Jasper Tangchitsumran

Boston University, Questrom School of Business

“Just a city boy who helps numbers find homes and enjoys spinning on ice.”

Fun fact about yourself: I made it to the final audition round of Chopped Junior in ninth grade.

Hometown: New York, NY

High School: Brooklyn Technical High School

Major: Business Administration with concentrations in Accounting and Law

Minor: N/A

Favorite Business Course: LA450: Law and Risk Management

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

• Summa Cum Laude
• Dean’s List (all semesters)
• Boston University Accounting Association — President and Marketing Chair
• Teaching Assistant for both Financial Accounting and Intermediate Accounting I
• Selected to attend the multi-day AICPA Accounting Scholars Leadership Workshop
• Received the AICPA Scholarship Award for Minority Accounting Students
• Boston University Admissions — Evaluations and Continued Training Coordinator, Recruitment Coordinator, and Admissions Ambassador
• Boston University Thai Student Association — Freshman Representative

Where have you interned during your college career?

• Deloitte Tax LLP, New York, NY — International Tax Intern
• Greater Boston Legal Services, Boston, MA — Gatto Law Fellow
• WGBH (PBS), Boston, MA — American Experience Administration/Post-Production Intern
• Andersen, Boston, MA — Tax Intern

Where will you be working after graduation? I started working full-time at Deloitte Tax LLP as an International Tax Consultant in January 2022.

Who is your favorite professor? Professor Matthew Packard, who taught my Intermediate Accounting I class, has been an incredibly supportive mentor and friend. Professor Packard served as the faculty advisor to the BU Accounting Association when I served as President, and hired me as a teaching assistant for his courses. I quickly bonded with Professor Packard over topics ranging from accounting to veganism to going on trails in Washington state. He would warmly welcome me and be genuinely happy to see me even if I came to his office uninvited. It got to the point where I found a secret stairwell that has unrestricted access to his floor where he held office hours (during the COVID-era when movement was limited) and exploited it to occasionally stop by. Professor Packard’s extended support has turned my grim days upside down and has made me realize that teaching accounting is something I aspire to do in the future.

Professor Gina Powers, who taught my Real Estate Law, and Law and Risk Management classes, has invigorated my life mission to contribute to a more equitable society. Thanks to Professor Powers, I served as a fellow at Greater Boston Legal Services, where I came to understand the inequality perpetuated by certain laws and how individuals can utilize the law to restore justice. This experience, combined with her mentorship, opened my eyes to the different careers I can pursue with my accounting knowledge coupled with a potential law degree. During office hours, I immediately connected with Professor Powers over our shared background of being a first-generation student and love for figure skating. I am deeply grateful for Professor Powers ferociously rooting for every step I took and for believing in me when I needed it most. Her faith in me has allowed me to uncover my true potential and to shoot for the stars.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? I would tell a prospective business major to interact with as many business school upperclassmen as possible. I find that juniors or seniors in business schools are knowledgeable on the nuances between the types of classes offered, and the school’s curriculum and culture. Upperclassmen would have the most relevant firsthand information that a prospective student might be looking for.

Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? I frankly would not do anything differently. I thank the twists, turns, and curveballs that I faced for shaping me into who I am today. I strongly believe that one will not grow if one lacks adversity throughout life. You live and you learn.

What business executive do you admire most? I admire Oprah Winfrey for overcoming her odds and rising to the top of the media industry through her resilience and hard work. The talk show industry is a notoriously hard industry to break into, especially for a Black woman a few decades ago. Not only was she able to lead her own talk show, but she also revolutionized the media industry by introducing a novel genre of shows. In addition, Winfrey consistently and generously gives back to her community through her philanthropy and talk show that promotes self-help.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of serving as a Gatto Law Fellow at Greater Boston Legal Services during my senior year of college. The opportunities to gain client-facing legal experience as an undergraduate are few-and-far between. I was also deeply grateful to work for such an organization that prides itself in providing legal counseling to underrepresented and low-income communities, clients that resonated with my background. At Greater Boston Legal Services, I worked in the Low-Income Tax Clinic in the Employment Law Division, where I put my accounting and tax background to good use. I corresponded with approximately 50 incarcerated individuals to help get them their stimulus payments by completing Power of Attorney forms, and represented low-income clients in front of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue to resolve their tax audits. I also helped edit an article regarding the importance of the Earned Income Tax Credit, which was eventually sent to The Boston Globe for publication. This experience was everything that I had hoped for and beyond. It confirmed my aspirations to work in the legal field and do pro bono work to serve my community.

