family of ten, and while we weren’t in poverty, my dad was the only one who was working, which posed some challenges. Growing up in a household with limited resources motivated me to excel academically and pursue my goals. However, financial difficulties compelled me to pause my education a couple of years ago. Thanks to the CME Group Scholarship, I’ve been able to resume my studies without interruption and reside on campus, which has provided invaluable support,” shares Michael.

Among the many remarkable things about Michael, he has taught himself Japanese and successfully conducted interviews in Japanese with native speakers at PwC for an internship working in the firm’s Japanese Business Network next summer.

After taking one year of Japanese in community college and learning only 10 kanji (the Chinese characters used to write Japanese), he switched to a more personal language-learning system that incorporates mnemonics. He reads, writes, and speaks Japanese and now knows over 2,000 kanji.

“I learned the meaning of all the characters in about five months. Then, every day for about two hours, I practiced reading and learning new words. Once I increased my vocabulary to around a thousand words, I started watching TV and reading books almost exclusively in Japanese. My self-study has been really effective because I am learning what I really want to know,” shares Michael.

Michael sees his current position as an audit intern at PwC within the Japanese Business Network as a dream come true. It aligns perfectly with his passion for the language and his desire to work in the accounting industry. In the long run, he intends to continue his education by pursuing an MBA to open up doors to leadership roles such as chief financial officer (CFO) or even open his own consultancy.

The remarkable achievements of Michael demonstrate the power of dedication, passion, and hard work. His story is an inspiration to all, reminding us that with determination and perseverance, we can overcome challenges and reach our dreams.