National Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 1 Winter 2008
Inside this issue:
• Recap of 2008 National Convention • Professional Chapter Articles: SF Bay Area LA Metro Greater Atlanta Greater Philadelphia Houston
A Message from the National President
As the holidays have passed and the calendar year 2008 drew to a close, Ascend has yet again completed another year in its extraordinary journey and endeavors. 2008 was a great year for Ascend, as our membership has more than doubled in size to over 4000 and continues to grow as we speak. The Inspiring Across Generations conferences greatly exceeded expectations in all our chapters. Due to the increasing success and popularity, it has drawn in more interest in other cities. With that said, I am proud to announce that there are now 23 professional and student chapters, with over 25 pending. Ascend is truly flourishing throughout the nation, and we could not have done it without the support, dedication, and heart of its members. To further expand our horizon and influence the greater Asian community, Ascend will be more inclusive of the finance, accounting, information technology and business-related fields, as well as reaching out to MBAs. Our first National Convention was a huge success. The over 1200 registered attendees surpassed our expectations, and I was ecstatic to see all the wonderful faces of our members - the current, the new, and the young! It was educational, informative and inspirational, but also fun and full of surprises with the guest performances. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did, and is looking forward to this year’s convention. I would like to thank the national staff and committees for putting together the 2008 National Convention. I know that it was stressful to plan the convention with all the long nights, numerous calls, discussions, and meetings, but in the end we succeeded, and we are all very grateful and impressed with the end product. I expect next year’s convention to be even more spectacular. There was not a better time to premiere our Signature Series than at the 2008 National Convention. We had great feedback about the program from both the senior-level and young professionals. With the amazing turnout rate and eager members craving for the next session, it brings me great pleasure to begin rolling out the Signature Series to all chapters during the remainder of this fiscal year. Once again, I would like to thank all the stakeholders, sponsors, and members for all their support that make Ascend great. As we move into calendar 2009, I look forward to a year with many new opportunities for us. The momentum built from this year promises a bigger and better success in the near future. Jeff Chin
• Current Chapter Listing • 2008 Scholarships • 2009 Scholarship • Student Chapter Articles: - Baruch College - De Paul University • Ascend In the News
From The Executive Director’s Desk
We’ve been together for another year and again it brings great news, growth and change to Ascend. We worked hard on our branding of Ascend as we launched our new website at www.ascendleadership.org with more features to come, so please feel free to visit our new site to see the most updated information on our local events. Job postings are only available to our members, so make sure you join or renew your membership to keep in touch with us. We’ve also upgraded our membership system with online abilities to join and to renew memberships and to register for events. I am pleased to announce a new staff member to Ascend: ● Catherine Lam, Program Coordinator As always, please tell me how I can continue to grow Ascend by giving me your comments via email to Catherine.Law@ascendleadership.org Thank you for your continued support and I hope to hear from you soon.
