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| FROM UCLA FEMBA Admission Director: Welcome to 2015 FEMBA! |
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Welcome to the best year ever! All the best to all our FEMBAs as 2015 begins. |
| FROM UCLA FEMBA Admission Director: Meet Allyson Tom ’15 |
![]() Allyson Tom ’15, Co-Chair FEMBAssadors 14-15. So this week, I get to introduce you to a real servant leader, Allyson Tom ’15, Development Officer, Academic Institutes and Programs, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. I’ve worked with Allyson in student government her entire time here, and we’re thrilled having her as Co-Chair of the FEMBAssadors this year. Dylan: So Allyson, the first thing of course, so near and dear to both of us, that I want people to know about you is “FEMBAssadors”. What can you say about FEMBAssadors? Allyson: When I was applying to FEMBA back in 2012, I was fortunate enough to have some friends in the program who were willing to talk about their experiences, invite me to class visits, and share some of their coveted application advice with me. Those opportunities to experience the FEMBA community first-hand were invaluable and made it clear that Anderson was where I wanted to be. As a first-year I heard about FEMBAssadors and immediately thought it would be a great way for me to get involved and give back. I have loved talking to prospective students during FEMBA Chats and other admissions events. So many of the people I’ve talked to are still nervous or curious about this thing that they want to be a part of, but aren’t even totally sure about yet, and I can put myself right back in their shoes. It’s so rewarding to see them build their confidence right before my eyes as I encourage them to embrace all of the things that will make them unique and interesting FEMBAs. Now, in my third year as a FEMBAssador, and serving as the Co-Chair of the Core Team, I’m so excited to see the impact that all of this outreach is having on new classes of FEMBAs. Last year, FEMBAssadors made contact with nearly 2,000 unique prospects… and we’re just getting started. We’re hosting more events, leveraging our network and new technology to reach prospects in places that we never dreamed of recruiting from before. This is really what FEMBA is all about – great people with great ideas coming together. I remember Dylan saying “diamonds polish diamonds” during one of the Open Houses I attended as a prospect, and it really is true both within the community, and beyond. FEMBAssadors are helping prospects and new admits find their sparkle to ensure that they become our classmates. If you want to join the student-driven effort with FEMBAssadors and pay it forward to someone who could eventually end up being the next FEMBA President, or FEMBA alum who is CEO of Google, it’s not too late! Dylan: Thanks Allyson. I love how the FEMBA Chats have taken off the last years with all the leadership from FEMBAssadors. How about your career? How is your professional growth during UCLA Anderson? Allyson: At the start of FEMBA I considered myself a career enhancer – I was at an organization that was thriving and offered me great upward mobility in an industry that I felt fulfilled in. I was lucky to have a director who supported me and almost immediately recognized the value of my MBA coursework and promoted me within six months of me starting the program (she admitted that this was also part of her strategy to incentivize me to stay despite the doors that she knew would be opening for me through Anderson’s network). But, I wouldn’t say that is the best, and certainly not the only, thing that FEMBA has done for my career. The best thing FEMBA has done for me as a young professional is reinvigorating my passion for learning, self-improvement, and self-exploration. Meeting people from all walks of life, and with so many diverse interests and experiences has opened my eyes to a whole new realm of possibilities. It can be so easy to find a comfort zone or to feel like it’s too late to make a big change, but working alongside and talking with people who aren’t afraid to pursue new ideas and take some risks has given me the confidence and the curiosity to see what else I’m capable of. It has sparked an interest in entrepreneurship that I never knew I had. Not all of the things I’ve learned about myself are completely new – I’m still passionate about people and using my strengths in communications and project management to help others achieve their own success – but there’s no doubt that my perspective on how I can apply those things has been cracked wide open. After a long day of GAP dry-runs and making it to my last UCLA-usc football game as a student, we actually ran into some FEMBA Alums. They told us