OC TOB 2 0 ER 1 0 INFOR M DREAERM BIGGER FEATURING: New Officers and Directors ABSA Camping Asian Business IM Football Students Association utabsa.org 2010 / 10 CONTENTS O CT 2 OB 0 ER 1 0 Pg. 1 Letter from the Editors Presidential Address Pg. 2 Pg. 3 Officer Biographies Directors 2010-2011 Pg. 7 Pg. 13 General Meetings GM1: General Mills GM2: Target GM GM3: Family Event GM4: Study Abroad Panel Professional Pg. 17 ABSA Career Prep with P&G Accenture Company Field Trip PRO ABSA Leadership Session (14) Pg. 18 Socials & Volunteering South Mall Social ABSA Camping Luau Boat Party Town Lake Shelter S&V KAB #1 Director Retreat Big Sib Retreat Benefit Night (15) UCLA Ushering Intramural Sports Pg. 26 Co-ed Football Men’s Football IM SO! Pg. 29 Shout Outs ABSA INFORMER 2010 LETTER FROM THE EDITORS Dear ABSA, We hope everyone had a great start to a new school year! We are looking forward to a new and exciting year working as the Informer Editors. If you have not gotten to know us already, our names are Kyra Gallion, Helen Lee, and Eric Zhang. In the past few weeks, we have been collecting articles and shout outs, sifting through pictures and biographies, and working with limited meeting times and busy schedules -- putting together the Informer was frustrating at times, but it was quite a rewarding experience. We hope you enjoy our first edition, incorporating the theme for ABSA this year: Dream Bigger. We have included some new items and old items that old members have already seen. Also, don’t forget to read through the shout-outs and include some of your own in our next issue! Look forward to many upcoming items and remember to shoot for the stars this year as ABSA “dreams bigger.” Good luck on another fabulous school year! Best, Kyra, Helen, and Eric ABSA INFORMER PRESIDENTIAL 2010 ADDRESS Dear new/old/prospective members, alumni, and valued sponsors: Welcome to the 2010-2011 academic year with the Asian Business Students Association (ABSA) here at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin! I’m thrilled to serve as your President for this year and I’m pumped for what we can accomplish together. Under the banner of “DREAM BIGGER”, I’m excited to see what this year has to offer! Last year, we were named the “Most Outstanding Organization” at McCombs and I’m committed to continuing and bettering our proven track record of success. Part of what makes ABSA so great is the vast amount of opportunities we have to offer our members. Whether it’s a leadership position as an officer or a director, an internship through our relationships with leading companies, and/or a mentor through our alumni network or older members, ABSA offers numerous advantages that give you a boost up in your professional career. Make use of all these wonderful resources at your fingertips. More importantly, ABSA will be the home away from home where you cultivate flourishing friendships that will last far beyond just your short time here at UT. Through our various socials, family events, volunteering, company field trips, and other events, you will develop close ties with other amazing members. But ABSA is a lot more than just professional development and a springboard for your fledgling career. It’s more than just a loose collection of mutual acquaintances that like to attend events together. ABSA is a vibrant community bonded together through life-long friendships, supported by our three pillars of professional, social, & philanthropic, and motivated by a common passion to make a positive difference on this world one step at a time. For this reason, I strongly encourage everyone to get involved in all of ABSA, not just one single aspect. ABSA has so much to offer in so many different areas, so why limit yourself? Go ahead and DREAM BIGGER! To our sponsors, I would like to extend our gratitude for your generous support of ABSA. Your continued involvement with our organization has helped us sustain our professional, social, and philanthropic efforts year after year. Thank you for the support you have given us, and I hope to continue developing strong partnerships with ABSA. On behalf of the officer panel, we are honored to serve you this upcoming year. Our goal as a panel is to create an open and inviting atmosphere that fosters member involvement and development. We will be working hard to achieve that goal and I know we’re in for another fantastic year. Best regards, Henry J. Shi ABSA President 2010-2011 2 ABSA INFORMER 2010 2010 2011OFFICERS Henry Shi President Hometown: Houston, TX Major: BHP/MPA Year: 3rd If you could have any wish, what would it be? (You can’t wish for more wishes!) Currently, it would be to have a six-pack and be able to dunk. What’s the biggest personal change you have ever made? Err... good question. Get