IB Profiles

IB ALUMNI:
Where in the World Are They?
What in the World Are They Doing?

ALUMNI PROFILES FROM FALL 1997 ISSUE
MITCHELL CUEVAS - 1991 (Spanish/Europe)
I graduated in May 1991 and soon thereafter I took a "leap of faith" and journeyed to Spain in search of employment. After a few frustrating months of job searching and offering private courses in English, I got lucky. I acquired a position with John Ryan International, a marketing firm. In this company I assisted with setting up marketing programs, researched potential clients and developed a database. The work was both exciting and challenging and allowed me to improve my Spanish while gaining valuable work experience. After about a year at John Ryan I returned to the USA because of difficulties in obtaining a permanent Spanish work permit. [Note: Be aware that it is quite difficult to get a European work permit if you have only a US passport.] Soon after returning to California I began working for RJR Nabisco in a Sales/Marketing capacity. My responsibilities covered marketing and sales for a particular geographic area. I developed specific marketing plans and product mix combinations which would specifically appeal to the Latino markets of Orange County. After about three years with RJR I determined that the best way to further my career and become more international would be to earn an MBA. Because of my international focus I applied, and was accepted to London Business School, one of the top schools in the world (there is another SDSU grad here as well, though not IB). Since joining the program I have done a semester exchange in Brazil (learning Portuguese) and had projects in 4 different countries. There are over 52 nationalities represented at LBS and the international exposure and contact network that I've developed here is not only invaluable, but it will last a lifetime. I have just recently finished the program in London and have accepted a position as a Senior Consultant with Ernst & Young in the Sao Paulo, Brazil office. My activities there will revolve around assisting large companies develop corporate strategies and how they can use technology to become more competitive, in both the local and global economies. I am always open to contact, so feel free to e-mail me at: mitchell_cuevas@bigfoot.com

HEATHER HAGAN - 1994 (French/Europe)
I work for a small Japanese communications firm in Tokyo - P.Y. International - whose main activities focus on research and management training. In the research division, for example, foreign companies and institutions in need of up-to-date information on the small and medium enterprise environment in Japan will ask us to research and translate current available data and provide them with reports on market access, deregulation and direct investment. The management training section offers seminars on management issues and work improvement skills to employees of large Japanese companies such as Sony and Yamaha. As the firm is small I feel I have many opportunities to learn from a wide range of duties. My day to day work activities often vary. I might find myself working on the presentation and lay-out of a report. Sometimes I do rewriting from translated Japanese. Other times, I assist in the management training programs as a facilitator. As I am the only foreign employee at my office, each and every day offers a unique opportunity to share and learn from my Japanese environment. My colleagues and I get a lot of laughs out of trying to understand each other sometimes. Speaking Japanese on the telephone can be a real challenge! I enjoy the fact that the firm is small because I have a lot more opportunity to input my ideas and receive immediate feedback. I came to Japan in the summer of 1994 on a 'cultural adventure', not realizing I would be here almost three years later. Taking with me a few contacts of publications in California, I started to write free-lance about my experiences in Japan. As writing was not enough to pay the high cost of living in Tokyo, I had to find another job. The fact that I had worked as a facilitator for the American Language Institute at SDSU helped me land a teaching job in Tokyo, teaching ESL to Japanese business people. It was through this teaching job that I met my current employer. I feel the fact that I had business, teaching and writing backgrounds helped me get the job. I was hired almost immediately and have been working for P.Y. for a little over two years now. Working in Japan has been a great experience and I hope to stay another year after which I would like to try to work in Europe. I continue to write free-lance and am always looking for new publications to write for. I study Japanese, attending classes twice a week. I have become a great amateur fan of "Kabuki" theater (an ancient form of Japanese musical theater in which all the roles, both male and female, are played by men). I enjoy visiting new places around Asia and in Japan during my vacations, especially the famous Japanese 'On-sen' hot spring resorts.

