The Sky is the Limit at UCLA Anderson!

Wow, so much going on at Anderson as always! This month is especially exciting for me, not because it is my birthday (which it is, but at my age you try to ignore them not acknowledge them), but because it is my WEDDING! That's right, while many of my classmates including Rikin Mantri and Rob Michlovich are headed off on the awesome-sounding Japan trip sponsored by the Japanese American Business Association (JABA), or to Hawaii, a mere 5-hour flight away, like my friend Sarah Fixler, Stanton and I are headed back east to my hometown of Atlanta for the Society Event of the Year. Just kidding, but it is going to be wonderful and I can't wait! (Less wonderful will be getting married Saturday night EST and being in class on Monday PST, but what are honeymoons if not opportunities for learning and stress?)

Stanton and I actually met because we discovered we both enjoy long walks on the beach.

For those of who you who totally freak out reading about something like a wedding, fear not, most of my fellow students are single and living the swingin' LA life. There are about 1,000 fun options to choose from any night you can possibly go out,and the always-amazing In-N-Out burger stays open late for your post-party hunger cravings.

There are many other activities besides nightlife- just this weekend was a fun visit to a winery up in Malibu that members of the Anderson Wine Club took advantage of a beautiful Saturday to enjoy. Check out that attire, yes it was 78 degrees!

Alan Druckman (far left) apparently mistook the theme of "wine party" for "pool party" but other than that it's a pretty solid group! (Thanks to James Vogl for photo.)

In other news, I know I mentioned in my last blog post that I was still conducting interviews with various companies to lock down my internship for this summer. I am pleased to say that I have now accepted an offer and will be headed to Seattle, WA to be a Product Manager at Amazon!

I couldn't be more thrilled, as I have been incredibly impressed by the company, its people, and a philosophy that really clicks for me. Plus they are doing some amazing things in the tech space and it seems like they are only getting started! I'm pretty psyched about spending a summer in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where we get to live in downtown Seattle in South Lake Union near the brand new Amazon HQs and take the light rail to work!

It's pretty cool of Amazon to put its interns up in the Space Needle for our summer housing!

 

It's been incredibly exciting to be able to come to Anderson with a background that had very little to do with tech (six year real estate developer and banker in NYC before that) and have the resources and support at my disposal to effectively make the switch into a very terrific job in tech. I met two prospective students for a coffee chat yesterday, and as I explained to them how I had been able to do so, I realized just how much Anderson has to offer. For example, going to one-on-one meetings literally once a week with my Parker Career Center advisor to do everything from recreate my resume in "normal" language instead of real estate lingo, to interview practice, to (happily) discussing my job options. Or having the comprehensive programming put on by the High Tech Business Association (HTBA) that allowed for so much interaction with awesome companies. Or, thanks to the school's curriculum changes, taking marketing earlier so that when I was conducting interviews at the beginning of second quarter, I knew what I was talking about.

Basically, when you come to Anderson, the sky is the limit. You can do whatever you set your mind to. To that end, I was just elected the first female president of the High Tech Business Association last week and will be taking the reins of that already fantastic organization this spring. I have some great plans so be sure to come to Anderson and check it out for yourself!

Finally, in my last plug for UCLA and the beautiful Southern California weather, I participated in the collegiate IronBruin Triathlon yesterday morning on a beautiful 80-degree day. The race, a swim-bike-run all on the beautiful urban campus's grounds, was a real treat. Flying down the hills at 30 MPH (no comment on the 7 MPH ascents!), running past the Bruin bear and around the picturesque Romanesque Revival architecture, and beating about 95% of the legit collegiate female athletes (I'm looking at you, Stanford and USC) made for a very satisfying day.

Racking my bike and trying to look intimidating in all black. Definitely a success.

Running by the Bruin Bear! Go UCLA! (I tried to crop out my awkwardly flailing arm to no avail.)

Nearing the end of my race running around the Quad right in the center of campus.

Stay tuned for my next blog post for wedding highlights (hopefully none involving tripping) and the usual exciting goings-on at Anderson!

Follow me on Twitter: @CharlotteK