Life Time Members of Ascend
Sridhar Ramamoorti Jeff Chin Yi Fu Lee Parshotam Wadhwani
If you would like to be part of this list, please visit our website at www.ascendleadership.org to join or renew your membership today
Catherine Law
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Ascend Holds Successful Inaugural Convention
NEW YORK, NY – Ascend, the premier organization serving Asian professionals and students in finance, accounting and other business-related professions, hosted its first ever national convention at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. The event drew close to 1,300 senior executives, junior professionals and student representing over 70 corporations, firms and schools. The host city Chapter President, Sandeep Gupta said “It’s absolutely exciting to welcome nearly 1300 people to this one of a kind convention. Our programs and sessions are rich in content. We are also fortunate to have secured very good senior executives and professionals who will be panelists, speakers and mentors over the three day period. I am confident that all will find this experience very rewarding”. Revolving around this year’s theme ‘Bridges Towards Excellence’, the sessions and panel discussions focused on how to create and strengthen collaborations to provide an environment to help foster growth and success among Pan-Asian professionals. There was ample opportunity learn and develop as well as network and socialize over the three day event. In discussing the convention Jeff Chin, President, said “Many people asked me if I thought our first national convention was a success. Many individuals came up to me and said that our Inaugural National Convention was such a great success because we attracted over 1200 registered participants; however the true measure of success to me was the feedback I personally received from many of the members on what outstanding speakers and mentors that participated, the great content that touched and resonated with them as well as the energy and excitement that surrounded the entire two and a half days”. The event opened on Sunday with the ‘A View from the Top’ mentoring session, where participants were grouped with seasoned professionals who shared their thoughts and experiences on several topics of mutual interest. The afternoon session, ‘Asians Collaborating for Mutual Success’ consisted of two panel discussion and table discussions. An all female leaders panel provided candid comments in discussing whether it is a double advantage or disadvantage being a female and an Asian. The following all male leaders panel included comments and ideas on developing future leaders. A cocktail reception also included cultural performances by Hawaiian and Thai dance groups. Monday morning started with a keynote by Barry Salzberg, CEO, Deloitte & Touche. As part of his address he explained the need for the focus on Asian professionals and also the role to be played by Corporate America. Monday and Tuesday sessions included topics on “Global Mobility: How Companies and Individuals are Maximizing & Managing Global Talent Opportunities”, “The Ten K’s of Personal Branding”, and “Trends in Corporate Governance & Accountability” with session speakers such as George Scurlock of AETNA, Rajnish Bharadwaj of Wachovia, Jai Chai of Itochu, Richard Goodman of PepsiCo and Michael Fung of Walmart. Monday afternoon luncheon included the presentation of Deloitte’s Ascend Leadership Award. The Award was presented to Michael Fung, CFO of Walmart Stores US. The award is to recognize an individual who has had a meaningful impact on the accounting and finance professions, demonstrated leadership in the marketplace and is committed to community service. The Scholarship Award Luncheon, sponsored by Ernst & Young, was held to acknowledge and award over 20 outstanding recipients of scholarship awards provided by Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, ING, and the AICPA. Students traveled from as far as San Francisco, Dallas and Atlanta to attend. “Thank you for your information and help all the way, from my application for the ING scholarship to the Ascend National Convention. The convention was an invaluable eye-opening experience for me to learn current trends in world business as well as to expand my network with business professionals. All the sessions, the career fair and the speeches given were very impressive and well arranged.” – Manru Xu, 2008 Ascend ING Scholarship Award Recipient.
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At the convention Ascend also launched their Signature Series. These series comprises of workshops that provides for the awareness and skill building skills to young Asian professionals that helps bridge the gap between Western and Asian cultures. Attendees, who were pre-selected and pre-registered by corporate partners participating in the program, were invited to an opening session focused on Cultural Fluency lead by Jane Hyun, Hyun & Associates. The career fair had over 50 sponsors from the Big 4, financial institutions and other firms. Prudential, AIG, Johnson & Johnson, BDO Seidman, HSBC, Sara Lee, Robert Half, Beers and Cutler, Becker Review and Time Warner were among the few. Considering it was Ascend’s first convention, the sponsors shared that the turn out was impressive. “We were very happy to be part of Ascend’s First Annual Conference and thoroughly enjoyed meeting all the wonderful students and professionals. The event and venue was well organized for the exhibitors at Career Day and Roger CPA Review looks forward to participating in future Ascend events.” – Phil Anthony, Roger CPA Review. Tuesday’s Gala Dinner included over 800 people in attendance and was emceed by Channel 9’s Ti-Hua Chang. The Gala’s keynote speaker, Ernst & Young’s CEO James Turley, gave an inspiring speech on the demographic and capital shifts around us today and in order to lead an organization, we need to understand that these shifts mean opportunity and responsibility. At the dinner we honored four of Ascend’s founding national board members: Vinay Navani, Rey Padilla, James Ruan and Liren Wei. Allen Boston was presented with the inspiration Award for playing an important role in supporting the setup of Ascend. The evening also included a performance by Cellist Soo Bae. She performed some classical pieces including an Asian composition. The convention ended on a high note with several Ascend board members and guests ringing the NASDAQ Opening Bell on Wednesday. "The 2008 Ascend National Convention was an experience of a lifetime, both professionally and personally" - Ascend DePaul University Chapter To find out more information about this year’s convention visit our website: www.ascendleadership.org
Please also visit our website for more pictures and a three minute video of the convention that captured the excitement of it all.