RAINA WALLACE - 1994 (Spanish/Latin America)
After graduation, I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, searching for job opportunities. While looking for "a real job," I went to a temporary employment agency. The agency located a temporary position at AirTouch International doing data entry. Once I got my foot in the door, I had the opportunity to network with other people in other departments of the company. One of the Program Managers was looking for an assistant and I happened to be in the right place at the right time. I am now a Program Manager at AirTouch, a wireless communications company. The division in which I work pursues licenses in other countries to operate cellular businesses. In order to be granted a license, we must submit an application, a 100-500 page document that tells the government why they should grant us the license (instead of our competition) and how we will implement our new business. The process of applying for a license is extremely complex and requires the expertise of many departments throughout the company. Additionally, it requires expertise of local companies with which we usually partner because they have extensive knowledge of the country and its politics. As Program Manager, I am responsible for overseeing the process, making sure that each department is completing the required tasks, and delivering that information to other departments who depend on it to get their job done. Furthermore, the foreign governments give us a deadline for applying, so all of the steps in the process require advanced planning in order to meet the deadline (otherwise we are disqualified). That planning, and then the management of that plan is the role that I play on these projects. Additionally, I ensure that the project budget is not overrun. Some of the perks of the job are the accumulation of frequent flier miles and the subsidization of a cellular phone. AirTouch is truly a dynamic place to work.

HELEN YAPURA - 1994 (Spanish/Europe)
During the summer of my junior and senior year at SDSU, I went to work in Switzerland through the Foothill College International Exchange Program. I highly recommend this experience to any student looking to work overseas during their career. For 2-1/2 years I have worked in the international department of CACI Products Company, a local developer of simulation software in a combined sales and administrative position. Simulation software is software that businesses use to evaluate how specific changes will effect their business. Before new technologies are implemented, businesses will use simulation to see if these changes will achieve desired results. A few areas where simulation is being used include: insurance companies and banks, computer networks, transportation (train and flight paths, etc) military planning and manufacturing.
CACI contacted me by finding my resume in the San Diego chapter of the World Trade Center, so I encourage everyone who is looking for a job to use this resource. I now work at the offices of our reseller in Genova, Italy. My objective is to increase our product sales in Italy, improve communication with CACI offices, and foster overseas relationships with third party integrators to our software. CACI works very hard to maintain relationships such as these in the U.S, and we would like to further improve these OEM relationships overseas. A new goal will be to position our Italian partner, CO.S.MO.S s.r.l. as the consultancy arm of CACI in Europe in order to take advantage of EU mandated projects, in addition to those offered by local governments.
I look forward to broadening my work experience with new and interesting challenges while in Italy, and thank the IB dept. at SDSU for their excellent instructors and undergraduate program. To all my former class mates and professors, or anyone with questions about this experience please drop me a line at helen@caciasl.com

