CUABS Alumni Newsletter (Sep. '23)

CUABS ALUMNI NEWSLETTER

VOLUME 1 | SEPTEMBER 2023

04 President’s Letter Contents 06 Senior Placement 08 Executive Board 10 Senior Interview 12 Year-in-Review

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

To the Cornell Undergraduate Asia Business Society Alumni Community,

It is with great pleasure that I offer all CUABS alumni a preface to the first volume of a new initiative from the undergraduate organization, the CUABS Alumni Newsletter. By way of introduction, my name is Brian Kim-Koutsis and I am a rising junior studying Applied Economics and Management – it is my honor to be serving as the 2023-2024 CUABS President.

One challenge CUABS has decided to focus on addressing this year is alumni engagement. Despite being an integral part of all our epxeirences in college, the connection to CUABS is often lost postgraduation. The purpose of this newsletter is to resolve this matter by giving you all a glimpse into the current state of our organization. We want to share a reminder of how special CUABS can make someone’s Cornell experience.

I am excited for you all to see how we have grown and changed as an organization since your membership. However, one thing I can ensure has remained constant since your time at Cornell is our focus on the pillars that make CUABS, CUABS: Leadership, Family, and Excellence. These pillars continue to define how we, as individual members of the organization, interact with the greater Cornell community, working professionals, and most importantly, each other.

Thank you to everyone who has paved the path for CUABS to be what it is today. The current members are consistently blown away hearing about our alumni’s accomplishments, both personal and professional, and we hope that this is the start of tightening the ties between us all.

If you would like to get in contact with me about helping the undergraduate organization with recruiting, donations, or a speaker event, please feel free to reach out at (914) 924-6584 or bek65@ cornell.edu.

Brian Kim-Koutsis, 2023-2024 President

Senior

Placement

“CUABS was invaluable during my recruitment process. From alumni who had been in my shoes to the best casing buddy (Kith), I’m grateful for all the advice and insight I was given that shaped my professional journey.”

“CUABS has been a cornerstone of my professional development, offering mentors, alumni, and peers who provided judgement-free guidance. CUABS helped me navigate recruitment with far more confidence.”

Core Four President Internal

PDS NME

Brian Kim-Koutsis AEM ‘25 Emily Hong Econ & German Studies ‘25 Lucas Maley ORE ‘25 Ethan Lau Information Science ‘25

E-Board Chairs Alumni

Allison Zheng

Computer Science ‘26

Paul Philip

AEM ‘26

Marketing

Karin Liu

Policy Analysis & Management ‘26

Vivienne Lin

AEM ‘26

Pranav Dendukuri

AEM ‘26

Ryan Wong

AEM ‘26

Social Outreach

Gracie Lin

AEM ‘26

Shivas Khera

AEM ‘26

Finance | D&I

Edward Choi

Computer Science & Math ‘26

Nicholas Yang

Econ ‘26

pjp98@cornell.edu

INTRODUCING Jing Wen Soh

Former President and Alumni Chair

“Whether or not she holds a leadership position, Jing will go out of her way to to help anyone and everyone. I can attribute a large part of my success to her. I’ve been lucky to call her my president, and even more lucky to call her my friend.”

-Sachiko Palaganas, Former President

The CUABS experience often leads to lasting friendships. Can you share a memorable moment or activity you enjoyed with your closest friends from CUABS?

One of the most memorable moments was when Dylan and I flew to Dallas over winter break to visit Kith and other CUABS members in Texas. I got to see where my fellow CUABS friends grew up and it made me appreciate how vast the CUABS network is. A few key highlights include making puzzles till late at night with Vaidehi, or the nerf gun war that ensued at Kith’s!

Were there any mentors or influential individuals you met through CUABS who played a significant role in guiding your career path or helping you grow as a person?

CUABS is special because of all the mentors (& more importantly, friends) you make along the way. A huge shoutout goes to all the international CUABS alumni - I would have never made it through recruitment, visa issues, and even tax refunds without them. People like Eri, Sam, and Rikki were always willing to hop on a call to answer my questions. @any international CUABS kids, feel free to reach out anytime with questions!

Is there a specifically funny or heartwarming anecdote from your time in CUABS that you’d be willing to share?

At the end of sophomore year, I almost missed my bus (& flight) home because I accidentally waited at the wrong tcat stop to go to the commons. By the time I realized, I had 15mins left and no ubers were nearby! Thankfully, my mentor Pat passed by and when I told him my predicament, called his roommate who immediately rushed to pick me up. Pat ran with all my luggages to the car and I miraculously made it onto the bus with less than a minute left.

CUABS exposed you to a wide range of professional and personal experiences. Can you describe how the club influenced your personal growth and helped you develop skills beyond the realm of finance?

Before I joined CUABS, I had signed a contract to work for the Singapore government in public policy for 6 years after graduation. I had no intention to work in business but applied to CUABS for the people. After my first PDS session, I realized I was much more interested in the private side of the market and decided to explore other options from Consulting to VC and finally IB. Going through the process in my formative years of college definitely set me up to join other clubs and lessen the learning

As you embark on your journey at Nomura, how do you plan to stay connected with the friends you made in CUABS, and do you foresee any opportunities for collaboration or networking with them in the future?

In fact, a CUABS alum Rikki works right on my floor at Nomura so I see her every day! Shoutout to Angela who we’ll see in the office interning next summer. Tons of CUABS people are in the city so I’m looking forward to catching up over meals, reconnecting with other alumni who graduated before me, and seeing you all at the next CUABS NYC alumni event. I also just visited SF to see the other CUABS alumni who work in the area :) If anyone is in the city, please reach out so we can catch up! I miss you all.

Reflecting on your overall experience in CUABS, what piece of advice or wisdom from your fellow club members or mentors has had the most significant impact on your life or career?

Definitely have a work hard play hard attitude. Yes, doing well in school and recruiting is important, but don’t forget the little things that help you destress. I would argue that losing a few hours of sleep to go to a social event and then finishing your homework after is worth it! College is the perfect time to form relationships and explore your interests, so put yourself out there and travel a ton (#ms worldwide)there is a lot less freedom once work starts.

Connie, Rikki, Megan, Bela, and Jing at Stewart Park! Jing and CUABS at Hasan Minhaj!