that we’ll really see how strong the network is in ten years. I can’t wait to see how FEMBA will continue to help me evolve and play a role in my next steps. Dylan: OK, last question, and my favorite. I know you can’t believe it’s almost over (FEMBA), so tell us some of the personal highlights you’ve experienced. Allyson: My favorite part of FEMBA has been the people. I am constantly amazed and so grateful for the opportunity to be surrounded by so many smart, driven, and interesting people. If I’m being completely honest I wasn’t sure whether I’d become close friends with any of my classmates when I first started the program. I figured we’d all be so busy with work, families, and trying to maintain our pre-FEMBA relationships in the little spare time we had, that we might not really become “friends.” Well, that skepticism was quickly shattered and now I feel like such a fool for having ever thought that way. I have met so many amazing people, and made so many friendships that I know will last well beyond graduation in June. Without these awesome friends, the long days of work followed by class, countless hours studying in “pods,” and of course the highs and lows of GAP would have been unbearable… but now as we’re nearing the end of our time at Anderson I’m actually (I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I don’t think I’m the only one) sad and going to miss all of the fun that we have on campus. On the bright side, I guess that just means we’ll have plenty more time for happy hours, tailgates, and dinners without feeling guilty about case write-ups and GAP drafts! Dylan: Thanks for allowing me to brag about you to our FEMBA community. You really have modeled servant leadership Allyson. FEMBA is better, for having had you here. |
| FROM UCLA FEMBA Admission Director: Meet our Open House Stars |
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Want to hear it from the best, what makes UCLA Anderson and FEMBA so great? We’d love to host you Saturday morning (Jan. 24, 2015) for our Winter Quarter Open House. Here are the panelists who will join me on stage tomorrow. Send a colleague! Check-in starts at 9:00AM. ![]() David D. Duong ’15 is a beach bum born and raised in sunny San Diego. He made his move to Los Angeles to attend UCLA for undergrad where he studied Accounting and Economics. After graduation, David earned his CPA in public accounting while co-founding BakeGreek, a start-up CPG company that sold Greek Letter Cookie Cutters. Through BakeGreek, he realized his passion for marketing and started on his journey to make the switch. After about 2 years of hustling in various marketing jobs, he landed at UCLA Anderson and shortly after that, was hired as a Strategic Marketing Manager for Electronic Arts. In his final year in FEMBA, David has transitioned to Activision where is an Associate Product Manager on the Skylanders franchise. David is the FEMBA Council’s VP of Social and Networking Affairs where his objective is to extend the Anderson culture beyond the classroom. When he’s not studying, working on the next Skylanders game or planning the next big “networking event”, he enjoys skimboarding, choreographed hip hop, and reading comic books. ![]() Heather M. Layne ’15 was raised in Alabama where she learned to appreciate sweet tea and SEC football. She received her undergrad and master’s degrees in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Auburn University. After graduation, Heather worked for ExxonMobil in the D.C. area supporting the company’s global supply chain strategy group. A promotion with the company moved her to Los Angeles, and she decided to pursue her part-time MBA at UCLA. While at Anderson, Heather has worked at The Walt Disney Company and Apple Inc. and currently serves as VP of the FEMBAssador Pre-Admit Committee. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor activities, trying new recipes, and traveling abroad. After graduation, Heather will work for a strategy consulting firm in Silicon Valley. ![]() As Senior Account Manager for the advertising agency, TVGla, Kristen Palchak ’16 oversees client management and digital strategy for the television show, Jeopardy! She previously spent two years at Sony Pictures Entertainment directing marketing initiatives for Jeopardy!, Pottermore, People & Organization and Environmental Sustainability. Prior to joining Sony in 2011, Kristen worked in account management at Ogilvy and Mather advertising, developing 360 international creative campaigns for Cisco Systems, ARCO, ampm, TABASCO and Heal the Bay, Santa Monica. Her work on Cisco’s New York Times Takeover was shortlisted for the Cannes Lion Awards, CLIO A Kristen has been active in a variety of professional associations such as ThinkLA and the Sony Pictures