Student Stories
Chenjie Ding ('19)
A first-year MBA learns the ropes and builds trust at UCLA Anderson orientation
Jenny Leung ('18)
The co-founder of BellaNové won second place in the prestiguious LMI-Sandler Prize for entrepreneurship
Success Stories
From Custom to Customizable
L&L Barbecue's Elisia Flores ('14) took her family's business in delicious new directions
Authentic Momentum
Entertainment industry pro Vicki Liao ('11) reengaged with Anderson as she commits to prosocial causes
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Media veteran Sylvia Saw McKaige (’11) raises journalism standards in Myanmar
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Rashmi Chaturvedi's ('15) Kaygen Inc. receives USPAACC Excellence Award as a Fast 100 Asian-American business
John Wooden Global Leadership Fellow Sana Rahim ('19) says her roots challenged and motivated her
Mike Kim ('17) and Theo Lee ('17) developed KPOP Foods to honor their heritage and delight their friends
Five Questions With
Andrew Chan (B.S. ’05, ’13)
Manager, Deloitte Digital
Major, U.S. Army
Andrew Chan (B.S. ’05, ’13)
Manager, Deloitte Digital
Major, U.S. Army
Why did you decide to get an MBA?
Getting an MBA was a part of my plan to transition from active military service to pursue a career aligned with technology. I graduated from UCLA with a degree in mechanical engineering, was stationed in Korea and deployed to Iraq. At Anderson, I was able to combine my technology undergraduate training with my military leadership and management experience, while gaining an underlying business foundation.
What is the most important skill we should be teaching our students today?
Being part of the Deloitte Digital team has allowed me to see how pervasive the digital world is. More than ever, students should be acutely aware that their name will be their brand, especially in the business world. Personal brand management and the management of your professional brand as you engage with diverse audiences worldwide is a key skill Anderson should be teaching today.
What three things did you learn at Anderson that have been most helpful to you in your career?
- How to identify my career goals and achieve them through structured and formalized networking
- A solid understanding of business fundamentals, including finance, marketing and operations
- The importance of brand management as we embarked on our careers
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever gotten?
Never stop learning. I see it every day as the digital world evolves and inspires new possibilities. Continuing education is essential in challenging your point of view and expanding your mind. I grow through industry updates, Twitter and even courses like the Command and General Staff course that the military provides. Always seek to learn and grow through continuing education.
How did your experience as a veteran help you in your journey at UCLA Anderson?
In the army I had the opportunity to lead more than 200 troops. I learned that when time is limited, it’s better to move forward with 80 percent of the information than to wait for all of it and possibly miss critical deadlines. That lesson directly translated to success in group projects and presentations. Being in the military gave me the confidence to take action. That was definitely helpful when working through case studies and group leadership opportunities.
Bo Cross ('16)
Operations Manager, Lyft
Lieutenant Junior Grade, U.S. Navy
Bo Cross (’16)
Operations Lead, Lyft
Lieutenant Junior Grade, U.S. Navy
What’s your one-sentence definition of success?
Success is being happy with the delta between where you started and where you are now.
Why did you decide to get an MBA?
After the Navy, I wanted to build a good foundation of business knowledge to tie in with my leadership experience I gained in the military. I wanted to be as confident in my business skills as I was with my people skills and my Anderson experience helped me achieve that goal. In fact, I can honestly say that, without my MBA, I wouldn’t be able to do my job. Every day I use tools that I learned in class, and it has allowed me to personally contribute to the growth of Lyft, which is really gratifying!
What is the most important class/topic/skill that we should be teaching our students today?
Every day, people are asked to make decisions in scenarios where there’s lots of data and facts that may actually be irrelevant. A skill that students today can certainly utilize is the ability to sift through this noise. Don’t be too quick to make a judgement, simply based on what you initially see or hear. Make sure you understand the scenario, the people you are interacting with, the entire picture before making a judgment at first glance.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever gotten?
If you get knocked down, get back up. In the military, you are judged by the outcome, so it’s important to finish what you start, even if you encounter obstacles along the way. At Officer Candidate School I learned that, no matter how difficult things got, it was only temporary. I now know that with persistence you can push through any barrier to achieve the outcome you desire.
