College Experiences That Helped a Manager of Operations Excellence at Sharp HealthCare Succeed
Myron's undergraduate experiences, including "sexual health education for high school students" and "Norwegian classes," unexpectedly proved invaluable in their career. These seemingly unrelated activities fostered diverse skill sets and connections, enriching their professional life and demonstrating the benefits of pursuing passions alongside career goals, as "things that you thought would never matter...ended up being so useful."
Communication, Teamwork, Networking, Personal Development, Overcoming Challenges
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Myron Soyangco
Manager of Operations Excellence
Sharp HealthCare
UCLA
UCLA Anderson SOM - MBA
Chemistry
Healthcare, Medical & Wellness
Operations and Project Management
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Immigrant, Worked 20+ Hours in School, LGBTQ, Transfer Student
Video Highlights
1. Develop a diverse skill set beyond the core curriculum. Pursue interests and activities outside of your major, as these can provide valuable skills and experiences applicable to your future career. Myron's examples include sexual health education, involvement in cultural clubs, and language learning.
2. Build a strong network. Engage in activities that allow you to meet and connect with people from various backgrounds. These relationships can offer mentorship, advice, and collaboration opportunities throughout your career.
3. Don't neglect personal development. Make time for activities you enjoy, even if they seem unrelated to your career goals. These experiences contribute to a well-rounded skillset and personal growth, which are essential for navigating challenges and finding success in a demanding field like healthcare.
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad that ultimately set you up for success in your career?
My favorite thing about my undergraduate studies, if you ever watched Steve Jobs's commencement address, is on YouTube. He talked about how the most important classes he took were in typography, fonts, and design. Honestly, coming into my 11th year in healthcare, I agree.
Things I did in undergrad that I thought would never matter ended up being useful. I was a sexual health educator for high school students and very active in the Filipino Club. I also took Norwegian classes. All these random things you do for personal development or interest later on, you pull skills from or make yourself more interesting.
Now, when we do children's outreach events, I can pull from my experience teaching sex ed to high schoolers. If you're in a meeting and asked to tell a fun fact, I can say I speak Norwegian. It's a way to connect.
I've also built friends who pursued their own careers. I can lean on them for advice when I'm in a unique situation I haven't experienced. I can ask them what they would do and get a fresh perspective.
The advice I would give is that there's so much pressure to be perfectly aligned with healthcare. People focus on internships and clubs that are directly related. They worry about what to do for fun.
But it's not just for fun; you're building a skillset and a holistic person. You can do more because you pursued those interests. Don't think you're compromising your career goals by doing things you like on the side.
In ten years, those things will serve you. Whether it's relationships, experiences to draw from, or just something interesting to look back on.
The flip side is when you're in my role, starting early and having late meetings, it's challenging to find time to learn Norwegian. The fact that I had the opportunity in university, I made the most of it. You might discover something you really like.