A ClearView of University of Californiamedia.virbcdn.com/files/da/FileItem-258118-FiatLux1.pdf · 2013-05-01 · This ebook is comprised of select postings from our site’s section

Fiat Lux A ClearView on the University of California

This ebook is comprised of select postings from our site’s section “A ClearView from Alumni” about the University California. Their motto is Fiat Lux – Let There Be Light, and we share this vision to shed light on UC. There are countless individuals who have graduated from the UC system that have graced the world with amazing achievements and innovations. Nobel prize winners, distinguished humanitarians, and captains of industry and innovation. We’ve left out far more than we’ve included, but we believe you’ll find an interesting set of perspectives, which highlights one of the school’s most invaluable assets – diversity. The University of California is one of the best institutions in the world, and we hope that after you read this ebook, you’ll find this truth even more real. Thanks for reading.

ClearView Prep

Acknowledgements This book is far from being complete, but we would like to thank these individuals in the pages following who have taken the time out to share. We believe these individuals are the hallmarks of higher education and this book is an acknowledgement of their contributions. Being the first book created by ClearView Prep, these individuals are foundational in our effort to share real experiences in learning and higher education to give the community a “clear view” from our own experiences. This book is part of the beginning, and we hope it will make a huge impact and is dedicated to alumni exhibited here, alumni everywhere, and the alumni of the future.

Ian Nguyen Analyst, Belvedere Investment Partners UC San Diego, Economics, B.A. ‘07 1. What do you love most about your experience at school?! I loved the friendships I built. Some of these relationships have become a very integral part of my life presently and in the foreseeable future. My closest friend from UCSD was my co-worker and roommate after graduation, is currently my business partner in several ventures and is also an uncle to my daughter. The relationships I have garnered during my struggles and triumphs at UCSD are irreplaceable. !!2. What was an unexpected surprise you found out about your school after you got there?

!I did not anticipate the invaluable and diverse social and professional networks that I eventually built. UCSD’s plethora of interest groups

provided an outlet of much needed diversity in an otherwise dry academic environment. It was also refreshing for me personally as I grew up in a relatively small isolated town (Chico, CA). I was fortunate enough to foster enduring relationships with people whom I had common interests and goals by joining various societies, clubs, associations etc. In particular, my unforgettable experience as a brother of the business fraternity of Delta Sigma Pi (Omicron Sigma Chapter) has led to life-long relationships. I even met my closest friend and business partner through the fraternity along with many others whom I actively stay in contact with today.

!!3. What challenge(s) did you face while attending your school?

!The biggest challenge was the competitive environment of going to and coming from a public university that is outside of the top tier rankings of public universities and Ivy Leagues. Grades at UCSD are distributed on a bell-curve, which is not only detrimental to GPAs but a disadvantage in comparison to more equitable grading systems of many private universities. This is important to the perspective of employers because

getting a 4.0 GPA at UCSD could be comparable to a 3.0 GPA at top tier universities so anything less than that becomes border-line mediocre. From the start I had serious shortcomings to peers at more prestigious institutions. In hindsight, I erroneously did not front-load my achievements to get into a top-tier university. This thrust me into a punishing tertiary education grading process that compounded an arduous challenge for achievements to be able to compete with peers in top ranked universities. I would eventually achieve my end-goal but with less finesse than the more traditional path.

4. What would you tell yourself if you were a 1st year all over again?

!I would tell myself to either (1) transfer to a more prestigious university before my third-year (i.e. UC Berkeley or UCLA) or (2) maximize all that UCSD has to offer to minimize the disadvantages to competing peers graduating from more esteemed universities. Elaborating further on the latter includes the following: declare the most prestigious major at UCSD (Bio-Engineering); Study abroad as many times as possible within a 4-