2008 National Convention Survey Raffle Winners
Amit Agarwala Dax Almendras Laurie Chan Xiao Yan Huang Ao Jiang Varun Loomba Akshar Patel Heidi Hiso Pili
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2008 National Convention Pictures
Sunday, August 17th
National Convention at the Grand Hyatt in NYC
Convention Registration
View from the Top Mentoring Session
View from the Top Mentors
Truths or Myths: A Double Advantage or Disadvantage Panel
Truths or Myths: Developing Future Leaders Panel
Sunday, Affinity Networking Reception
Hula Dancers
Hawaiian Dance
Thai Dancers
Ethnic Foods
Raffles
Networking
Monday, August 18th
Chinese Dragon Dance
Jeff Chin, National President
Barry Salzberg, CEO of Deloitte
View from the Executive Suites Plenary Session
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More 2008 National Convention Pictures
Monday, Leadership Luncheon
Roy Weathers, Chief Diversity Officer of PWC
Leadership Luncheon
Greg Durant, Vice Chairman, Regional Managing Partner Northeast Deloitte presented the Ascend Deloitte Leadership Award to Michael Fung, SVP, Finance of Wal-Mart USA
Monday, Concurrent Sessions
The Ten “K’s” of Personal Branding
Has America Lost It’s Luster
Global Mobility
Financial Management During Uncertain Times
Ascend Souvenirs
The CFO Debate Plenary
Ashok Shenoy, Jeff Chin, Anna Mok, Sandeep Gupta (Convention Steering Committee (top row); Richard Goodman (PepsiCo CFO) and Michael Fung (Wal-Mart SVP)
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Even More 2008 National Convention Pictures
Tuesday, August 18th
NYU’s Pandemonium Performance
Brian Ambrose, Global Vice Chairman and Chairman - Strategy and International at KPMG America's Secret Weapon: Leveraging the Pan-Asian Workforce Plenary
Tuesday, Concurrent Sessions
Perspectives on M&A
Corporate Dynamics: Navigating To Success Growing Globally
Tuesday, Scholarship Luncheon
Ernst & Young Scholarship Winners:Jason Lee, Janet Lin, Robert Stoumbos and Ben Varghese (left to right)
Kailesh Karavadra, Partner, Technology and Security Risk Solutions at Ernst & Young
AnnMay Wentzel, National Chair, Asian American Network at ING, Manru Xu, Scholarship Winner and Jenny Wei Ascend National VP of Student Affairs (left to right)
Christine Yamamoto, Tax Practice People Leader at Ernst & Young, Ostine Swan, Senior ManagerDiversity, Work/Life and Women's Initiatives at AICPA, Charlene Hung, AICPA Scholarship Winner (left to right)
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Even More 2008 National Convention Pictures
Tuesday, Career Fair and President’s VIP Reception
Attendees at the Career Fair Our convention corporate partners
The President’s VIP Reception
Tuesday, Gala Dinner
Jeff Chin, National President toasted to a great convention
Ti-Hua Chang, Channel 9 News, Master of Ceremonies of the Gala
James Turley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Ernst & Young
Soo Bae, Cellist
Ascend Achievement Award to James Ruan, Founding Member
Ascend Achievement Award to Reynaldo Padilla, Founding Member
Ascend Achievement Award to Vinay Navani, Founding Member
Ascend Achievement Award to Liren Wei, Founding Member (Jenny Wei accepting on his behalf)
Ascend’s Inspiration Award to Allen Boston, Retired Partner at Ernst & Young
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SAN FRANCISCO, August 25, 2008— On August 25, 2008, Ascend San Francisco Bay Area Chapter hosted its 2nd Annual Golf Tournament at Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore, California. Great summer weather, a challenging Rees Jones course and more than $5,000 in prizes and raffles prompted Anna Mok, Ascend San Francisco Bay Area Chapter President, to call the event “the best value golf tournament” in town, echoing sentiments from other participants that day. First and second place trophies went to winning teams from Wells Fargo and Wachovia Bank, respectively. Bowne sponsored Hole-In-One prizes, including a $10,000 cash award, on four holes, but luck did not strike that day. Our thanks to Bowne, as well as our other corporate sponsors- Bank of