Student Stories
Anderson's Diversity Was the Right Fit for Me
ASA EVP Jennifer Bae tells Poets & Quants, "What really sold me was that when I visited Anderson, it honestly, just felt right"
Another Successful Showcase for the UCLA Anderson Accelerator
Ten new companies make their public debut at the Spring Showcase
Q&A: Lisa Liu ('19)
Lisa Liu interned at Facebook on the company’s strategic planning and analytics team in the data center.
This Fund Makes It Possible to Pursue an MBA and a Social Impact Career
The Haskamp Effect
Self-Mastery in Leadership Means Giving and Understanding
2018 John Wooden Global Leadership Fellow Ryan Tan (UCLA-NUS EMBA ’19)
How One U.S. Army Vet Is Helping Fellow Soldiers to Cope with Pain
Entrepreneur Michael Lui (’10) founded a mission-driven startup and is developing a topical pain reliever as a safe alternative to opioids
U-Defi Takes Knapp Finals
The bio-custom skin care line took top honors and $15,000. Team MiVue wins inaugural Muse Innovation Award
Chenjie Ding ('19)
A first-year MBA learns the ropes and builds trust at UCLA Anderson orientation
Accelerator Cohort
U-Defi
is an innovative personalized anti-aging skincare that is scientifically formulated to your unique skin biomarker profile. U-Defi - the tailor-made suit of your skincare!
U-Defi Inspiration
Cohort
As a team of female founders, we are passionate about helping every woman feel confident in her own unique skin. The current model of skincare is expensive and one-size-fits all. U-Defi will take the guessing game out of your skincare routine using our scientific approach. Upon signing up for the U-Defi subscription, a test kit will be mailed to your home to collect your skin samples using non-invasive adhesive tapes. Once we receive the test kit, the laboratory will analyze your skin samples for relevant biomarkers. We then translate this information into a cream formulation that is uniquely just for you. And then voila, the cream will be shipped to your door step!
MiVue
is the first smart otoscope that uses AI to diagnose ear infections at home.
MiVUE Inspiration
Cohort
Founder Jane Zhang saw the need for this device when her young son suffered from recurring ear infections, and one severe episode that took 4 lines of antibiotics and 6 weeks to resolve. After talking to many more parents, we discovered that Jane was not alone, and parents were eager to track symptoms at home. MiVUE provides transparency into ENT symptoms and will one day be able to diagnose ear infections at home. MiVUE was awarded the $25,000 Muse Innovation Fellowship for technology and placed 3rd in the Knapp Venture Competition.
Our mission is to empower patients, especially parents of sick children, through sensing and understanding their child's health. MiVUE leverages advanced deep learning and biosensors to achieve this diagnosis.
Nutopia Foundation Limited
is the first public blockchain designed to reorganize the entertainment industry around blockchain technology. Similar to the concept of an operating system, NUTOPIA is a platform that enables interaction between traditional industry roles, developers and content consumers to create a more transparent, more open industry.
NUTOPIA
Cohort
NUTOPIA is a public blockchain that is perpendicular to the entertainment industry. It is also a decentralized, blockchain-based operating system designed specifically for the entertainment industry. In the NUTOPIA world, there is no central server, and there is no centralized platform. The new industrial structure empowered by the blockchain will become reality.
Find out more about Nutopia here.
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
Media veteran Sylvia Saw McKaige (’11) raises journalism standards in Myanmar
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
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Read the AnswersKota Uyeda (’19)
President of HBA
Kota Uyeda (’19)
I am a health care fellow with the UCLA Technology Development Group, and I served as president of UCLA Anderson’s Healthcare Business Association.
What’s your one-sentence definition of success?
Success is living a life of purpose and having a positive impact on those around you.
Why did you decide to get an MBA?
I wanted to add to my business skill set and learn from classmates with a wide range of experiences ― to understand the different lenses through which people see the world. It is important to understand our unconscious biases and work across differences in morality, culture and individual experiences.
What will you remember most fondly about your UCLA Anderson experience?
One of my fondest moments at Anderson was traveling to Chile for our capstone field study project. My team and I learned first hand how complex and nuanced the grape industry is. We all brought different skills and backgrounds to the table, which helped us produce a comprehensive recommendation to our client. We also had a blast visiting vineyards, stargazing in the desert and eating traditional Chilean BBQ.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?
Stay curious. Develop a growth mindset and broaden your thinking, whether through continued education or deep conversations with friends. Become a better manager by caring and being curious about the people you work with.
What do you think is the most exciting new opportunity in the business of health care?