year graduation schedule; actively participate in as many associations, clubs and societies etc. relevant to my career interests to build networks; intern in as many résumé / CV accretive opportunities as possible starting from the summer prior to freshman year until receiving an offer letter for the dream job; undertake applied graduate courses to work with a more mature peer group on practical team-work oriented projects; build relationships with all of my professors to have an edge on coursework and to possibly garner some “insurance” on exam mistakes; take practical courses to build the technical skill-sets of my future job to avoid employer doubt (i.e. write the CFA, take courses or self-learning training modules of Wall-street level valuation models, personally invest and actively manage a securities portfolio; actively participate in the UCSD Student Foundation Investment Committee which manages the Student Foundation endowment portfolio in equity and fixed-income securities); reach out to all successful alumni in careers that match my ambitions to get solid mentorship while leveraging their collective experience in successfully breaking-into their dream jobs.

5. How has your school changed your life?

!UCSD indirectly impacted my life by challenging me to “think outside the box” in order to compete in the finance / investment banking industries against candidates with more favorable pedigrees. Without the infrastructure, guidance and powerful alumni networks of top-tier universities, I had to challenge myself as an underdog by seeking creative avenues to break into the finance industry. Examples of such include the following: I worked 20 - 40 hours per week at Citibank while still studying as a full-time student; I sought out and was awarded a scholarship grant to do research on Vietnam’ banking industry in Vietnam that ultimately helped me build a professional network of executives that I would eventually leverage in my career; While a brother at Delta Sigma Pi, I spearheaded the creation of a Corporate Relations Chair to facilitate corporate HR / recruiter relationships with UCSD which also gave me the opportunity and excuse to interact with corporate recruiters; I took graduate courses to build a network of experienced professionals aspiring to similar goals and gain insightful career preparation knowledge; I

attended recruitment events at more prestigious universities in other cities to arrange opportunities to meet with recruiters of investment banks that ignore UCSD. From the process of attacking these various challenges, I continue to drive myself to persistently compete in the business and professional landscape with a tenacious passion. This has ultimately led to my relatively unconventional and contrarian personality that fits well with the eccentricity of a hedge fund career and the constant creative-destructive process of entrepreneurship.

!!P.S.

!In 2004 after my freshman year, I went to Singapore and then Vietnam on my first Asia trip and was fascinated in the juxtaposing economic development. I wanted to better understand the processes of how frontier economies emerge into developed nations. Although the Economics discipline is academic and even borderline controversial it provided the base framework for how I interpret the tectonic geo-political shifts in the world.

Favorite Book(s) in College:

The Private Life of Chairman Mao - Dr. Li Zhisui

Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets - Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Favorite Song in College:

Yeah! - Usher

Presently Ian Nguyen is an Analyst for Belvedere Investment Partners LLP (UK), an FSA regulated hedge fund manager (AUM US$ 100m) currently employing a long / short equity strategy in Southeast Asian markets. He joined the fund in 2011 and is currently the only investment professional based in Singapore where he provides direct input into investment decisions of long and short equity positions through bottom-up fundamental research on companies and sectors as well as analyzing derivatives hedging strategies.

Ian is also a Board Member, Strategic Financial Adviser, a significant minority shareholder and co-founder of Euro International (Vietnam) via Dynatrade Limited (HK), a lifestyle products importer, distributor and retailer with 6 exclusive brands, ~30 wholly-owned retail locations in department stores / malls, >50 third-party retailers, a supermarket network of >150, and employs over 100 staff where he currently spearheads capital raising efforts, advises on financial control processes and market expansion opportunities in Southeast Asia. Prior to joining Belvedere Investment Partners, Ian was Vice President of D2 Capital Partners (Vietnam, an investment advisory partnership co-founded in 2009 with former senior executives of Merrill Lynch and CIBC / Oppenheimer focused on M&A and Private Equity transactions where he led a team of associates and analysts on deal execution and industry research in a multitude of industries as well as managing relationships with the Southeast Asia Heads of regional / global Private Equity GP managers. From 2008 - 2009 Ian was a Senior Associate in the Institutional Client Group’s Sales & Trading desk at TVS Securities (Vietnam) executing brokerage services to institutional clients as well as principle investment

transactions in equity and fixed income securities. Before joining TVS, Ian was a Management Associate at Citigroup (Vietnam) as a dealer on the EM Fixed Income, Currencies & Commodities desk where he executed currency trades (spot and forward) and structured currency and interest rate derivatives products (i.e. options, swaps) for the bank’s clients.

