Julia Duong, Co-President Most of my experience in business courses was this feeling of being out of place and that I wasn't cut out for the business world. I doubted myself, questioned my abilities, and wondered why I was there because it didn't seem like there was a place for me. That feeling of being out of place is what motivated me to start ASIB. I wanted to build a community for students such as myself who felt like they didn't have a place in the business world. I wanted to facilitate meaningful relationships and mentoring opportunities so that students had role models to look up to and inspire them to go after their goals in the business world. I wanted APIA's to have representation in business so that a younger version of myself could look up to them and think, "that could be me one day". The aspect of having a community that supports one another and helps each other grow is something I wanted to bring to APIA students in business, and I'm so extremely happy that we had such a great team to make this happen.
Dianne Ro, Co-President A group of us studied together frequently for Ross classes and recruiting throughout undergrad. Being involved in APIA organizations outside of business school, we saw an opportunity for an inclusive APIA business organization at Ross. I had benefited from informal connections/networks through the APIA community, and helping our community with building a club seemed like a fun way to provide resources and strengthen our relationships.
What was it like to create a club from scratch?
Julia Duong, Co-President I hate roller coasters because I get motion sickness but this is one roller coaster I would willingly hop on any day. I loved it - it was not easy, but to see how much ASIB has grown and continues to grow to this day, that makes it all worth it. We didn't have a standard way of doing things and that's what made it fun! I loved the aspect of building something from scratch and watching it evolve. Working with our team made it all worth it, a lot of the board members are my closest friends and people I still keep in touch with now. I'm so thankful for this experience!
Dianne Ro, Co-President It was hard work but also a lot of fun as we were able to build with friends/classmates while engaging a large portion of the student body. ASIB Board was passionate about contributing new ideas, laying a foundation, and executing exciting/challenging events. Because ASIB was so new, every idea and event came into consideration and I loved the flexibility of the board to try new things out! We definitely had a fair share of bumps in the road with recruitment, coordinating with student government, and some events, but it was overall a stretch and growth experience founding a club.