Accounting master's student · CPA candidate

Penelope Cai

I study accounting through the lens of financial reporting, capital markets, valuation, and empirical research.

Financial Reporting Capital Markets Valuation Audit Federal Taxation Data Analytics Financial Reporting Capital Markets Valuation Audit Federal Taxation Data Analytics
Profile

Clear judgment, careful analysis, and a research-minded approach to accounting work.

I am pursuing a Master of Science in Accounting at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, building toward CPA eligibility while exploring how accounting information shapes markets, decisions, and trust.

My experience spans individual tax preparation, audit support, econometric research, and data analysis using Python, R, Stata, Excel, and Power BI.

Education

Academic Foundation

Jun 2025 - Dec 2026

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Master of Science in Accounting · CPA Candidate

  • Relevant coursework in accounting analysis, federal taxation, auditing, and data analytics in accounting.
  • Research interests include financial reporting, capital markets, valuation, and empirical accounting research.
Sep 2020 - Jul 2024

Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications

B.Ec. in Financial Engineering

  • Studied applied time series analysis, quantitative finance, statistics, accounting, macroeconomics, and econometrics.
  • Earned the university-level Excellence Scholarship for four consecutive years.

Experience

Applied Accounting Work

Jan 2026 - Apr 2026

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

Tax Preparer · Champaign, IL

Prepared and reviewed 30+ individual tax returns using TaxSlayer, applying tax rules, credits, and deductions while verifying client financial information.

Jan 2022 - Apr 2022

Liangxi Certified Public Accountants Co., Ltd.

Audit Intern · Wuxi, China

Supported subsidy fund audits, voucher sampling, invoice matching, confirmation letters, audit documentation, and annual report archiving for client engagements.

Research

Selected Work

Undergraduate Thesis

Momentum and Reversal Effects in China's Stock Market

Analyzed 844 Shanghai A-Share stocks from 2018 to 2024, built 49 momentum portfolios, and evaluated returns using CAPM and Fama-French models.

Innovation Competition

AI-Driven Market Analysis for Senior Smart Wearables

Led financial and data analysis, designed a 29-item survey, cleaned survey data with Python, and used statistical and machine learning methods for consumer segmentation.

Econometrics

Quantitative Analysis of Bank of China Stock Risk

Processed weekly stock and index prices in Stata, estimated beta through OLS regression, and evaluated model assumptions and limitations.

Python R Excel Stata Power BI Regression Time Series Mandarin English
Contact

Available for accounting, audit, tax, research, and finance opportunities.

Let's connect.

The full resume is available as a PDF. For the public page, email is the cleanest contact point; LinkedIn can be added once you share the URL.