The potential of personalized medicine. With continued progress in understanding the human genome, diagnostics and the social determinants of health, the treatment and prevention of illnesses will rapidly improve ― particularly where traditional interventions tailored to developed countries are too generic to effectively solve medical problems in underrepresented communities. I am excited to see how advances in technology will accelerate the growth and reach of personalized health care solutions domestically and globally.
Read the AnswersJasmine X. Guo (’19)
President of AMSA
Jasmine X. Guo (’19)
I’m a talent acquisition professional with a volunteer spirit. The philosophy that guides where I want to invest my time and energy is based on Gandhi’s mantra, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
What’s your one-sentence definition of success?
Success is knowing you did your best, while being your best self, to achieve any goal you’ve set, while remembering to spread love and positivity along the way.
Why did you decide to get an MBA?
The MBA is a personal investment to grow as a compassionate and self-aware leader, as well as develop the business acumen and strength to exercise my voice at the table. In these two golden years I established relationships with such strong, humbling, intellectually curious and authentic individuals.
Why did you want to serve in the Anderson Student Association?
Serving as president of the Asian Management Student Association was a highlight of my Anderson experience! AMSA is the largest and oldest identity organization at Anderson — it was incredibly fulfilling to use this platform to create a network of engaged students, alumni and prominent business leaders who are interested in initiatives that affect Asian-Americans in business as well as the cultural community.
What was the most valuable aspect of serving as a Riordan Programs mentor?
The Riordan MBA Fellows Program shed light on the importance of starting mentorship initiatives early. By spending high-quality time together, understanding my mentee’s mindset and goals, and sharing my relevant experiences, encouragement and insights, I was able to offer motivation to help her see that the world is her oyster.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?
I admire and respect LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner’s philosophy of leading with compassion. When I worked at LinkedIn, he taught me that while a manager tells you what to do, a leader inspires you to do it. We need successful leaders who can say, “That’s the mountain we’re going to climb together, this is the reason we’re climbing it, this is why it’s never been done, and this is why we’re going to be successful.”
Read the AnswersVan T. Nguyen (FEMBA ’19)
Co-Founder U-Defi
Van T. Nguyen (FEMBA ’19)
Co-Founder, U-Defi
A biotech entrepreneur and former project manager, I co-founded U-Defi, an award-winning personalized skin care product scientifically formulated to an individual’s unique skin biomarker.
What’s your one-sentence definition of entrepreneurship?
When someone has the courage to go outside defined boundaries, whether in an established company or in a garage, to come up with new and innovative solutions to real-world problems.
What three things have you learned in the UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator that have been most helpful to incubating your company?
The UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator helped our company to sharpen our business pitches, marketing strategy and business model. It enabled us to leverage UCLA-wide resources such as the Magnify Lab. And the Accelerator introduced us to the broader startup ecosystem in Southern California.
In the life of your startup so far, what is the most encouraging milestone and what is the most challenging setback?
The most encouraging milestone was winning the 2018 Knapp Venture Competition . It helped to validate our business plan, draw attention to our efforts and access resources that have propelled us forward. The challenge was not having lab space early on, which delayed our efforts to launch the beta test and product trial. If we were a software startup, we could have prototyped our product in a garage. As a science-based startup, we needed access to a lab to run samples and refine our algorithm.
What is the most important skill that we should be teaching our students today?
Self-awareness. MBAs step into the business world equipped with skill sets to solve business challenges but, without being self-aware, we can’t know the areas in which we still need to grow and might need help.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?
Throughout my career, I’ve received sometimes conflicting advice on how to solve problems and what opportunities to take advantage of. The best piece of advice I’ve received is to choose which of those pieces of advice to take because, at the end of the day, I’m the person who knows my circumstances best.
Read the AnswersAndrew 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.
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Read the AnswersBo 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.
A Place for Women in India’s Dynamic FinTech Space
In collaboration with IDEO, an MBA field study team explored human-centered design solutions for low-income women in countries around the globe
A Strategy to Encourage Sustainable Production of Rubber in Indonesia
UCLA Anderson MBA team and Conservation International partnered to benefit communities and businesses by protecting nature
MBA Consultants Research Southeast Asia “Fragile Zones” for Greater Foreign Investment
We are researching how to promote foreign investment in conflict-affected zones in Southeast Asia, focusing on Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar.
Conversations That Matter
Guy Kawasaki ('79)
Expert advice for fellow entrepreneurs from the UCLA Anderson Inspirational 100 alumnus who changed technology marketing
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
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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