Marcio von Muhlen Lead Product Manager, Doximity UC Berkeley, Bioengineering, B.S. ’05, MIT, Bioengineering Ph.D. ‘10

1. What do you love most about your experience at school?

Berkeley has a lot to offer, and it was the diversity of experiences that made it most attractive to me. World-class faculty, division I sports, brilliant and cultured students, a lively social scene, and a beautiful campus in the SF Bay Area all make it, in my humble opinion, the best college in the world.

2. What was an unexpected surprise you found out about your school after you got there?

I knew very little about the college experience and I faced surprises every day. One that still resonates with me is how different other students with different backgrounds and from different places were to the students I was accustomed to in my high school.

3. What challenge(s) did you face while attending your school?

Balancing classwork, extracurriculars, and a social life is never easy, but it was especially difficult in a place that offered huge opportunities in all three of those areas. I managed to prioritize what I felt was most important (not grades), and I was pleased with the results.


You’re in for a wild ride!


Berkeley fundamentally shaped my personal and professional networks and outlooks. I am very happy with where I am now and my time in Berkeley was instrumental in getting me here.

P .S.

I already knew I was interested in engineering and medicine, so bioengineering seemed like a good way to approach that.

Favorite Book in College:

The Dharma Bums - Jack Kerouac


Led Zeppelin - The Song Remains the Same

Marcio is a product manager at Doximity. He recently completed a PhD in bioengineering at MIT, where he built a solid-state biosensor for early- cancer diagnosis. He is passionate about applying technology to medicine.

He was born and raised in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and currently lives in San Francisco, California.

Wilbur Ho Senior Manufacturing Supervisor - Roche Singapore Tech Operation UC Davis, Biochemical Engineering, B.S. ‘02


Davis is a true college town. With the biggest campus in the University of California system in relative isolation, Davis sees a large percentage of the students living on campus. For those 4 years my friends and I called the same place home. We lived and spent weekends together. Those friendships will truly last for a lifetime. It’s away from the hustle and bustle of the city which was great for helping me focus on my studies. Yet it’s close enough (90 minutes drive to San Francisco) when I craved for city life. Davis boasts as bike capital of the US. So it’s laid back with a strong vibrant vibe for academic.


Before I got there, I knew that UC Davis is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 public universities in the US with a really strong program in biology. Its veterinary school is the largest and ranks 2nd (Next to Cornell) in the nation. I was expecting an excellent education for value. I was surprised to see the influence the school has both locally and internationally. My faculty professors were well respected in the biotech companies in the area who eventually helped me to land my first job in Genentech/Roche, a great company I am still working for today.


Study/Life balance. Davis, being a public university, offers tremendous diversity. I met undergraduates in tip top shape academically, graduates who were immensely passionate about their work, as well as students living the social life college has to offer, barely meeting the minimum. I had to stay

disciplined to keep up with my studies. College might be the first time a lot of students (especially overseas) having total freedom and independence away from home, so it’s important to develop a routine that works.


I would start asking myself the big (and difficult) questions – What am I good at and feel passionate about? College was the best time to explore to find the answers. I was interested in viticulture so I interned 2 summers in a winery. At some point, I knew that I wanted to be part of providing medicine that helps people’s life. The intern experiences turned out to be enormously valuable but not directly in biotech. I would tell myself to make the most out of my time. Develop industry contacts. Maximize your experience. Join a club. I met some really smart and dedicated people when I was there and wish I had met more. Davis might not provide you the powerful alumni network of ivy league schools. But any Asian overseas student will find themselves sharing the same values with the large percentage of Asians in the student body.

