College Experiences That Helped A Chief Financial Officer And NPO Founder At Biomerica And Forge Optima Succeed
College was a period of exploration and significant pivots for this career professional, beginning with a marketing internship that revealed it "wasn't really what [the] calling really was," leading to a late-stage major change and embracing a fresh start. Involvement in diverse activities, from working full-time to taking leadership roles in the Student Accounting Society and a theater company, cultivated a well-rounded perspective that ultimately helped "land an internship at Ernst and Young," setting the stage for future success as a CFO/NPO Founder.
Career Pivot, Leadership Roles, Extracurricular Involvement, Work Experience, Self-Discovery
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Gary Lu
CFO / NPO Founder
Biomerica and Forge Optima
UCLA
Economics
Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Finance
Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Explored different interests through internships, realizing marketing wasn't the right fit and pivoting despite being a senior.
2. Held leadership roles in relevant organizations like the Student Accounting Society and a business fraternity.
3. Maintained a balance by working full-time while being involved in extracurricular activities, including a theater company, to develop a well-rounded skill set.
Transcript
What did you do in college to set you up for success?
That's a great question. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, and some people do, some people don't. Some people think they do and they actually don't. I think that was part of my journey.
As I mentioned earlier, when I took an internship, I wanted to get into marketing. That wasn't really what my calling was. It spoke to me right away, kind of talking about being punched in the mouth. That's what happened.
I went to this internship on the East Coast and I thought, "Whoa, this is not what I want to do at all." I had been doing this for two and a half years, with a year and a half left before graduation. I wondered how I was going to figure it out.
I made a huge transition, jumped out of my major, and started basically fresh. I was a senior with freshmen, but that's part of my journey. I shouldn't compare myself with anyone else.
It goes back to hardship, suffering, bad decision-making, or not knowing. In my case, it was just not knowing. If someone had told me what it would be like, I would have known immediately that I didn't want to do marketing.
I was actually more interested in [unclear]. Those things were interesting. I was very involved. I also worked full-time, 40 hours a week, teaching Photoshop and web design.
I was in leadership roles within areas that started to matter, like the Student Accounting Society. I was in a business fraternity, and I took leadership roles in all those things. I was also in a semi-famous theater company.
They would always ask me, "What does this have to do with accounting?" I'd reply, "Don't you want someone who is well-balanced? Don't you want someone who understands the human condition?" They'd respond, "Fair enough."
So, the pain, the work, the pivot, and the leadership roles all culminated to what I was able to achieve. I was able to land an internship at Ernst and Young, which led to a full-time offer.