ALUMNI PROFILES FROM SPRING 1997 ISSUE
James Joyce (1995 - Spanish/Latin America)
It is an honor to be asked to provide an update of my career path to all of you through the IB Globe and especially to have the opportunity to wish Dr. Alvord Branan all the success and happiness in his retirement that he so admirably deserves. Thank you, Dr. Branan, for your advice and friendship throughout the years!
As a graduate of the Class of 1995, I was filled with excitement and ambition to begin my career. However, I did take a slight detour. Three days after graduating, I continued my advanced studies at Thunderbird-The American Graduate School of International Management. Many people were skeptical about me going straight into grad school, but in my mind, it was the right choice for me.
To my surprise, after completing my overseas MBA studies at the Helsinki School of Economics, I was offered a position with the Intel Corporation in Hillsboro, Oregon to develop their distribution channel in Latin America. This was the job I had waited my whole life for. With our pioneering staff of eight people, we were able to raise sales in the region almost 400% during my first quarter with the company. Following our record-setting sales effort, we put together the most aggressive marketing plan yet for 1997, which we are currently implementing. To our fortune, senior management approved almost 100% funding for our budget, and along with very aggressive strategic pricing moves company-wide in networking products and processors, the building blocks were put into place to ensure that 1997 would show Latin America to be one of the strongest emerging markets in the world for Intel.
Intel has given me a great amount of responsibility in my position managing marketing programs, advertising, in-country sales and technical support, and all financial reporting for Latin America. My work keeps me busy 50-80 hours a week, but I enjoy every minute of it. I've worked my whole life to be in an ideal career position like this that allows me to work at my best and travel all over the US and Latin America. I do, however, have to return in the summer to Thunderbird to finish my degree, but I am committed to continuing my work with Intel. To accommodate my class schedule, my boss and I worked out an agreement for me to fly from Oregon to school in Arizona twice a week for class, while working in the office three times a week.
I've always had faith that I would find the right career, but I had no idea it would come this soon. I am grateful first to the IB Program at SDSU for giving me the foundation to build from, and secondly, to Thunderbird, for helping to open the door. I've learned that you should never undersell yourself and always go after exactly what you want with patience and ambition. Good luck to all of you in your career and personal pursuits!
Jeff Forster (1992 - Japanese/Asia)
Since early 1993, I have been based out of Tokyo and working with The Gallup Organization, a management and marketing research firm. Currently, I act as a Vice President developing business for our Japan office; however, I also have responsibility to ensure sales and growth in the Asia region. On March 15th, 1997 my assignment in Asia was complete and I am moving back domestically to Gallup's Irvine offices to spearhead business development for the west coast territory, or everything west of the Rockies. Nevertheless, I'll still play an advisory role for Gallup's Asian operations.
While best known for The Gallup Poll (founded in 1935), Gallup's current activities consist largely of providing marketing and management research, advisory services, and education to the world's largest corporation and institutions. Gallup has wholly or majority-owned operations in over 20 countries. These operations encompass nearly 60% of the world's and 70% of global economic activity. Over 2,000 research professionals work together to provide clients with comparable operating standards, products, and services across national, cultural, and linguistic borders.
I started this journey to Asia in the fall of '89 with Semester At Sea where my wife, Laura, and I first met. Semester At Sea is a floating university on a large ship where over 700+ students travel around the world one full semester of academic study. Upon completion of that program, my desire to work internationally increased so I spent the next two summers of '90 and '91 in Japan on an intensive study program and an internship, respectively. The internship was sponsored by the Japan Management Association Research Institute (JMAR) who eventually became Gallup's official joint venture partner in '95. I worked at JMAR since coming to Japan in early '93. Both Larry Emond (SDSU, International Commerce, '89), and I helped form this joint venture between JMAR and The Gallup Organization in '95. Today, this joint venture in Japan is considered Gallup's "best start up ever" as stated by Jim Clifton, Gallup's CEO, and it is attributable to a number of SDSU alumni including Selena Emond (Pol. Sci. '90), Chris Stewart (Economics, '87), and Stephen Pierce (IB, '90).
