My Smith education has been an exceptional resource for me throughout my career. Smith is essential to enhancing soft skills as much as imparting core curriculum. Classes like business strategy and negotiations have been extremely important to my career as a management consultant, and then later as an entrepreneur.

I consider the education I received from the brilliant professors at Smith to be the most precious gift and valuable resource that has propelled my career forward all these years.

The Smith MBA program gave me the flexibility to get a degree without specialization. My focus had been finance and strategy, but as I worked at different roles within banking, the advanced courses in accounting and marketing that I’d taken in earlier semesters really helped.

My professors at Maryland Smith have been my most valuable career resource. I could reach out to them for advice, coaching and feedback. My favorite professor is Dr. Liao Hui, who I could easily talk to about my thoughts and bold ideas.

After graduating from Smith I met several Smith alumni, both in the U.S. and China. Some of them helped me with work issues, some offered me jobs and still others connected me with business opportunities. There is a natural trust among Smith alumni. I’ve been amazed by how much the Smith Alumni Network has grown in China.

During my time with the Smith MBA program, I dreamt of being a consulting partner and I’m happy to have realized that dream. My goal is to mentor CFOs – especially those with start-ups – to help their companies progress and become profitable quickly.

The EMBA program allowed me to combine my past experiences in the business world with theories and principles in a systematic way, and it provided answers and alternative thinkpaths to various challenges and issues that I have encountered–especially outside the sales and marketing arena.

When I graduated with my MBA, companies would ask me what I would like to do long term? I said I’d like to start my own company one day, but at the time it was only a pipe dream. As I approached my 40’s I realized it was now or never, and I started Simplotel. In that sense, I’m where I wanted to be with my career. My goals are to make Simplotel a global SaaS provider for hotels.

I chose Maryland Smith’s Master of Science in Business and Management (MSBMGT) program because I knew it would provide me with a wide range of skills and experiences that would be directly applicable to the business environment I wanted to enter post-graduation. The program provides you with real-world experiences and working knowledge of all aspects of business ranging from accounting to ethics.

I chose Smith’s MSBMGT program to maximize my academic and athletic careers as I searched for a consulting role. More importantly, I sought a program that would expose me to the necessary skills and knowledge needed to be successful as an entry-level consultant. Not only did my Maryland Smith experience help me obtain an entry-level position at Protiviti, but it also made me confident in my ability to perform at the highest level.