!5. How has your school changed your life?

!It is true that I rarely, if ever, have to solve the same engineering problem I learnt in class again in the workplace. What I have learnt is the right mindset and knowing the right resource, contacts to figure it out as I go. Most importantly be undaunted by the tasks at hand. Asian culture focuses on academic results. Being in a large public institution, UC Davis forced me to interact with a large diversity and appreciate different cultures. Everyone had an interesting story to tell. My network is now a tremendous asset and a positive force in my life.


Doyle Brunson’s Super System: A Course in Power Poker, 3rd Edition

!Favorite Song in College:

!Cam’Ron - Hey Ma

Wilbur is currently a Senior Supervisor in Roche Singapore where he is responsible for safe and quality compliant production of medicines for cancer and vision loss. He was sent out to Singapore in 2008 to startup and commission a facility (later won ISPE Facility of the Year award) from construction to US FDA approval to produce medicine worth over $1 Billion USD in sales per year for Roche/Genentech. Prior to Singapore, he designed and executed process and automation engineering solutions in biologics manufacturing for Genentech in San Francisco. Wilbur is from Hong Kong. He enjoys good food, wine, and travel for snowboarding, diving, and motorcycling.

Anthony Kunihero Principal Consultant, Epiport Communications UC Irvine, International Relations, B.A. ‘03


The academic experience was enriching with passionate professors and lecturers with diverse cultural, academic, industrial, and geographical experience. Although majority of the student body at UC Irvine are from California, a relatively large percentage of them are from immigrant families or are immigrants themselves who continue to have ties with their motherland.


10 weeks go by extremely quickly. That’s the duration of each quarter at UC Irvine and it actually provides more flexibility to add additional courses or add

new majors/minors. That’s how I added the Management and Computer Science minors into my curriculum.


Overcrowding. Registering for classes and actually getting a seat was a challenge each quarter. There was one quarter where I had 3 random classes registered just to be retaining full-time status, and waitlist 5 other classes during the first week of the quarter hoping to get a seat. Being persistent and attending these lectures continuously (while hoping for other students to drop out of the class), I usually end up with the classes I’ve registered.


I would have socialized more. As important as the courses are, a large part of the academic experience that actually makes a difference in one’s future is going to be largely determined by those he/she meets. Try out the clubs, fraternities, events, etc. If it takes too much time out of one’s study time,

gradually drop out of them but keep the enriching friendships forged. One other thing: EAP (Study abroad program). While UC Irvine’s student body is mostly domestic, one can gain world-class international experience with top academic institutions overseas for up to a year and meet interesting new friends who hail from all over the world who could make a significant impact in your life and even career mobility. I would have done it.


Deciding how to piece my academic background of International Relations, Management, and Computer Science together, I realized that it would make sense to go abroad and begin my career overseas since I didn’t realize the importance of building international ties by studying abroad during the earlier years of my education. Thus, I started submitting resumes mainly to companies with offices in Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore with the goal of living and working in Asia. After 3 years of university education, I set foot with a new job in Singapore, not knowing a single soul. It was the best decision in career preparation that I’ve made.

P.S. There was no Business Administration major during my days in college. Several years after graduating, I found out that UC Irvine has since added the program into the curriculum.


Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life - Spencer Johnson, M.D.


What’s Luv? (Fat Joe Featuring Ja-Rule & Ashanti)

Anthony Kunihiro is a Japanese-American from Los Angeles who is the founder of Epiport Communications (Marketing Research, Strategy, and Technology Consulting). His interests lie in Marketing, following business trends, web technology, new dining experiences, wine, and traveling. He primarily eats, sleeps, works, and plays in Tokyo and Singapore, however he can also be seen in other Asian cities from time to time.