Slightly unrelated to my profile but important, I want to thank SDSU's International Business department, particularly people such as Lynda Hamilton, Al Branan, Higurashi-sensei, etc. The 'Friends of IB' program, IB Globe, etc. are important and encouraging developments for alumni such as myself. It satisfies both alumni and current students in the major to know there is an organized program for their benefit. For all others behind the scenes that we don't know about, thanks - it is valued more than you can possibly realize. Finally, as a loyal Aztec football fan, I'd like to propose that the program organize a BBQ for a game this season. It would be a great way to see each other. My wife and I will be back in Irvine, CA on March 15th.
Jason Green (1995 - IB/Accounting, Spanish/Latin America)
When I completed my service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador, I knew that the emphases of business, culture, and language which the I.B. program offered was the ticket to get me back to Latin America (this time with a paycheck). After graduating from SDSU, I enrolled in Thunderbird's Master of International Business program at the encouragement of Dr. Branan, I.B. Department Chair. I soon learned that SDSU had prepared me well for the challenge, particularly in areas of management and international finance. I graduated from Thunderbird in May of 1996 and was recruited by Chiquita Brands International to join their two year Tropical Management Development Program.
At Chiquita, I am gaining exposure to all aspects of the banana business. My four six month long rotations include Financial Planning, Internal Audit, Materials & Supplies, and Production. During my current Internal Audit rotation, I am traveling extensively to perform financial and operational audits of our Central and South American divisions. The program not only provides for a broad range of exposure to our international operations but also requires constant interaction with top management. At the completion of the two year program, I will enter a full time upper management position in the tropics. It's the opportunity that I had always hoped for when I first began the IB program. (Jason's work number is available upon request.)
Tuyet H. Le (1994 - Japanese/Asia)
I was hired as an English teacher by the Yokohoma City Board of Education in Japan just before graduating. As some of you may know, Yokohama is San Diego's sister city. Each year, Yokohama's Board of Education hires 2-3 people (usually graduates from SDSU or UCSD) to work in the City's public schools, junior high and high school level. Working there for a year was quite an adventure. It was very rewarding and sometimes frustrating due to major cultural differences (something I expected). The experience gave me an opportunity to truly learn the language, customs, and the basics of daily life. I returned to the States after only one year because, while it was enriching to teach, I wanted to apply my studies in a business environment.
I worked in San Diego for nine months while I was looking for real work in the Bay area. A recruiting firm hooked me up with several employers in the Silicon Valley and after discovering that I'm from San Diego, none of them had any interest in relocating me. Just when I thought the prospects were incredibly bleak and that I'd have to pay for my moving expenses, a company named AKM Semiconductor was willing to fly me up for an interview. I flew up for an interview, met with everyone, and was offered a job the same day.
Ever since last spring, I've been employed as a Marketing Coordinator for our company. We are a high-tech firm primarily designing and manufacturing multimedia and telecommunication integrated circuits (ICs) for worldwide applications. Our parent company is Asahi Chemical, one of the largest and top ranking chemical conglomerates in Japan.
My role is to coordinate all marketing and public relation activities for our company. My job includes handling our advertising budget for the North America market, corresponding daily with our Tokyo office, working with our artist to design ad campaigns, product guides, data books, and product launches, writing press releases, and orchestrating all efforts for trade shows as well as attending them, public relations, and keeping over 100 sales reps and distributors abreast of our company's marketing activities (i.e. informing them of new products and which clients to target).
I really enjoy what I'm doing. I have this great opportunity to be exposed to so much because I work directly under the VP of Marketing. It's quite a plate I have (and can be stressful) but I enjoy the variety and pace. The Silicon Valley is a very unique place to work - it's the center of cutting edge technology making it extremely exciting to work in such an innovative environment. I've become so intrigued with engineering that I've decided to go back to school for my BSEE in the fall. Coupled with a business degree, the opportunities are endless. There is definitely a glass ceiling without an engineering degree in the high tech field.
I look forward to every IB Alumni publication so I can see how my colleagues are doing and to look for lost college friends. If anyone is interested in opportunities in the Silicon Valley or is one of my lost colleagues, please feel free to send me a message at tuyet@akm.com.