Emerging Professionals. In 2010, she organized an art show to raise awareness for a local charity that brings art education to underprivileged youth. Kristen spends her free time painting furniture, attempting to master the yoga handstand, running 10Ks and traveling the world. Kristen earned her degree in Mass Communications and Italian Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. ![]() Upon graduation from Virginia Tech, Ryan Swank ’15 started his career with GE Healthcare as a member of the Commercial Leadership Program. When the financial market collapsed in 2008-2009, he relocated to Southern California to take a position with one of GE’s primary competitors in the diagnostic imaging space. In 2012, Ryan enrolled in UCLA Anderson’s FEMBA Program in order to pursue a new career focused on general management and strategy. This past summer, he interned in AT&T’s Global Strategy and Business Development group as a part of the Leadership Development Program. At Anderson, Ryan has served as Co-Chair of the FEMBAssador Core Team, which is responsible for both the recruiting of prospective students and the welcoming of new admits. His work with this organization helped him receive the first ever “President’s Leadership Award,” which was voted on by members of FEMBA Council and awarded to 1 of 900+ current FEMBA students. In order to broaden his educational experience, Ryan also actively participates in several student clubs including MCA, HBA, MA, and IFA. When not working or attending school, Ryan enjoys running, playing competitive team sports, attending live music events, and golfing with friends and family. |
| FROM UCLA FEMBA Admission Director: CEO of Hulu, Femba Mike Hopkins ’01 |
This is the stuff I love, jumping into Korn Hall last minute, to hear the opening of the 5th Pulse Conference, and seeing, lo and behold, the opening session featuring Femba alum Mike Hopkins ’01, on stage with Professor Sanjay Sood!![]() |
| FROM UCLA FEMBA Admission Director: CEO of Hulu. Joe and Josie Bruin. And more. |
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Happy Friday afternoon; hope you got some rain. Here are some quick highlight moments of the last few days UCLA. #1 moment – Seeing FEMBA Alum, Mike Hopkins ’01, CEO of Hulu, on-stage in Korn Hall kicking off the 5th annual Pulse Conference this morning. Mike spoke about the opportunities he’s facing as CEO: navigating digital markets and trends, hiring hundreds of new “Huligans” and on-boarding them into the culture, and more. Inspiring! ![]() Mike Hopkins ’01, on-stage with Marketing Professor Sanjay Sood today. Moment #2 – Having a one-on-one with new FEMBA 2017 Laura Lefkowitz this afternoon. Laura’s a unique FEMBA in that she was originally a full-time MBA at my alma mater, Chicago Booth. For various reasons, Booth wasn’t the right fit and she picked up and came to California and we happily admitted her to FEMBA. We were comparing notes, and it was insightful. ![]() Moment #3 – Having a Joe and Josie Bruin siting yesterday in Ackerman! ![]() L-R Joe Bruin, Christy Marquez, Josie Bruin, Maureen Riley and me, at Ackerman yesterday. Moment #5 - Last Saturday’s Open House. Great Crowd. Great Panel. Watch it here. ![]() Our amazing panelists: Matt Gorlick ’13 (moderator), David Duong ’15, Heather Layne ’15, Kristen Palchak ’16 and Ryan Swank ’15 ![]() Ice breaking and Networking ![]() Ice breaking on the other half of the room ![]() Our panel sharing their FEMBA experience. Moment 5.1 – Getting this cool AnderProm promo video from David Duong ’15 [youtube2]span> Moment #6 – Forgetting my computer bag All the Admissions leaders meet once a quarter, and I left my computer bag yesterday in the doctoral office suite. I went home without my bag and it reminded me of a blog post I wrote back in 2011, called “Going to work naked.” ![]() My temporarily lost shoulder bag, and the beautiful view from the 5th floor of the C building. You’re seeing the Dean’s Office courtyard and Bel Air in the background. Final great moments of the week – Going to church last Sunday with my two boys. My wife was out of town, doing her residential at Gonzaga for her Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership. Here are our shadows. To the left is my two-year-old, looking up at his hero, while to my right is my seven-year-old, doing his crazy “chicken butt” dance… Ah fatherhood. ![]() My boys and me last Sunday. These guys keep me motivated. Seeing this amazing sunset over Westwood, as I picked up my little guy from day care yesterday and pushed him on the swing. ![]() |
| FROM UCLA FEMBA Admission Director: New way to spice up your Valentine |
