Hometown: Arlington, VA
College: University of South Carolina, Business - Accounting
Pre-Business School: Associate, Economic and Valuation Services, KPMG, Language Teacher, JET Program - Japan
Summer Internship: Sr. Product Manager, Amazon
Post-Anderson: I will be working as a product manager at Google.
PRE-ANDERSON
Childhood dream job: I wanted to be an architect because I liked to draw buildings...I once drew out a whole cityscape on 100+ sheets of paper taped together to play with my Matchbox cars.
Why business school? I knew I needed to do something different – I wasn't entirely sure what it should be but I thought I could use business school to find the right path and meet some amazing people. I was also new to California and wanted to build out a solid network of friends/business contacts. I didn't realize it at the time, but business school can be an unparalleled tool for a career-switcher.
Why Anderson? I was very happy living in Los Angeles and I had a former manager who I greatly respect who was an alum of the program and strongly recommended Anderson to me.
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ANDERSON
Anderson Activities & Leadership: Technology ACT coach, VP of the High Tech Business Association (HTBA), Admissions Ambassador Corps (AAC) Ambassador, Anderson Triathlon Club
Favorite class and why? Operations. It sounds pretty basic but Professor Roels was fantastic. He was more prepared than any other professor and taught the class like it was a performance. The case discussions were very well managed and I learned a lot.
Applied Management Research Project: I am doing the Business Creation Option ("BCO"). My team is working on launching a business that makes the buying and selling of high-end used bikes easier by utilizing technology.
Favorite Anderson Event: I drove a few of my international classmates that, at the time, I didn't know very well, back to LA after the Silicon Valley Tech Trek. We had a great car ride back sharing stories and building camaraderie. We hadn't crossed-paths before then, and I am not sure I would have gotten to know them without that car ride. They are now good friends of mine and people I look forward to remaining in touch with for a long time.
Best Anderson memory so far: Getting the full-time offer for product manager from Google was very gratifying and felt like a culmination of a lot of hard work. I received a ton of help (including some lucky breaks) along the way and couldn't have done it without the support system Anderson offered.
RECRUITING
What helped most in your interview preparation and career search? My ACT group. Meeting every week with knowledgable second-years and other first-years interested in the same industry/functions provided a support network and motivation to be relentless in my career search. I am very grateful for all of the help I received as a first-year.
How did you utilize Parker in your job search and interview prep? I setup an appointment with a Parker advisor just about every week during fall and winter quarter. Sometimes it was discussing my target companies, sometimes it was mock interviews, and other times it was simple status updates. I dreaded the mock interviews but it kept me from slacking and pushed me to accomplish something every week. I met with just about all of the advisors to get different perspectives.
How many informational interviews have you conducted while at Anderson? 20+
Any particularly beneficial informationals? Speaking with all of the second-year students that interned at the companies I was interested in early in the process proved to be very valuable. They helped me navigate the process, and I put myself on their radar as someone interested in their company.
How did your academic internship prepare you for recruiting? I worked at a startup founded by a 2010 Anderson alum that built a mobile app for people interested in cruises. The internship was very unstructured, but I learned a lot about app development and data analytics. I also built some great relationships with the founders and others in the startup ecosystem. I emphasized this experience in both my summer employer (Amazon) and full-time employer (Google) interviews.
Why Technology? I have always liked technology - I minored in computer science and have taught myself a lot of computer programming. Additionally, the ability to build products and solutions with limited resources requires companies to rapidly innovate - I like being in that environment. I enjoy product management because it is a good blend of technical and business skills as well as strategy and execution.
-Sandra Nguyen, Communications Manager, Parker Career Management Center
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