MBA Career Connections

Rady MBAs were in the San Francisco Bay Area on January 19 and 20 for our annual trek. This event grows and expands every year! We had 65 students visiting four Industry Tracks over the two-day period which focused on Tech, Biotech/Medical Device, Finance, and Consumer Products.

The format of each visit depended, to a large degree, on the company's preference. There was a variety of company tours, lab visits, panel discussions, and intimate round table talks. They proved, in all cases, to be extremely informative visits that offered students a much broader sense of the company's culture as well as hiring needs. Several of these visits were conducted by Rady and/or UC San Diego alumni.

The two-day trek ended with a Rady alumni event at the Gordon Birsch Brewery in downtown San Francisco. The general consensus of students was that this was a fascinating, information-packed event where companies of interest to Rady MBAs had the added benefit of connecting with our alumni network. We're already looking ahead and planning for the Bay Area Trek 2013!

"I can't thank Career Connections enough for keeping me in mind for opportunities both before and after my graduation from Rady. With the help of Career Connections, I interned at The Aequitas Group, where I met someone who later partnered with Prucor, my consulting firm, to land a consulting project with the number one health technology provider in the U.S. As well, another contact from the Aequitas internship is now working with our nPruv, Inc. startup team, and our first board advisor is someone I met during my second internship with Sotera Wireless.
Not a bad start — thank you Rady!"

Brad M. Pruitt, M.D. (MBA '11) is an entrepreneur and consultant with experience in health care startups, medical devices, international business development, pharmaceutical clinical trials and academic research. Dr. Pruitt was the recipient of the Rady Fellowship Award and the Latham & Watkins-Wolfe Family Fellowship. He is the principal and managing director of Prucor in Del Mar, California.

The Asian Business Association Visits Sony's Corporate Offices

Student-driven organizations such as the Asian Business Association (ABA) are a vital part of the MBA program experience at Rady. The ABA, which is comprised of Rady students from different countries and regions including the U.S., China, Japan, India, Taiwan, Korea, Iran and Vietnam, is dedicated to promoting networking and communications between the Rady School and Asian business communities in California and around the world.

Periodically, the organization makes visits to local companies. This was the case in May of 2011, when the ABA visited Sony's corporate offices in San Diego.

Sophie Xia (MBA '12, Business Development and Market Research), who has been the ABA's president for one year, is from Beijing, China. She and approximately 15 other graduate students met with top executives at Sony to learn about product development, business practices and the overall company culture in Asian companies. They were given the chance to ask questions on numerous topics relating to employment, recruiting, marketing and innovation.

Xia noted that visits such as these help participants learn more about the inner workings of local firms who are making an impact in their industry, and increases the possibility of internships for Rady students. "The trip established a good relationship with Sony, [as it allowed students to] understand their culture and business operations and look into career opportunities," said Xia.

The International Education Week Networking Mixer Enhances International Awareness

UC San Diego's Seventh Annual International Education Week (IEW) networking mixer took place at the Rady School of Management on Nov. 15, 2011.

The mixer offered companies an opportunity to increase their exposure and impact on the UC San Diego campus; and to meet highly qualified, multicultural MBA students from an array of professional and educational backgrounds. It also provided graduate students with the chance to engage in dynamic discussions with international Rady alumni and the companies who've hired them, as well as interact with firms that support the employment of international students.

Robin Darmon, Director, Rady School MBA Career Connections, worked on logistics, outreach and public relations. She said, "The mixer was a vibrant, productive career event that supported the UC San Diego international community in a relaxed but collaborative setting."

David Robertson, Director of Career Services at IR/PS (International Relations and Pacific Studies) said, "This year was particularly special in that two of the alumni participants had attended this same event previously as students, and are now working in jobs as a direct result of the connections they made."

Oliver Arturo Pegueros (Full-Time MBA '13), a Rady MBA student and a native of Mexico City, said that the mixer "was a great event to understand how networking really works and the importance of it during our careers. Hearing stories firsthand made a huge difference!"

NSHMBA Promotes Diversity at the Conference and Career Expo

In October 2011, the six University of California business schools were the Academic Sponsors of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs' (NSHMBA) 22nd annual Conference and Career Expo in Anaheim, Calif. The conference, the nation's largest career expo for Hispanic MBAs, was a three-day event giving graduate students the opportunity to connect with prospective employers. Each of the six business schools: San Diego, Los Angeles, Riverside, Irvine, Berkeley and Davis, had their own individual booth at the expo and hosted a combined UC booth and Sponsors Lounge for the corporate recruiters and guests.

Carlos Uribe (Full-Time MBA '12), originally from Monterrey, Mexico, said about the event, "It was an exhilarating experience. You walk into the showroom and see a large number of world-class companies excited about talking to and recruiting fresh MBA talent. Your whole career can change in that place and moment."

Aung Myo (Full-Time MBA '13), a native of Myanmar, attended the conference to understand more about different firms and career paths. He said, "It's much more beneficial to learn from real people than looking through a list of careers. For those looking for internships and full-time jobs, they can also get interviews and job offers right at the event."

Saurabh Bajaj (Full-Time MBA '13), who hails from Mumbai, noted, "If you're looking for an internship or job early in October, you better be ready, as NSHMBA kicks off with the first recruiting cycle for some firms. I talked to so many recruiters to know what they're looking for, and I did end up interviewing with two automobile companies."

Dean Robert S. Sullivan said, "The annual NSHMBA conference provided an excellent opportunity for the Rady School to attract, welcome and engage a diverse community."