America, Cathay Bank, Deloitte & Touche, John Hancock, Macias Ginni & O’Connell LLP, Merriwest Credit Union, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Wachovia, Wells Fargo and UPS. During the banquet program, Anna thanked Chair Ben Cardenas, whose passion steered the Ascend committee towards another successful tournament. Golfers and volunteers voiced interest in Ascend membership and networking through a golf club. Could there be an Ascend intra-city tournament in the future? For now, plan on joining the fun at our 2009 tournament- and book your sponsorship-- or plan to be a much needed volunteer. Twelve non-golfing volunteers helped in many ways to assure smooth sailing throughout the event.
Submitted by: Lito Jaojoco
Registration table
Teeing Off
Aiming to par
LOS ANGELES METRO CHAPTER Ascend Los Angeles Metro Chapter Launch Event LOS ANGELES, May 15, 2008— Ascend launched its ninth chapter in the Los Angeles Metro area. With the support of its local Founding Sponsors, Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Bank of New York Mellon, the Los Angeles Metro chapter inaugural launch event was held at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles on May 15, 2008. The Honorable John Chiang, California State Controller, was the featured keynote speaker for the event. In addition, scheduled VIP guest speakers included the Honorable Judy Chu, Chair of the California Board of Equalization, and David Swartz, Board Member of the California Board of Accountancy.
LA Metro Chapter Board (left to right): Charlene Penna, Jim Huang, Wendy Voong, Judy Chu, Peter Kao, Judy Young, and John Imai
Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko (Ryukyu Kingdom Festival Drums)
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GREATER ATLANTA CHAPTER: ATLANTA, GA—The Greater Atlanta Ascend chapter was launched on Thursday, June 12, 2008 at the Westin Hotel in Buckhead. Close to two hundred professionals and students attended the successful event. The Atlanta Ascend event was attended by Atlanta Office Managing Partners - Mr. Brad Branch from Deloitte, Ms. Susan Bell from Ernst and Young, Mr. Tim Bentsen from KPMG, and Mr. Jeff Chen, president of Ascend National. The Atlanta chapter was started two years ago with a small group of members representing the Big 4 accounting firms. Georgia State University, Grant Thornton, ING and Turner are also sponsors of the event as well as supporters of the Atlanta chapter and steering committee. Richard Lui, news anchor for CNN Headline News, was the engaging Emcee for the evening. Lui’s humor and enthusiasm were greatly enjoyed by all attendees. Ascend National President, Jeff Chen welcomed Ascend members and guests. Mie Igarashi, the Atlanta Ascend Chapter President, welcomed all guests as well as provided an overview of the Atlanta chapter’s goals and initiatives. The spotlight then turned to the keynote speaker and panelists, each who presented a fresh perspective and insight into their personal experiences and career paths. Dr. Jag Sheth, author of Chindia Rising, How China and India Will Benefit Your Business, gave an outstanding keynote speech. Dr. Sheth’s discussion included questions from the audience about the future of globalization and the role other countries have on the current business environment. The event also included a dynamic panel discussion of the challenges and opportunities faced by Asian and Pacific Islander accounting and finance professionals. The eminent panelists included Raghavan (Raj) Rajaji, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Infor, Yew Ming Lau, Vice President, Business Development, Turner International Asia Pacific, Ltd., and Lei Shan, Senior Vice President, Merrill Lynch. Dr. Ram Sriram, Controllers Roundtable Distinguished Professor at Georgia State University School of Accountancy, moderated the panel. The panel provided a personal perspective on their cultures and integration into being successful in business. Questions from the audience included mentoring guidelines and how to make strategic career decisions.
