Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.

John Wooden

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Adrian Craciun

External Representative, Section 1, Class of 2013

emil.craciun.2013@anderson.ucla.edu

Adrian Craciun is a Senior Analyst at Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO), one of the world’s largest investment management firms, where he has worked for the last five years. While at PIMCO, Adrian has been involved in several company-driven ventures, including the newly launched Advisory and Equity businesses. He is currently responsible for leading a global compliance risk program. He has received his B.S. in Business Finance from Chapman University in Orange, CA. In his spare time (who would’ve thought such a thing exists???), Adrian serves on the board of Project Access a state wide non-profit organization providing services to residents of “low-income” housing. Adrian has also recently joined the board of Future Leaders of Our Community, a non-profit organization aimed at bringing awareness, inspiration and participation opportunities for young professionals in local communities. At Anderson, Adrian is pursuing his interests in corporate strategy and consulting. With whatever time is left after work and school, Adrian spends time with his wife Lindsey and with friends.

Courtney Cappa

Internal Representative, Section 1, Class of 2013

courtney.cappa.2013@anderson.ucla.edu

Courtney Cappa is an east-coaster who transplanted to sunny So Cal in 2005 because she couldn't take Boston's harsh winters anymore! Courtney graduated from Boston College with a BA in Communications and then made the unlikely next step of accepting a position with Ernst & Young as an auditor. Through the Ernst & Young "Your Master Plan" program, Courtney earned an MS in Accounting from the University of Virginia and spent the next three years working for E&Y in Boston. Then in 2005 the opportunity to work for 18 months as a contractor at The Walt Disney Company presented itself and she headed west. After 18 months, Courtney joined Disney as a Manager in the Corporate Management Audit group and was recently promoted to her current position of Senior Manager. Most of her time at work is spent in the Media Networks segment of Disney. In what little free time is left between work and FEMBA, Courtney enjoys running, triathlons, watching television (hey, when you work in media and entertainment, it's like research!), cheering on her sports teams (Boston College, Red Sox and Patriots!) and spending time with friends and family.

Communications

Japneet Kaur

Social Representative, Section 1, Class of 2013

japneet.kaur.2013@anderson.ucla.edu

Japneet Kaur is a Manager of Financial Payments and Retail Banking at a boutique management consulting firm, Cognilytics Inc. At Cognilytics, her primary responsibilities include deciphering and leveraging data to recommend solutions and expansion opportunities for clients. Prior to joining Cognilytics, Japneet was responsible for developing marketing strategy initiatives at firms such as Washington Mutual and HSBC Bank. Japneet received a BA in Mass Communications at UC Berkeley (Go Bears!!). In her spare time, she likes trying new food, meeting new people and going to comedy clubs (laughter really IS the best medicine).

Ankush Prakash

External Representative, Section 2, Class of 2013

ankush.prakash.2013@anderson.ucla.edu

After surviving Engineering at the University of Waterloo in Canada, Ankush joined Qualcomm’s Mobile Chipset division in San Diego where he is a Team Lead for chipsets that power, among others, the Nexus One and the Droid smart-phones. He also sits on the board of the Scripps Whittier Institute for Diabetes, where he has been passionately involved in fundraising towards Diabetes research and treatment since 2006. Having grown up in Canada, Nigeria and India, Ankush now hopes to make Anderson his 7th institution of learning. Lest that sound smart, don’t forget that he continues to cheer on the Jays, Chargers and the Leafs under the delusion that he may someday witness one of them win a championship! Before FEMBA, when he had spare time, Ankush enjoyed reading non-fiction and was an avid racquet-sports enthusiast. While his long-term goal remains to take Las Vegas for all its worth at Craps, he is now focused on trying to make the most of the FEMBA experience for himself and those around him through his role in the FEMBA Council and other hours of happiness.

Shiva Arunachalam

Internal Representative, Section 2, Class of 2013

shiva.arunachalam.2013@anderson.ucla.edu

Shiva Arunachalam lives his life by what he calls the “Three-way approach to complete living”, focusing on Creative, Social and Professional pursuits. Having grown up all over the world, Canada, India, the Middle East and the U.S., the global music scene inspires to get the best out of him creatively; Shiva plays the Mridangam and the Keyboard, is an avid blogger and photographer for over six years now and has his own comic strip called the “Teen Amigos” (Teen read as three in Hindi). From a social perspective, he has been working with villages and NGOs in India to spread a sustainable model for agriculture for over three years now and in educational projects for over half a decade. Completing the troika are his Professional pursuits; he currently works in a startup, Nomis Solutions, in the Valley as a Product Manager, designing products that helps Banks price their loans and credit cards better. He considers Larry David as a comic idol, and swears by the Indian cricket team, especially Sachin Tendulkar. With so many balls in the air, his family and friends are key to helping him stay grounded. Shiva is captivated by Brand Management and hopes to make a career in it one day. And yes, he has a Masters and Bachelors in Engineering, so this MBA in about two years would complete his academic pursuits as well; though you can never rule out that Phd.