Andrew Lee Senor Analyst, Hyflux UC Berkeley, Economics & Business Administration, B.A./B.S. ‘05


I loved learning how to think. In high school, so much of coursework is memorization and test-taking, with very little critical thinking and problem solving. At Berkeley, I was really humbled to discover that there is a distinct difference between simply acquiring knowledge and being a smart thinker. But I was grateful to be surrounded by so many people who were driven to be intellectually better, and who truly appreciated the difference between a good grade and learning how to think.


I was really surprised by how vibrant the culture is in Berkeley. Coming from San Diego where there is not much of a culture, Berkeley was definitely quite different. It really feels like a college town, and one that tries to keep alive the spirit that made it so notorious during the civil rights era.


I think this may be true for any public university, but the biggest challenge was really learning to be independent. Class sizes freshman year can be up to 600-700 people. Dorms are only guaranteed one year, so you have to find an apartment after that (which also means finding your own food). So you have to struggle to pave your own way. No professor is going to hand hold you. No one is going to care if you don’t attend classes. No one is going to provide food or lodging for you. Berkeley really makes you grow up and figure it out on your own.


I’m not sure if there’s anything to tell. Just enjoy college. There really isn’t another time like it, where you’re away from your parents for the first time, and surrounded by so many new and interesting people. And hopefully in a setting that is completely different from the one you grew up in. It’s a perfect time to grow and mature as a person, while making lots of mistakes that turn you into the person you’ll eventually become.


I think Berkeley has shaped the way I approach life, because it has had such a big influence on how I think and how I interact with people. I think that’s why a public school may hold an advantage over smaller, private institutions. Sure, Harvard and Stanford may have better networks for one’s career, but I think the life experience of Berkeley is just incredible. I know people who went to those elite private institutions and the prism in which they see the world is somewhat myopic, particularly because they were taken care of for

four years (and usually in a somewhat homogeneous environment). Large public universities require you to interact with people from a variety of backgrounds and it challenges you to think in different ways. It’s what has brought me to Singapore, to take on a challenge of something new and different. I think it gives you the ability to see the world in a much wider lens.


Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson


Anytime - Brian McKnight

Andrew Lee is currently a senior analyst at Hyflux Ltd, a water management company headquartered in Singapore. Andrew works on the investment team where he analyzes, structures, and negotiates business development opportunities. Prior to coming to Singapore, Andrew worked as an Associate at CE2 Capital Partners, an investment firm based in San Diego. At CE2,

Andrew analyzed investment opportunities in the carbon and renewable energy markets. Before joining CE2, Andrew worked in valuing natural gas infrastructure projects at Sempra Energy. Andrew went to Sempra from JPMorgan Private Bank, where he evaluated investment portfolios for ultra-high-net-worth clients.

You A Title You Are Proud Of, An Organization You Believe In University of California - *, Your Passion, Your Degree, Class of Now We look forward to your stories here. ClearView Prep wanted to share with you the trailblazers ahead to see you share your stories of loves, challenges, and insight with the world. We wanted to give you a ClearView on helping you make your decision about higher education. These are the questions we challenge you to ask when considering higher education. 1. Why? Is it for the name? The brand? The parties? Is it for my parents? Prove to them I’m School H material? Or is it for the experiences? The challenges and opportunities, the ups and downs, a battleground to discover and develop my character?

2. What is the teaching for? To fill up space? To pass another exam (i.e. MCAT/LSAT)? To get to a job? To boost your ego? Or… Is it to prepare for a changing world? Is it for making good decisions? Is it to change me to become a maker or a builder? 3. Will I grow? Will I have the opportunity to strive? To get out and explore? Will I be surrounded with diversity, people different from me and alumni I respect? Will I grow into someone I want to be and make a difference? The truth is location, finances, and US News Rankings are important… but what is more important than reason, learning, and your life? Please, go ahead and share this with whomever you choose. And if you “like” what we are a part, visit our ClearView Prep Facebook page. Thank you.

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A ClearView of University of Californiamedia.virbcdn.com/files/da/FileItem-258118-FiatLux1.pdf · 2013-05-01 · This ebook is comprised of select postings from our site’s section