May 03 Aug 08
University
I hold a Bachelors in Business Administration from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. Located in the state's capital, the university is ranked in the top 50 universities nationwide and in the top 100 universities worldwide.
The McCombs School of Business is a selective and highly competitive program that ranks as one of the top undergraduate business schools in the country. The marketing department was ranked in the top 3 programs in 2008.
Relevant Coursework
- International Strategic Management – We examined case studies related to global business development including expansion, localization, culture, marketing, and legal and political challenges.
- Global Entrepreneurship – The class centered around a group project re-enacting the process of global startup creation including product or service ideation, business plan, financial projections, marketing plan, manufacturing, funding, and crisis management.
- Professional Selling and Sales Management – We learned consultative sales strategy and sales management. We also completed a group consulting project with Ford Motor Company.
- Consumer Behavior – We studied consumer behavioral models including buying decisions, consumption, and pricing models and completed a group project to develop a post-grad program based on these models.
- Marketing Research and Analysis – The class studied methods for gathering and analyzing primary and secondary market research.
- Psychology of Advertising – We examined tactics used by the advertising industry to influence consumer behavior and brand reception.
- Marketing Strategy – The class examined case studies related to marketing models and implementation strategies and completed a consulting project with Lakehouse Spa.
- International Trade – We studied a macro level view of global trade policies and how they relate to marketing.
- Community Development and Social Enterprise – We examined marketing and business models in non-profit and social enterprises and completed a promotional project with Saheli.
- Creativity and American Culture – We investigated the history of adverting and media trends and how they have shaped our behavior.
- Speechmaking and Society – The class dissected the rhetoric of oral and written texts in American history and how they shaped our values and preferences.
Extra-curricular Education
Outside of my normal degree program, I've also received special instruction and training in a number of marketing and management disciplines.
As a leader in the National Sales Team for AIESEC US, I was trained in a consultative personal selling approach. My experiences in this program included networking, lead generation, discovery, product consulting, service and delivery, and customer engagement. I also led a small sales team and taught training seminars on sales and marketing for the organization.
During my internship with AIESEC HKU in Hong Kong I attended seminars and speaker series on topics ranging from communication, cross-cultural management, global supply chain, and international trade.
My sales team at AIESEC Austin regularly worked with TiE Austin and volunteered to help organize TiECon and a speaker series on entrepreneurship and technology startups.
Self-taught
I'm an avid reader of books, blogs, and magazines on marketing and entrepreneurship. I've read nearly all of Seth Godin's books, including Permission Marketing, Unleashing the Ideavirus, Purple Cow, Free Prize Inside, The Big Moo, Small is the New Big, All Marketers are Liars, Meatball Sundae, The Dip, and Tribes.
I've also read The Long Tail, Guerilla Marketing, The Tipping Point, Made to Stick, Back of the Napkin, The Four Hour Work Week, and Age of Engage.
I subscribe to Fast Company and read a variety of blogs on a daily basis, including NotCot.org, Freelanceswitch, and Smashing Magazine.
Accolades
I received the Terry Scholarship, a selective full scholarship for top students attending Texas universities. I was Valedictorian of my high school graduating class and my SAT scores ranked me in the top percentile.
I quickly rose through the ranks at AIESEC Austin, first receiving the Ambassador award for my work in promoting cross-team collaboration, then being selected VP of Corporate Sales and Services, and finally elected Local Committee President. I also served 3 years as a member of the National Leadership Team and 1 year on the National Sales Team. I was selected as an ambassador for the Global Branding Team representing the United States, Sweden, Greece, and Malta. I was also chosen for a competitive sales and marketing internship at AIESEC HKU in Hong Kong.
I was selected as a Peer Mentor for the Living and Learning Campus Life Community. I was charged with leading a weekly freshman seminar to help them adjust to campus life and embrace new opportunities in the community.