Seda P. Mansour (1989 - Spanish/Europe)
The summer I graduated from SDSU, I left for Europe to work with Operation Mobilisation, an international, non-profit organization involved in cross-cultural training. I spent a year and a half in Gibraltar and the south of Spain, directing the expansion of our training program in the region. My responsibilities were not only to develop a study program consisting of language learning, (Spanish, Arabic, English), cultural training, comparative religions of the area, and community service, but also to function as a liaison with Spanish, British and Gibraltarian community members.
I came back to the US, and after some deliberation, decided to enroll in the English Language and Linguistics program at the University of Arizona, planning to continue my career in international education (teaching, recruiting, administration) somewhere in the Middle East or North Africa. I spent one semester as a Foreign Language and Area Studies scholar at UC Berkeley, but had to stop my studies because of a family medical emergency.
Right now I am working at Stanford's Graduate School of Business, managing the MBA Admissions Office. Along with the administrative and supervisory aspect of this position, I have the opportunity of representing our MBA program at corporate forums and international conferences, and sitting on the admissions committee. Because of my background in international business and travel, I have also worked as resident expert in the areas of political and educational systems overseas, foreign financial and currency issues, INS visa regulations and other matters related to international recruitment and admissions.

Scott Frazee (1993 - German/Europe)
Unlike the other IB alums who have written these profiles, I did not get a job with a company involved in international trade, as I had hoped. I landed a position with the Federal Government as a bank examiner. I work in L.A. (which I am not thrilled about) and examine primarily west L.A. banks.
Although it may not sound exciting at first, I enjoy my work very much. On an aggregate level, I get to see how banks are run (both large and small banks), and how the economy and banks are so incredibly intertwined. On a individual level, I get to see how various management teams both pursue profitability and avoid adversity. For example, I saw the effects the recession of the late 1980's and early 1990's had on banks. Many failed because of the recession and the drop in the real estate market but many survived due to innovative and/or prudent management.
The actual examination process is also interesting work. I analyze bank operations and investments, recommend methods of improvement, and rate performance. The most interesting part of my job is discussing banking strategies with senior management. It sounds a bit pretentious, but I enjoy that, even though I have only three years experience, I am treated as an equal to senior bank management. It's nice on the ego. The most uncomfortable part of my job, however, is that I often have to present unwanted examination findings to management (including the Boards of Directors).
The one downfall of this type of work is the dry style of writing. Writing reports for the government has drained all the life out of my writing.
Elizabeth Butcher (1992 - Spanish/Latin America)
I started to work for Deltec, a UPS (Uninterruptible Power System) manufacturer in August of 1993. My first job within the company was related to the administrative side of exporting. My daily tasks included processing Letters of Credit and preparing export documentation. A year later, I was promoted to where I really wanted to be, International Sales. My responsibilities include supporting our distributors in Mexico, Central and South America. I often travel to promote our product at trade shows in Mexico, Sao Paulo, Costa Rica and Las Vegas. Sales opportunities in Latin America continue to get better. It is truly exciting to work with a growing economy and such wonderful people. I have no regrets in choosing this career path!!

ALUMNI PROFILES FROM FALL 1996 ISSUE

In this issue, we are profiling our alumni in a different way. Instead of the regular format where IB alums tell you about themselves, we are reproducing some of the business cards that were sent to us with the latest survey responses. They appear in the insert that was mailed. The usual format of "Alumni Profiles" will return in the Spring 1997 issue.

Congratulations to the following IB Alumni who have notified us of new jobs in the last 6 months:

Patricia Anderson (`94, French/Western Europe) International Marketing Liaison, Inspirado Designs Corporation

Nick Bennett (`95, Japanese/Asia), Marketing Assistant, Tokabi of America

Kim DeWald (`93, French/Western Europe), Regional Sales Manager, Oakley, Inc.

Larry Emond (`89, Japanese/Asia), Senior Vice President, Marketing, The Gallup Organization

Jason Green (`94, Spanish/Latin America), Financial Analyst, Chiquita Brands International

James Joyce (`95, Spanish/Latin America), Channel Business Manager, Intel Corporation

Tuyet Le (`94, Japanese/Asia), Marketing Coordinator, AKM Semiconductor, Inc.

Matthew Livermore (`93, French/Western Europe), Marketing Associate, Global Connections

Claudia Trejo (`94, Spanish/Western Europe), Regional Sales Associate, AT&T

Sidney Bolivar Trouwborst (`93, French/Western Europe), Financial Consultant, Kirlin Securities, Inc.

Our sincere thank you

to the following donors who have generously contributed to the International Business Program's special scholarship fund which supports IB majors who study abroad:

Esteban Arjona (`93, Spanish/Latin America)
Christine Bauer (`93, French/Western Europe)
Scott Fitzgerald (`94, German/Western Europe)
Martin Gonzalez (`93, Spanish/Latin America)
Stephen Hamilton (`94, French/Western Europe)
Michael Hardesty (`93, German/Western Europe)
Scott Jertberg (`91, German/Western Europe)
Christina Marin Larson (`93, French/Western Europe)
Jennifer McClure (`92, Spanish/Europe)
Irene Nakamura (`93, Japanese/Asia))
Robert Rhoades (`93, Japanese/Asia)
Maher Saba (`93, French/Western Europe)
Richard Salzar (MBA, IB)
Letticia Valderrama (`91, Spanish/Latin America)
Aaron Wilczek (`93, German/Western Europe)
Helen Yapura (`94, Spanish/Western Europe)

100% of your donation goes to scholarships for IB students to study abroad.

The 1996 IB Alumni Survey Results Are In!

84.2%

Full-time Employment

$35,044

Average Annual Salary

For more details, see The IB Alumni Survey Home Page

If you have an email account, why not take advantage of most servers' offer of a free personal web site and put yourself on-line? See IB alumnus James Joyce's Home Page as an example of a great personal marketing tool.