Unique qualities

Prompt: What unique qualities and experience will you bring to the program? How do you intend on being an active contributor to the MBA community? Ibelieve that the MBA program will benefit from the international outlook that I have gained due to my multinational background and work exposure. I spent much of my life growing up in Hong Kong and the United States, and so I have been exposed to both Western and Eastern culture early on in my life enabling me to develop a cross-cultural understanding and an international mindset. I have a very independent attitude but at the same time, I also know the value of being a team player. When I was in college, I started and managed a retail shoe store. While I was doing this, I also worked as an intern for Merrill Lynch and later on for Pacific Bridge companies. Working at Merrill Lynch and Pacific Bridge Companies, two very prominent multinational companies, provided me with a strong background especially in the aspects of global standardization. Moreover, since Hong Kong was an international hub, I understood at the onset of my career that the business industry has no boundaries. The cross border financial planning firms that I worked for gave me the experience of working on creating financial plans for a variety of clients. This multi-faceted business platform made me understand the importance being open to different cultures and personalities in order to facilitate doing business with people of different cultural background. My ease with both the Chinese and English languages has likewise helped me in a lot of my dealings with clients and colleagues alike. In addition, my experience as an ordinary employee gave me valuable insights on how it is from the other end of the employment spectrum. Thus, I learned to be more empathetic in dealing with my own employees, making sure that the management that I enforced was firm but considerate at the same time. After graduation from college, I decided that it would be best for me to manage my shoe store full time. Due to my hard work and perseverance, I was able to significantly improve sales. This prompted me to expand my footwear business and open a branch in a popular mall. Again, with the dedication and efforts that I put in, this branch is currently enjoying remarkable sales figures. Being always passionate in whatever that I do, my success in the footwear industry was enough to further fuel the flame of passion in my veins that is why I am now working out a deal to join a partnership that will start a handbag wholesaling business. Because of these traits and experience, I believe that I will be able to contribute a certain level of international familiarity as well as understanding of a variety of industries such as financial planning, retailing and wholesaling to my fellow students. I was very glad when I found out that the academy supports an Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital and Innovation Club because I believe that this is the perfect venue to share my passion for the business industry to others who are just as zealous as I am when it comes to entrepreneurship. I look forward to actively participating in this club, and in many more extra-curricular activities when I join the MBA program. In conclusion, I believe that just as I will gain a lot from the MBA program, I will also be able to impart my contributions in my own unique ways. If given the opportunity, I am confident that my dedication, perseverance, independence, and multicultural exposure will make me an asset to the MBA community.