Stories

Last month, students in the ACE Class of 2018 honored three of their favorite professors with Faculty Awards during the ACE Senior Dinner. One of the winners was Professor Haidan Li, whom taught many students in Introduction to Financial Accounting and Intermediate Financial Accounting.

Professor Li started her path to SCU as an economics major at Zhongshan University in China. She worked as an auditor at a public accounting firm before deciding to move to the US to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Texas at Austin. After receiving her Ph.D., Professor Li began her teaching career at the University of Iowa. In 2008, she accepted a position at SCU, and cites her family and the strong accounting program as reasons for moving to the Silicon Valley area.

Currently, Professor Li not only appreciates the cohesiveness of the accounting department, but also enjoys making an impact on students’ lives. She sees her introduction course as the first real opportunity for students to experience accounting, and many have declared accounting majors because of her class. Additionally, Professor Li tells students in her intermediate classes to think of the course as the start of their careers.

Professor Li’s advice to ACE students is to take the time to search for what is motivating and what areas of business are exciting. In the process, students should discover where their strengths lie. Ultimately, Professor Li says that students should find a career at the intersection of their passions and skills, because this is where they will make the most contributions. In addition, she urges ACE students to make the best out of the ACE Program, forge relationships with mentors and friends, and enjoy all of the experiences.

Congratulations to Professor Li for winning the ACE Faculty Award, and we thank her for her contributions to the ACE Program.