![]() Amy Galland ’06, CEO at NWTC, developer of Plume One of my all-time favorite FEMBAs is Amy Galland ’06, Founder/CEO at NTWC, developer of Plume. FEMBA is Amy’s 4th degree! She entered FEMBA already armed with a PhD from UCLA, and had been working as a Professor of Art History in New York. During FEMBA she worked in the music business, going into the studio at noon, coming to campus for evening classes, and then heading back to the studio until 1 or 2am. Amy was an excellent Open House panelist. She’d have all of Korn Hall laughing, telling about buying a calculator for FEMBA after not having taken a math class for many years. She was sitting on the floor at Staples, surrounded by every option they had, when she called her finance group-mate for help. “I want the exact same calculator you have,” she told her study group friend. “That’s more powerful than you will need,” he replied. “No. I know that. But, when I have a question for you, I want you to be able to tell me to push the third button on the left,” she informed him. (Of course, Amy graduated FEMBA with flying colors.) Amy and I had lunch recently, to catch up on her world since FEMBA. Dylan: What are you up to these days? ![]() Plume. The logo for Amy’s first product launch. Amy: I just launched the first product, Plume, from my new company NTWC. Plume is a flirting app – it is like WhatsApp, but with almost 400 sexy emoji and stickers and the security features you’d want when sending personal texts. Dylan: From Art History to App Developer – How did that happen? Amy: I had a windy career path – art history professor, production coordinator in the music industry, yoga instructor, and most recently in Corporate Social Responsibility working with publicly traded companies to improve their environment and labor practices. With Plume, I was able to circle back to my love of art and my work in Art History. But instead of talking about representations of women and immigrants, I am in control of creating sensual images of people of different genders, races, ages, sizes and sexualities. ![]() Plume let’s you add sizzle to your texts, as in “A picture is worth a thousand words.” I knew what I wanted to create, the next part was finding people to make it happen. Now I work with six amazing artists and I was lucky to find the most incredible development team, Silicon Prime, based here in LA. So along with a technical advisor who gave me the lay of the land and explained to me high-level what I needed to know and walked me through on that end, guidance from Bill Cockrum (UCLA Anderson, Adjunct Professor of Finance) on the financing side, and drawing on my network of amazing and talented friends from each stage of my life, – we were able to create an app I’m really proud of. Dylan: In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’ve downloaded Plume, and I’ve put it on my wife’s phone. It’s great! As they say, A picture is worth a thousand words. I must ask – how do you think of so many images? Amy: I ask a lot of people a lot of questions that would make a lot of people blush! Seriously, I just ask people. “What are the words you and your friends use about sex and dating?” And then the artists draw them. ![]() Yeah for Date Night! It is important to me to have images for people with different lifestyles. It was funny, when I presented the concept of the app to some friends from my FEMBA section – all of whom are married, except for me! – they suggested images related to “date night,” which they then had to define for me. And afterwards I spoke with the artists and we added dinner for two, movie night, two glasses of red wine, and images like that in addition to images like the hot dog, taco, sexy lips, and handcuffs. So I really appreciate the different perspectives and want Plume to be for everyone to play, have fun, flirt, and spice things up – whether you are single or in a long-term relationship. Dylan: Speaking for the married-with-kids demographic, yeah for date night! How can FEMBAs help your company take off? Amy: We just launched on Tuesday (February 10, 2015), so I’m still recovering from that! But going forward, in March we will be starting our next round of funding, looking to hire C-level staff, and adapting the app for and expanding our marketing efforts into different countries. It is really important to me that we have emoji that are culturally specific – we want to have visual representations of the different sexual colloquialisms from each of the countries where Plume is popular. Dylan: How popular is Plume – you just launched 3 days ago? Amy: Each day we get more users – but if all FEMBA were to download the app, we’d have a lot more! It’s available on iTunes – can you post the link? Help a fellow FEMBA! Download Plume https://bit.ly/PlumeDwnldiOS Dylan: For sure – one more question, what is your company name, NTWC, something you learned asking around for new emoji? Amy: Ha! No. NTWC stands for “Not The Whole Chicken.” It is based on a quote by the Chilean author, Isabel Allende. She said, “erotica is using a feather, pornography is using the whole chicken.” So my app is called feather and the LLC is called not the whole chicken. For more information about Plume, and to get some laughs at their fun social feeds: www.theplumeapp.com Tw: https://twitter.com/theplumeapp Fb: https://www.facebook.com/theplumeapp I: https://instagram.com/theplumeapp Tmblr: https://theplumeapp.tumblr.com/ G+: https://bit.ly/googleplus_theplumeapp |