Which classmate do you most admire? My best friend, Khánh Ly Nguyễn, immediately comes to mind. Besides being a genuinely kind and supportive friend, I admire Ly for her intellectual curiosity and resourcefulness. Despite being an international student with limited connections and resources in the United States, she was able to pursue an independent research project investigating the spillover effects of policy uncertainty and the crude oil crisis on the U.S. stock and housing markets. She has already been accepted to three conferences, where she will present as the first author. I am so proud of her journey. Last summer, she started off this research project by watching YouTube tutorials of statistical modeling, while living in quarantine housing for three weeks (with no air conditioning) in Vietnam. She is now leveraging this successful project to apply to Ph.D. programs in Finance, and she already received interview invitations from three competitive programs. I always benefit intellectually from talking to Ly and am very grateful to be her friend.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? I give my parents credit for a lot of my success. They have done an incredible job of instilling a work ethic in me and ensuring that I have an opportunity to succeed by making decisions in my best interests. They have seen me at my highest of highs and my lowest of lows, and guided me throughout my life. My mother, in particular, always made time for me even as a single parent. As an example, I remember her frequently walking to The Rink at Rockefeller Center during her workday to watch me ice skate in my afterschool program. Additionally, she sacrificed many things to make sure I had almost everything that I could ever want or need, which I will be forever grateful for.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

Teach accounting or law (or both): I vividly recall telling my high school accounting teacher, “I want to be a professor of accounting,” since I loved the subject and always found it fulfilling to teach. Becoming a teaching assistant confirmed my desires to teach (anything!) because I found it so rewarding to make course content “click” for students.

Obtain a commercial flying license: For as long as I can remember, I have always been an aviation geek. While other kids would bawl their eyes out during flights, I kept my eyes peeled on the window seat view. I actually briefly considered following my cousin’s footsteps to enroll in the Air Force at one point to learn how to fly, but decided against it. It is still my dream to one day don a pilot’s uniform and fly a plane, as crazy as it may sound.

What are your hobbies? Cooking, figure skating, and running.

What made Jasper such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2022?

“Every once in a while, a student comes along who really stands out – that student is Jasper Tangchitsumran. During the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters, Jasper earned the highest grades and was a total superstar student in my classes titled Real Estate Law (LA360) and Law and Risk Management (LA450) in the Boston University Questrom School of Business. During the Covid-19 pandemic he was a true leader in class. Jasper worked diligently and consistently in class and group discussions to energize and engage classmates creating an enriching educational experience for those students on Zoom as well as those in person. In the fall 2021 semester, Jasper was chosen from a competitive applicant pool as one of two fellows for the Gatto Law Fellowship I created in partnership with Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS), a non-profit legal aid foundation supporting Boston’s underserved communities. Based upon my experiences with Jasper both inside and outside the classroom, I find him to be an incredibly intelligent, articulate, ethical, and motivated young man.

Jasper matriculated at Boston University though a need-based Pell Grant. Jasper understands, due to personal lived experience and through his fellowship at GBLS, how systemic inequities can harm underserved and underrepresented groups in society. While at GBLS, Jasper worked closely with a senior Employment Law Division tax attorney representing low-income clients before the Massachusetts Department of Revenue in tax audits. He also assisted clients in securing stimulus payments. Additionally, he helped GBLS draft an article for the Boston Globe on the Earned Income Tax Credit. Jasper is driven, focused, and committed to giving back. He has not only the awareness and understanding of issues related to inequities but also the ability to manifest social change. As someone actively involved in social equity matters, I recognize that Jasper has the intelligence, talent, and the empathy to make a meaningful impact on society.

While at BU, Jasper has worked with Admissions as a Tour and Training Coordinator and an Admissions Ambassador. He served as the Marketing Chair and more recently the President of the Accounting Association. As a freshman, he represented the class in the Thai Student Association. In addition to Jasper’s service, leadership, and impressive academic credentials, he has completed his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a dual concentration in accounting and law a semester early. Jasper is presently employed at Deloitte Tax as an International Tax Consultant.

Not often do I encounter an undergraduate with such a passion for learning, growth, and giving back. Jasper Tangchitsumran is young man with tremendous potential, maturity, and drive who deserves this highly regarded recognition.”

Gina M.D. Powers
Senior Lecturer of Law. Markets
Public Policy & Law Department

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