David Yanko

Social Representative, Section 2, Class of 2013

david.yanko.2013@anderson.ucla.edu

Dave Yanko is a Senior Account Executive at One Eighteen Advertising in Los Angeles. He brings an extensive background in media and consumer products, having spent his career working on some of the world's largest brands. Fresh off the boat from Buffalo, NY, he has debunked what he calls the L.A. traffic "myth" by being able to walk to work. He explains: "Less time on the commute means more time for our clients!" Naturally, if Dave could have any superpower it would be teleportation. He has a dual Bachelor's Degree in Media Studies and Spanish from The State University of New York at Geneseo, and plans to specialize in Marketing and International Business at Anderson.

Emad Hasan

External Representative, Section 3, Class of 2013

emad.hasan.2013@anderson.ucla.edu

For the last six years Emad's experience has been in the aerospace industry. He is also a proud alumnus of Penn State as well as RPI with a background in Electrical Engineering. His work experiences have included research and development jobs for Sikorsky aircraft and Boeing. At Sikorsky he spent three years working on the latest and greatest fly-by-wire technology. After getting the program at Sikorsky to a successful start Emad moved to Boeing where he has been working on GPS and Communication satellites. For his graduate degree in Engineering he specialized in designing autonomous navigation and optimization algorithms for small robots.

Alex Valente

Internal Representative, Section 3, Class of 2013

alexander.valente.2013@anderson.ucla.edu

Like most other FEMBA's, Alex is a professional actor here in Los Angeles. He also runs a tennis instruction business so he has something to do in the precious few hours he's not working in film and television. Alex is pursuing a Real Estate track at UCLA Anderson and is a Board Member in the Anderson Real Estate Association as well as the Jewish Business Student Association. Alex loves and is very proud to be a FEMBA.

Ben Larson

Social Representative, Section 3, Class of 2013

benjamin.larson.2013@anderson.ucla.edu

Ben Larson was born in a one-room log cabin on a farm in Kentucky. No, wait, that’s Abe Lincoln. Ben did grow up on a farm in Illinois, however, and he served in the Illinois Air National Guard. In 2003 he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music. A few van tours later, he enrolled at the University of California, Irvine, where he competed on the Mock Trial team. Ben took to the road again in 2009, working as an adventure travel guide for Suntrek Tours. He is currently a Project Manager at Technicolor Digital Content Delivery in Burbank, CA. Ben holds a BS in Physics from Illinois State University, and a BA in Philosophy from UCI. He is probably most famous leading the country through the American Civil War. Okay, no, that’s Abe Lincoln again.

Grace Chang

External Representative, Section 4, Class of 2013

grace.chang.2013@anderson.ucla.edu

Grace Chang is a Colorado-native who loves the outdoors, enjoys cooking, seeks adventure, and hankers for the next road trip. Grace graduated from University of Southern California with a BS in Business Economics. Prior to attending Anderson, Grace worked at Countrywide Financial in the Global Risk Management division. Subsequently, Grace spent three years as a pricing strategy specialist hedging the portfolio of The Ryland Group before transitioning into her current role as Strategy Manager for the North American Concert division of Live Nation Entertainment. At UCLA Anderson, Grace is pursuing her interests in corporate strategy and business development. In her spare time, Grace enjoys traveling, biking, and exploring LA’s culinary scene.

David Hoffman

Internal Representative, Section 4, Class of 2013

david.hoffman.2013@anderson.ucla.edu

David currently is a lead software developer Ease Entertainment in Beverly Hills where he creates accounting and payroll software for television and movie productions. Prior to joining Ease, he worked as a Technical consultant at Cornerstone OnDemand and helped implement their learning and talent management software in several different countries. After working at these two startups, he decided to go to Anderson to focus entrepreneurship in hopes of starting a business of his own. David is a two time Bruin. He received his BS from UCLA with a degree in Computer Science and Engineering. He also earned his Master’s in Computer Science from Loyola Marymount University. In his spare time he likes to compete in triathlons, travel, and play basketball.

Granaz Ziaghazvini

Social Representative, Section 4, Class of 2013

granaz.ziaghazvini.2013@anderson.ucla.edu

Granaz is an Electrical Engineer at P2S Engineering in Long Beach. She designs power and lighting systems for schools and office buildings. She also does green building design and energy analysis for buildings. Prior to joining P2S, Granaz was an Electrical Project Engineer at WD Partners in Irvine where she designed restaurants, retail stores, grocery stores, and c-stores among others. Granaz was born and raised in Iran and left the country for Canada when she was 19. She obtained her Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. Shortly thereafter, she moved to southern California. In her spare time, Granaz loves to travel and meet new people. She's also very energetic and enjoys lending a helping hand whenever possible.