| FROM UCLA FEMBA Admission Director: Entreprenuer, Wolfen Spirit Award Winner, meet Sheeva Sairafi 15 |
![]() Sheeva Sairafi 15 I love to hear from a happy third year FEMBA. This week, meet Sheeva Sairafi ’15, Founder at Local + Lejos. Dylan: What had you choose Anderson Sheeva? Sheeva: I chose Anderson because of its entrepreneurial focus. I had been working in the corporate world, and always knew that I had a passion for new business. While I didn’t have an idea or a business plan in mind at the start, I wanted to spend my time at Anderson exploring these possibilities and immersing myself in the start-up culture of Los Angeles. Dylan: You came to Los Angeles from back East right? How’d you get started once you were here? Sheeva: I joined the Entrepreneurship Association, signed up for all classes necessary to go the BCO (Business Creation Option) track, and started working on a business plan with a fellow student, Jenny Grewal ’15. Shortly after, we both left our corporate jobs and made the leap into the world of entrepreneurship. In between freaking out about the decision we had just made, and trying to figure out how we would pay rent until our business was cash flow positive, we learned about the Wolfen Fellowship. The fellowship is granted to four students a year based on entrepreneurial spirit and allows them to work on an idea for the summer, instead of working at an internship. Jenny and I applied, interviewed, and were chosen for the fellowship. I can honestly say that it was one of the most pivotal moments in my career thus far. Here we had seemingly perfect strangers willing to invest in US. Not our idea, not our business plan, but us. The Wolfens are a truly remarkable part of the Anderson family. Their generosity, kindness, and interest in the advancement of Anderson students is unparalled. They allowed me to take the summer and work on a new business idea. As it goes in the start-up world, this one did not work out. We made the decision not to move forward, and as difficult as that was; it was an incredible learning experience that has shaped a number of my decisions go forward. Dylan: I love this Sheeva. So many great things at Anderson; embarrassing but true, I myself didn’t know about the Wolfen Fellowship until you won it! So where are you now, coming up on graduation? ![]() Sheeva on the website of her new company Local + Lejos. Sheeva: Exactly. That brings me to now. With four weeks left till my credits are complete (another perk of leaving corporate world and doubling up on classes), I could not be more excited about my next chapter. After the summer, I worked for four different start-ups–all of which I found through Anderson–while working on a passion project of my own. The passion project has turned into a real time, “OH MY GOD I’M DOING THIS,” (very) full-time job and I can only attribute my learning and experience at Anderson for giving me the guts to do it. And I wouldn’t be a true entrepreneur if I didn’t leave you with a little pitch…. : ) Local + Lejos is a home décor brand that partners with artisans in the developing world to craft contemporary designs using the traditional techniques of each culture. We allow our customers to design their homes with intention by providing them goods they can’t find in traditional retail stores that have an impact. By providing fair wages, training, and most importantly, steady employment, the artisans we work with can provide for their family. You can take a peek at www.localandlejos.com. Dylan: Well I hope we send some business your way! Maybe we should have a Local + Lejos booth at Mega-FEMBApalooza this summer! P.S. Here is more about the Wolfen Award. The Larry Wolfen Entrepreneurial Spirit Award was established so students would have the financial means to work on an entrepreneurial project…The award was created in memory of Larry Wolfen, a 1993 graduate of UCLA Anderson…Larry was a great enthusiast for promising start-up companies, and he poured his efforts into venture capital…The award is intended to help a student conduct exploratory research into an idea, or otherwise advance an entrepreneurial endeavor. |
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