What matters to you most and why?

*Stanford GSB What matters to you most and why? What matters most to me is lifelong learning. “Live into old age, learn into old age.” This is a Chinese proverb my parents used to say to me all the time. Starting at the age of 5, my afternoons and evenings were jam-packed with activities. From Chinese school to piano lessons to volleyball bootcamps; you name it, I probably tried it. I was often frustrated that my friends played capture the flag after school while I was being whisked away to yet another class, but my parents would always respond to my incessant complaints with, “You’ll thank us for this someday.” I now wave the white flag and admit that they were right.

The first time I truly felt that all my hard work was worth it was during my first internship application process. The Marketing Strategy team at [company] was looking for an intern who was fluent in Mandarin and excited by the prospect of working on the theme park’s initiative to increase international tourism. Before even landing an interview, which was partially conducted in Mandarin, I had to submit a written assignment in Chinese. The moment I got the call informing me that I had gotten the job was the moment all the late nights learning to write complex Chinese characters paid off. I spent the summer working on the theme park’s international social media initiatives alongside a team of brilliant professionals and soaked up as much knowledge as I could by taking the initiative to build connections with people in different business units and waking up early in the mornings to attend all the behind the scenes tours of the park attractions. The more I learned, the more curious I became and the more I appreciated the business. I loved working for a company that brings so much joy to its customers, and I could not imagine a better place to start my career.

Graduating from college meant that there were no more lectures, no more mandatory discussions; for the first time, I was fully responsible for my development. Starting a full-time job on a team of experienced accountants in a new city was daunting, but I took it as an opportunity to expand my skills. During my first few weeks, I noticed an inefficiency in the team’s processes. The company employed an external account manager to update XBRL, an SEC language in our filings, but it was extremely time-consuming to reach out to him for every minor edit. Out of curiosity, I decided to learn the ins and outs of XBRL during my down time, and eventually, I became the team’s resident XBRL expert. My proactivity paid off as we were preparing to file the 10-K at year end. On filing day, my director walked over with a look of concern and asked if I could fix an error because he could not reach our account manager and our deadline was approaching. Having made similar edits multiple times, I was able to resolve the issue, and we filed the document as planned. To this day, my director and I still talk about the adrenaline rush of the moment, which not only validated my efforts but also strengthened the trust between me and my team. Since then, I have continued my pursuit of knowledge through my various roles. Whether it is learning PowerBI by watching YouTube tutorials in order to build a KPI dashboard for my team or requesting additional valuation modeling training before getting staffed on an acquisition deal, I have continuously reminded myself that learning never stops.

My ongoing quest for knowledge has propelled my career forward and allowed me to build stronger relationships. My experiences have given me a treasure trove of topics to engage in meaningful conversations and to connect with people on a deeper level. I am eternally grateful that my parents ignited a love of learning within me at a young age as it has injected so much enjoyment into my personal and professional life.