National and local board
Panelists
Guests mingling
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SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA CHAPTER: MANAGING MULTI-GENERATIONAL WORKFORCES LEADS DISCUSSION AT 2008 ASCEND CONFERENCE IN SAN FRANCISCO Bay Area Asian-American Business Leaders Offer Insights on Advancing in Corporate America KPIX TV Personality, Thuy Vu, Provides CEO Perspective During Interviews with Pan-Asian Senior Executives SAN FRANCISCO, June 4, 2008 – Bay Area Asian-American business leaders convened at the second annual Ascend “Inspiring Across Generations” leadership conference and gala on Saturday, June 7 at the Four Seasons Hotel, San Francisco. During this day-long event, executives shared intergenerational management insights and best practices, as well offered practical career development advice to the nearly 500 attendees from finance and accounting and business. This year’s inaugural Women of Ascend workshop featured Pan-Asian women who have broken through the ‘Bamboo Ceiling’ to reach the top of their field. The conference kicked off with in-depth interviews conducted by Thuy Vu, KPIX-TV personality, with Ta-Lin Hsu, chairman and CEO, H&Q Asia Pacific and Kamran Elahian, chairman and CEO, Global Catalyst Partners. “At Ascend we are 100 percent committed to increasing the number of Asian-Americans in the talent pipeline as well as in leadership positions throughout corporate America,” said Anna Mok, president, Ascend, San Francisco chapter and partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP. “Through the annual “Inspiring Across Generations” conference we are working to achieve this goal by giving young professionals and high ranking Pan-Asian executives from across the financial and professional services space the opportunity to network and learn from one another.” As the leading career development resource for Asian-American accounting and finance professionals and students, Ascend aims to enhance the presence and influence of this demographic in today’s competitive corporate marketplace. With more than 14 million Asian-Americans currently in the United States, this group is among the fastest growing, most well educated and affluent populations. As a matter of fact, among Gen Yer’s Asian-American women are the most highly educated. Though noticeably missing from leadership roles in many companies, Asian-American’s make up close to 30 percent of the accounting and finance professionals in the Bay Area. Platinum sponsors of Ascend’s “Inspiring Across Generations” conference are Deloitte LLP and Ernst & Young LLP. Additional major sponsors include Wells Fargo & Co., KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Wachovia Banking Group, Silicon Valley Bank and Robert Half Int’l. Submitted by: Patrick Christian Ascend PR Coordinator, SF Bay Area Chapter ARE YOU A MEMBER OF OUR EXCITING AND GROWING ORGANIZATION? IF NOT, PLEASE JOIN US AS A MEMBER AT WWW.ASCENDLEADERSHIP.ORG IF YOU ARE ALREADY A MEMBER, PLEASE REMEMBER TO RENEW ONLINE AT WWW.ASCENDLEADERSHIP.ORG
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GREATER PHILADELPHIA CHAPTER:
On September 20th, the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of Ascend (An Asian Accounting and Finance Professional Organization) hosted their “Inspiring Across Generations” event at the Westin in Philadelphia. A gathering of 120 accountants and finance professionals met to determine how to improve the number of Asian Americans advancing into the top management ranks of the nation’s top companies. “The conference brings together senior financial executives from a broad range of companies and students and young professionals to mentor one another and to discuss the changing landscape of the American workforce”, said Ramen Mahadevan, Greater Philadelphia Chapter of Ascend, President. The event was sponsored by Platinum level sponsors—Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, and PricewaterhouseCoopers; Diamond Level sponsor— KPMG. In addition annual sponsors are: Becker CPA Review; CIGNA; Prudential Financial; RSM McGladrey; and The Siegfried Group, LLP. The conference sponsors were Ace Limited, ING and PICPA. The keynote address was given by Jane Hyun on Leveraging Networks and Mentoring Relationships. Jane is an executive coach and leadership strategist to Fortune 500 companies and the author of “Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: The Essential Guide to Getting in, Moving Up, and Reaching the Top.” Signed copies of her book were provided to all attendees. Jane addressed the participants with strategies for engaging and sustaining quality mentoring relationships that lead to a portfolio of “trusted advisors” and also provided helpful tips in developing lasting professional relationships. Immediately following Jane’s speech, the attendees were divided into mentoring circles that were lead by a 20 successful business leaders who volunteered their time to discuss mentoring/coaching, networking and other professional topics. Student scholarship awards were presented during lunch. Winners were awarded scholarships from Becker CPA Review, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, LLP, KPMG, and PriceWaterhouseCoopers, LLP. Winners were Kim-Hang T. Nguyen, Drexel University, Jim Ning, Temple University, Weimia Ou, Drexel University, Juan Chen, Temple University, Arpita Patel, Drexel University and Mariya Kunets, Drexel University. The highlight of the afternoon was the CXO panel discussion moderated by Mark Wennell, Board member and Partner at Ernst & Young. Panelists included: Dr. Shifei Chung, Professor at Rowan University, Malcolm Dahn, Partner at KPMG and Timothy Moy, Comcast. The panelists shared their perspectives on building relationships with their staff, managers, peers, clients and corporate boards. They provided insights into the responsibilities of mentees so that deep successful relationships can be created and also shared how they have built and nurtured their professional networks.
In addition, there was a Sponsors’ Fair which gave participants opportunities to stop by and visit various Sponsor booths. Individuals got opportunities to learn about the Sponsors and various career opportunities with Ace Limited, CIGNA, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, ING, KPMG, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and RSM McGladrey. In addition, they were invited to become members of the PICPA. The overall feedback was very positive from the members.
The “Inspiring Across Generations” event in Philadelphia was just one small step to moving Asian professionals forward to achieve a position in corporate America. There are a lot of difficulties that need to be overcome as Asian professionals in the United States. Mentoring seems to be one of the top concerns to the Asian professions not only in Philadelphia, but throughout the US. What the members received from the event was that there are other resources that are available to them. The one key fact to take away from the whole “Inspiring Across Generations” event in Philadelphia was that you are not alone and if you look there is help.
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Ascend 2008 Scholarship Program
One of our most exciting programs is the scholarship program. In an effort to recognize our outstanding student members, Ascend partnered with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (“AICPA”), Ernst & Young, ING, PricewaterhouseCoopers (“PWC”) to award scholarships to deserving student members pursuing undergraduate and/or graduate studies in accountancy, finance, taxation, management information systems, and business related programs. AICPA – Leadership training was awarded to 12 outstanding Ascend students. The annual AICPA Accounting Scholars Leadership Workshop took place during May 29 to 31, 2008 in Peachtree City, GA. This was an incredible opportunity for student winners to enhance their leadership and communication skills while gaining insight into the benefits of pursuing the CPA designation. E&Y Scholarship - In an effort to recognize outstanding students, Ernst & Young, through Ascend awarded five (5) $5,000 scholarships to students who demonstrated a desire to pursue a career in accounting and professional services at the Ascend 2008 National Convention in New York City this past August. ING Scholarship - In an effort to recognize some of the outstanding students, Ascend and ING awarded 4 deserving students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies in accountancy, finance, taxation, management information systems or business-related program with a $1,000 scholarship. PWC Scholarship - A $3,000 scholarship program was awarded to 15 remarkable Ascend students. The winners also earned an opportunity to participate in the PWC’s