STUDENT FEATURE: Avril Hsu, MBA '14

Avril Hsu

Marketing

President, Int'l Student Org

Treasurer, RAMS

Avril is a full-time student, earning her MBA in marketing.  Originally from Taiwan, she has worked in seven countries and speaks four languages. She enjoys salsa dancing, learning guitar, and (surprise) traveling.  When she is not in class, she can be found negotiating portion sizes with the food trucks outside 1 Washington Park. 

Where were you before RBS?

 I was born and raised in Taiwan. After completing my undergrad in industrial design, I worked at a Swiss Consultancy called Process Brand Evolution, AG for five years. (www.process.ch). It’s an independent branding and design consultancy based in Switzerland, Taiwan and China.  I started as a product designer and then was promoted to strategy consultant where I helped clients develop new products, new lines of business, and implement go-to-market strategies. (Check out one of my cool projects that won six international awards. http://www.idsa.org/content/content1/t-tech-led-dimmable-light-bulbnature#! http://www.notcot.com/archives/2012/06/led-gluhbirne-nature-bulb.php)

While working at Process, I had the chance to travel and work in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Japan, Thailand, and China. Now, I’m here – the United States J

Where do you see yourself in 15 years?

Ahh this question is hard. I can only say that I enjoy living in the moment and exploring new challenges all the time. And these are the things I will still be doing in 15 years.

What do you do for fun?

I love to eat (all kinds of cuisine) and I eat a lot!  One time the food truck saw my tiny body, assumed I was doing some sort of crazy diet, and decided to give me less food. I’m NOT, so please fill the whole box full of food!  I also love salsa dancing, playing pool, and traveling. Currently, I am learning guitar… progressing slowly though.  

What would you do differently if you could repeat your first semester all over again?

Uh... Honestly, I would pay more attention in all classes… It is kinda hard to balance job/internship searching and classes, but you cannot lack one of them in your MBA journey! Now, I can better balance both classes and work, because I know both are equally valuable. J

What is/was your favorite class? Why?

Strategic management is an awesome class, especially if you are interested in consulting!  Definitely take this class. You will be able to pick up lots of frameworks and how to employ those. Breakdown the current problem into buckets, tailor the right method to analyze it, and from there, strategize the solutions for your companies.