About Audrey
Current Position: Project Manager, Pro-Design Group
Previous University: Soochow University
Undergraduate Degree: Business administration
Q: You got your graduate certificate in Corporate Renewal first and are now in the MS in Finance/MBA program at Northeastern. Why did you start with your certificate?
A: After I graduated college, I was originally working as a project manager for a company in Taiwan. I enjoyed that job, but I had a vision of being able to influence change on a larger scale. Then my employer said, we'll have a position coming open in China at the VP level in about three or four years—are you interested in earning your MBA so you can qualify for it? I thought it was a great opportunity.
I started researching my options, and Northeastern clearly stood out from the rest. Not only could I start right away by enrolling in the graduate certificate program, but I'd be eligible for Optional Practical Training (OPT) after I completed the certificate. As an international student, that's so important. And then I could apply my graduate certificate credits toward a master's degree, and qualify again for OPT upon completion, giving me two separate opportunities to pursue work in the United States if I chose.
Q: Why did you choose to study corporate renewal?
A: In Taiwan—and in China—we have a lot of family-owned, family-run businesses, but these businesses tend not to survive over time into the second or third generation. With so many businesses shrinking or dying off, there's a tremendous opportunity for managers with an MBA education to come in and help turn things around, helping companies sustain for another 30 or 40 years. Helping a business in crisis restructure or discover a new business model is really exciting to me.
Q: What's one really valuable thing you've learned through your Northeastern education?
A: My professor in Managing People and Organizations taught us an important tool—“who's on my board?” That means gathering all the people you trust and having them in position to advise you throughout your career and even in your personal life. I've been using that tool to this day and it's had a significant benefit for me, and it will continue to pay dividends into the future.
Q: How will your graduate education contribute to your future goals?
A: I've chosen to get a master's in finance alongside my MBA because I think it's essential to managing a corporation, and it makes a nice combination with my graduate certificate education in corporate renewal. Ten years from now, I want to be a general manager, making important decisions and shaping the strategy and culture of an organization—especially if I can help revive, transform, and introduce sustainability to a business, making it a place where people can work happily, free to contribute to society.
