In This Story
Haoling Wang was taking a professional skills development course taught by Karen King, an associate professor in business foundations at the Costello College of Business, when he was encouraged by her to take advantage of the resources being offered by the college.
Shortly thereafter, Wang learned about the Accounting Advisory Council Scholarship and submitted his application. In many ways, receiving the scholarship was a validation of his decision to leave China in pursuit of higher education in the United States.
“In Beijing, it’s the professor leading study,” he says. “But here it’s the students leading study, and we can ask more questions and embrace the community.” With his father working as a general manager and his mother serving as a vice president at a school—primarily overseeing logistics and operations—Wang grew up observing both executive leadership and the practical coordination required to support large institutions. These experiences sparked his interest in business structure and financial systems. “Math is my favorite subject, and I’m pretty good at it,” he says. “Also, the calculating is pretty interesting for me because I can find financial reports on the company for their different activities.”
As an international student, Wang finds it easy to connect with other students who share his cultural background. However, winning the scholarship and attending events associated with it helped him build connections with students of different backgrounds. George Mason’s diversity had been a major selling point for him, and he now has a much more diverse network and friend group. “It’s pretty meaningful for me to explore and broaden my horizons during this program,” he says.
Last year, Wang broadened his horizons further when he was a participant in the Global Engagement Scholars Program, a semester-long series of workshops covering topics such as cultural intelligence, cultural values, cultural influences, and how to use these factors in the workplace. “During that program, I just met so many interesting people. Some of them would be future classmates, and we work together in the same group for marketing courses,” he says. “Now they are my best friends in the school.” In addition, he is an active member of the Chinese Student Association and Beta Alpha Psi at George Mason.
Embracing the challenge of coming across the world to pursue his dream of being an accountant has already brought many rewards for Wang, including tremendous personal growth. “I can handle so many things,” he says. “It’s an amazing journey that changed me a lot.” Graduating soon with his degree in accounting, Wang plans to stay in the United States to pursue a master’s degree and potentially a PhD. As he progresses through his studies, he’s keeping an open mind about which route in accounting he wants to take, but he is especially interested in corporate accounting and financial planning roles. “I want to work in areas like management accounting or corporate finance—helping companies analyze costs, manage budgets, evaluate investments, and optimize their financial performance,” he explains. “I enjoy interpreting financial data to support smarter decision making and long-term strategy.”
George Mason students come from all 50 states and 130 countries, and they are taught by faculty members who reflect that diversity. Though members of the community are from different places, they find a home within the cohesive culture at Costello, where opportunities are plentiful and a wide range of career paths are supported.