Tell us how your experience as a veteran helped you in your journey at UCLA Anderson.
My experience as a veteran encouraged me to be fearless when it came to challenging myself by putting myself in uncomfortable situations. During orientation week, I found other veterans and built a connection based on our common experiences. In addition to that welcome camaraderie, my military experience gave me an overall confidence to share my point of view in class, to speak in front of groups, and to stay calm during the routine homework and final exam "fire drills".
Bo Cross ('16)
Operations Manager, Lyft
Lieutenant Junior Grade, U.S. Navy
Bo Cross (’16)
Operations Lead, Lyft
Lieutenant Junior Grade, U.S. Navy
What’s your one-sentence definition of success?
Success is being happy with the delta between where you started and where you are now.
Why did you decide to get an MBA?
After the Navy, I wanted to build a good foundation of business knowledge to tie in with my leadership experience I gained in the military. I wanted to be as confident in my business skills as I was with my people skills and my Anderson experience helped me achieve that goal. In fact, I can honestly say that, without my MBA, I wouldn’t be able to do my job. Every day I use tools that I learned in class, and it has allowed me to personally contribute to the growth of Lyft, which is really gratifying!
What is the most important class/topic/skill that we should be teaching our students today?
Every day, people are asked to make decisions in scenarios where there’s lots of data and facts that may actually be irrelevant. A skill that students today can certainly utilize is the ability to sift through this noise. Don’t be too quick to make a judgement, simply based on what you initially see or hear. Make sure you understand the scenario, the people you are interacting with, the entire picture before making a judgment at first glance.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever gotten?
If you get knocked down, get back up. In the military, you are judged by the outcome, so it’s important to finish what you start, even if you encounter obstacles along the way. At Officer Candidate School I learned that, no matter how difficult things got, it was only temporary. I now know that with persistence you can push through any barrier to achieve the outcome you desire.
Tell us how your experience as a veteran helped you in your journey at UCLA Anderson.
My experience as a veteran encouraged me to be fearless when it came to challenging myself by putting myself in uncomfortable situations. During orientation week, I found other veterans and built a connection based on our common experiences. In addition to that welcome camaraderie, my military experience gave me an overall confidence to share my point of view in class, to speak in front of groups, and to stay calm during the routine homework and final exam "fire drills".
Applied Management Research Field Study
Whether evaluating new models for microfinance, improving foreign supply chain efficiency or evaluating growth and expansion strategies, UCLA Anderson's pro-social international field study projects make a real, immediate and often profound impact.
MBA consultants researched Southeast Asia “fragile zones” for greater foreign investment
Forté Fellow Lisa Tang ('18) says global immersion was the embodiment of her MBA experience
Anderson students teamed with UCLA Center for World Health to drive sustainable solutions in Southeast Asia
Conversations That Matter
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Guy Kawasaki ('79)
Expert advice for fellow entrepreneurs from the UCLA Anderson Inspirational 100 alumnus who changed technology marketing
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Indra Nooyi
The chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, who received Anderson's John Wooden Global Leadership Award, shares wisdom about her company's global strategy
Gurcharan Das
The best-selling author and management guru explains why business leaders' humility is more important than their intelligence
Community Stories
Paul Hsieh (Ph.D. '70), Yvonne Hsieh ('03) and David Schumacher ('03) celebrated Dr. Hsieh's 80th birthday with a gift to name the Hsieh Family Foyer in the new Marion Anderson Hall
Hangzhou-born former journalist Chenjie Ding ('19) chimed in with fellow MBA students on International Women's Day, finding unity amid cultural distinctions
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Events
Annual Event
Lunar New Year
UCLA Anderson students celebrates Lunar New Year at Anderson Afternoons, complete with traditions like the Chinese lion dance
Center for Global Management Event
Greater China Business Conference
The annual Wilbur K. Woo Greater China Business Conference explores the challenges and opportunities in U.S.-China cross-border business and investment
On one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, in a global city teeming with energy and brimming with opportunity, risks are taken, doors are opened and anything is possible. In ways large and small, across the street or around the world, UCLA Optimists are making the world better for everyone.
Learn How We Champion and Celebrate Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
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