a girlfriend, I guess? Where do you go for advice? Mom and dad! Karen Shih Executive VP Hometown: Sugar Land, TX Major: Finance Year: 4th If you could have any wish, what would it be? (You can’t wish for more wishes!) I’d wish for all my loved ones to be happy and healthy. What’s the biggest personal change you have ever made? I stopped being a bully after the 3rd grade. I’m really nice now! Where do you go for advice? I can always count on my best friends to look out for me. They always tell me the truth as it is. 3 ABSA INFORMER 2010 2010 2011OFFICERS Grace Ko Professional VP Hometown: Round Rock, TX Major: BHP/MPA Year: 3rd If you could have any wish, what would it be? (You can’t wish for more wishes!) At the moment, I would wish for a fall break because I just found out that Rice has one. We get spring break, summer break, and winter break... how can they forget about fall?! What’s the biggest personal change you have ever made? I moved from California to Texas my freshman year of high school. It was difficult for me to leave my family and best friends behind and start anew at a completely new place. But I’m glad I’m here now! Where do you go for advice? My family and friends. Grace Kim Internal VP Hometown: Houston, TX Major: BHP/Finance/Spanish Year: 3rd If you could have any wish, what would it be? (You can’t wish for more wishes!) I wish I could eat whatever I wanted without it catching up to me. What’s the biggest personal change you have ever made? Studying abroad in Spain and all the changes that came with that. Where do you go for advice? Friends, older brother, parents (not necessarily in that order). 4 ABSA INFORMER 2010 2010 2011OFFICERS Diana Meng External VP Hometown: Plano, TX Major: BHP/MPA Year: 3rd If you could have any wish, what would it be? (You can’t wish for more wishes!) My wish for everyone would be to have more time in our lives to do the things we love. What’s the biggest personal change you have ever made? When I was in 3rd grade, my family and I moved from Vancouver, Canada to Harbin, China, and then to Forth Worth, Texas, all within one year. It was definitely a rough year for us, but I was never more thankful in my life for such a supportive, loving family. Where do you go for advice? My lovely parents, sister, and friends -- they’ve got my back. Sondra Batbold Administrative VP Hometown: Somerset, NJ Major: Accounting Year: 2nd If you could have any wish, what would it be? (You can’t wish for more wishes!) I wish to live knowing that I am happy and that I have learned and grown from whatever life has brought my way. What’s the biggest personal change you have ever made? There are too many psychological changes so I’ll just stick to the physical one: I used to be pretty chub chub in 6th grade (will provide pictures for proof). Where do you go for advice? My parents, my sisters, and my friends (depending on the nature of the problem). 5 ABSA INFORMER 2010 2010 2011OFFICERS Ka-Wai To Academic VP Hometown: Round Rock, TX/Shanghai, China/Hong Kong Major: BHP/Finance Year: 2nd If you could have any wish, what would it be? (You can’t wish for more wishes!) I would wish for my family to be successful, happy, and worry-free. What’s the biggest personal change you have ever made? Moving to and living in Shanghai for high school. Where do you go for advice? My friends, mentors; pretty much anyone I can find. Hyungoo Kang Financial VP Hometown: Irving, TX Major: MIS Year: 3rd If you could have any wish, what would it be? (You can’t wish for more wishes!) I’d wish to be a great parents like my mom and dad. What’s the biggest personal change you have ever made? Being a Korean to becoming an American (still going through the process). Where do you go for advice? My brother. 6 ABSA INFORMER 2010 2010 DIRECTORS Eugene Hsiao Jennifer Tam Executive Director Executive Director Year: 2013 Year: 2013 Major/Minor: Major/Minor: Unspecified Business Marketing EXECUTIVE Hometown: Hometown: Sugar Land, TX Armonk, NY Daryle Utama Tracy Wing Jenny Che Executive Director Corporate Corporate Sponsership Director Sponsership Director Year: 2014 Major/Minor: Year: 2013 Year: 2014 Economics Major/Minor: Major/Minor: Hometown: MPA Unspecified Business Singapore Hometown: Hometown: Carrolton, TX Plano, TX Vincent Nguyen Terence Ko Corporate Relations Professional Director Director Year: 2013 Year: 2012 Major/Minor: Major/Minor: PROFESSIONAL MIS Unspecified Business Hometown: Hometown: Houston, TX Amarillo, TX Heather Ha Seong Yoon Cybil Zhang Professional Director Careers Director Careers Director Year: 2013 Year: 2014 Year: 2014 Major/Minor: Major/Minor: Major/Minor: Accouting/Chinese Unspecified Business BHP Hometown: Hometown: Hometown: South Korea Austin, TX Plano, TX Daniel Chao Victoria Chiem Careers