by Judy Pham & Kartik Jain

AnderTech's Tech Education team has launched a new initiative called Tech Bytes. Tech Bytes are peer-led technical skills-building workshops featuring bite-sized topics that can be taught in 1-2 hours. Instructors are UCLA Anderson students from the MBA and FEMBA programs who have prior experience in technology roles and are passionate about sharing knowledge to help their peers break into tech.

In our first Tech Bytes, Sarah Zou (MBA 2019) taught the basics of software development, including the differences between frontend, backend, and APIs. Students then had the opportunity to apply these concepts to building an Android mobile application using AppInventor.

Everyone’s computers are set up and we’re ready to build some apps!

Screenshots from the app created by Shu He (MBA 2018) during the session.

Sarah (left) answering questions about using AppInventor.

Future Tech Bytes will be posted on the website calendar, in Campus Groups, and in the WHAT newsletter! We look forward to seeing you there!

If you are interested in teaching a Tech Bytes workshop or have workshop topic suggestions, please reach out to Kartik Jain or Judy Pham.

by Josue Enriquez

I cannot believe that nearly a year ago I joined Anderson in hopes of changing industry and function. Although I enjoyed my career as a Civil Engineer, I longed to be at the forefront of innovation. Admittedly, I did not believe the transition possible, but nearly a year later, I am in Austin taking advantage of an incredible learning opportunity as a Product Development Intern at Dell. In this blog, I will give you a small glimpse into my internship experience to date. 

First, there is no such thing as a typical day. It might sound cliché, but the only thing I can say with certainty is to expect the unexpected. On any given day, my schedule is filled with informationals across all levels of the organization to understand the inner workings of the business, but my day can quickly spiral out of control with impromptu lunch invitations and meetings. Every interaction is unique, but I quickly learned the value of making an impression. Those meaningful interactions lead to many warm introductions who are critical to the success of my project. 

Additionally, there are also numerous intern specific events. One very popular event is the executive speaker series, which is exclusive to interns. Each week we interact with either Michael Dell or one of his C-level executives who share an incredible wealth of information on numerous topics ranging from company insights, career advice, and keys to success. In addition to the speaker series, the intern programming includes scavenger hunts, happy hours, and baseball games at Dell Diamond. Each event is an opportunity to meet incredible individuals across schools and foster long lasting relationships beyond the summer internship. In the coming weeks, we will continue to explore Austin and dive deep into their famous food and music scene.

Unfortunately, time is moving much too quickly, but I cannot wait to see what the next day has to offer…

by Amanda Unterreiner

Bo Kjaer joined 7 Anderson students for a D48, or more formally known as a "Dinner for Eight". A graduate of our 1997 Anderson class, Bo has had an interesting career across business development roles, founding his own company, and most recently holding a position in product management at eHarmony. This informal setting was a great way for students to connect both with each other and an established alum over some casual tacos.

Bo embodied the Anderson culture, opening up about the ups and downs of his career path. Bo reminded us that startups are a gamble, each with different leaders and in various stages of development. He shared some of his struggles and helped set the stage for things we might face 5, 10, and 20 years out of Anderson.

I attended to learn more about Bo’s journey and functional transitions across smaller companies around LA. Other students shared insights about their own company ventures underway and got some quality feedback from an established industry professional. An added bonus was that he was classmates with our very own Regina Regazzi in Parker!            

by Taylor St Clair

Hello everyone!

My name is Taylor St Clair, and I am President of the Anderson Technology Business Association, or as we lovingly refer to it, AnderTech. Welcome to our new blog! We’ve redesigned the website to act as an all-purpose information source for current students, alumni, and prospective students. You’ll find information on upcoming AnderTech events, career-oriented programming, and other experiences dedicated to creating a great club experience for our members.

The goal of re-launching the website as an information resource led to the creation of the AnderTech blog- the board wanted to provide insight into what it means to be a student at UCLA Anderson interested in technology. You’ll find posts highlighting club events, such as Dinners for 8 (D48s), Tech Bytes (student-led tech workshops), tech experiences on and off-campus, as well spotlights on FEMBA members and an internship series. Each member of the board will be sharing bits of their summer internship experience over the course of the summer and into fall, so be sure to check back regularly.

To kick things off, I’ll share some highlights from my first two weeks as a Senior Product Manager Intern at Amazon. It’s been a whirlwind, from learning about my team and project to meeting fellow interns from schools around the world. I’ve had an absolute blast and learned so much about what it means to be an Amazonian! There’s a huge variety of Anderson alums within the Amazon community, and everyone has been incredibly supportive and helpful. This week, the intern crew had the opportunity to celebrate the end of Week 2 with an excursion to the Seattle Aquarium. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer holds!

I hope you enjoy all of the content we have on deck throughout the summer and school year.  A massive thanks to Kartik Jain and Carlos Hernandez for getting the website up and running, and to Alice Cope and Margaret Yu for their support on the marketing and communications front. See you all back here soon!

Xo,
tsc