In August 2017, I flew 21 hours from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Michigan. I had made the decision to further my education at Grand Valley State University (GVSU), studying Advertising and Public Relations in the land of Mad Men, billboards, and sign spinners. 

During my time at GVSU, I found warmth in the community of international students who shared my transnational experience. In 2019, I became the leader of Bringing Together the World (BTW), an organization that made connections for international and domestic students passionate about world culture.

The culture of openness in Michigan also introduced me to deeper concepts of inclusion, equity, and belonging, which spurred my lifelong passion for community building and advocacy.

In March 2020, my 3 years of schooling at GVSU culminated in a worldwide pandemic as I completed the last month of my school at home. I was also shoved into the labor force in a time of uncertainty and rapid changes. 

Fortunately, I found my first full-time role in Amway North America, where I managed all the transactional emails (you know, those automated emails that say "Order Confirmed!"). My contract with Amway ended after one short but productive year. 

My time in that role helped me realize that to turn my ideas into reality, I needed to upskill myself. As an international student with limited options, the best path was for me to return to school.   

I confess that going back to school after one year was not my first choice, but as fate would have it, it was for the best. In 2021, I was accepted into the Social Innovation master's program. After months of searching, I also secured a graduate assistantship at the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CEI). I still love telling the miraculous story of how I got that job.  

Despite the fact that my parents, sister, and many other relatives are entrepreneurs, I never considered it as a path. This would rapidly change when I was challenged to enter the Idea Pitch Competition. Oh, and I had one week to prepare.

I admittedly did not have an idea at first, but I was confident in my ability to pitch in public. Fatefully, the vegan diet I started at that time plus the lack of vegan options in Grand Rapids led me to create a vegan, Asian restaurant that I would come to name Sudougu. Sudougu would lead me to win the second prize in the competition a week later and kickstart my life of entrepreneurial pursuits. 

Fall of 2022 marked the start of my Master of Business Administration program. To want change and understand what the world needs is one thing, but to have the skills and connections to make it happen is another. If Social Innovation equipped my heart, then Business Administration equipped my hands. The program helped catalyze growth in my human-centered mindset, process design skillset, and leadership.  

As I navigated the foreign subjects of accounting and economics, another possibility was brewing. My Social Innovation program led me to work with Fulton Street Market. What began as a rebranding initiative ended up being a unique opportunity for me to create the Market's new strategy. My time at the Market also led to more opportunities for me to pour into the Grand Rapids community, namely with the Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Foundation (GRAPF) and the West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology (WMCAT). 

The start of 2024 had me drowning in two concurrent research projects. For one, my MBA team was helping our clients, Symbiote and Fishbeck, figure out how artificial intelligence (AI) would come to affect the furniture industry they're in. At the same time, I was interviewing U.S. employers about their experience working with international interns and turning my findings into bases of advocacy. 

As I handed in those projects, my 7-year-long run at GVSU came to a tentative end. This long chapter did conclude with a bang, as I was selected to share my story at the Winter 2024 GVSU Commencement Ceremony.