annual Diversity in Business Leadership Conference in July, 2008. The Ascend Scholarship Committee would like to congratulate the winners of the AICPA, PWC, ING and EY scholarship programs AICPA Leadership Workshop Recipients: Charlene Huang - Fordham University John Cheung - Baruch College Kathryn Shum - Baruch College Mary Seng - Temple University Xiu M. Rong - Baruch College Xuhui Tan - Baruch College Xiaoting Zheng (Tracy) - UC Berkeley Hebe Zhaoyong Tan - Cal State Los Angeles Luyong Yuan - Baruch College Jiao Hao - UC Berkeley Shahida Afroz - Temple University Wilson Hom - Baruch College ING Scholarship Recipients: Daniel Phan—UC Berkeley Huyen Tran—Drexel University Xiaobei Wang– Georgia State University Manru Xu– Baruch College PWC Scholarship Recipients: Miho Churei—Baruch College Analysa Tan—Baruch College Anthony Wong—Baruch College Paul Cho—Binghamton University Allison Kim—Binghamton University Stephanie Kuo—Binghamton University Sara Shin—Binghamton University Linda Su—Binghamton University Charlene Hung—Fordham University Jason Lee—Pace University Charlie Vu—Pace University Xiao Yan Huang—Queens College John Mak—Southern Methodist University Zhitao Guan—Stony Brook College Victoria You—UC Berkeley EY Scholarship Recipients: Jason Lee—Pace University Janet Lin– UC Berkeley Ngoc Pearl Nguyen– Drexel University Robert Stoumbos-University of Washington Ben Varghese—Rutgers University
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2009 Ascend-AXA Achievementsm Scholarship
We are pleased to announce a national scholarship program called the Ascend-AXA Achievementsm Scholarship which will underwrite ten (10) $1,500 scholarships for college undergraduates in their Junior and Senior years and graduate students studying finance, accounting or business related studies. The criteria for the students would be:
• Enrolled in an undergraduates in their Junior or Senior years or graduate students studying accountancy, taxation or finance program by the Fall 2008 semester • • •
A current and active Ascend student member GPA of a minimum of 3.0 Community involvement where you made a difference
The applicants will provide the following to be considered for the scholarship:
• • •
Ascend-AXA Achievementsm Scholarship application Resume Personal essay (minimum of 500 words) describing: ● How you have demonstrated leadership in your academic studies, professional career, and/or extracurricular activities and why you believe these qualities are important ● Your career goals upon graduation ● How has being a student member of Ascend helped you in the achievement of your academics and career goals ● Why you should be considered for the scholarship
• • •
Two letters of recommendation from a college professor, an official or an advisor Unofficial college or university transcript Submit a list of extracurricular activities such as organizations, community and or school involvement including positions held, and any honors received.
Ascend has the sole responsibility for selecting recipients based on criteria set forth in the program's description.
Employees, financial professionals, or immediate family members of employees or financial professionals of the AXA Group or their affiliates, subsidiaries and advertising and promotion agencies are ineligible to apply.
Please email Catherine Lam at Cat.Lam@ascendleadership for an application.
Applications are due May 29, 2009
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ASCEND CHAPTER LISTING
[Please see website for updated information]
Current Professional Chapters: Metro New York San Francisco Bay Area Midwest Houston Greater Washington, D.C. Greater Philadelphia New England North Texas Metro Los Angeles Greater Atlanta Current Student Chapters: Baruch College Binghamton State University Queens College Rutgers University University of Chicago University of California Pace University Temple University Drexel University De Paul University Georgia State University Villanova University University at Massachusetts University of Texas
HOUSTON CHAPTER HOUSTON, September 23, 2008 - The Houston chapter of Ascend hosted its annual Scholarship Luncheon at Kim Son Restaurant to honor the following 2008 scholarship recipients: Yueh-Feng (Tom) Chang, Hanh My Tran and Li (Erin) Liu. Karen White, Leadership Development Manager from the United Way of Greater Houston was the guest speaker for the luncheon. She presented Project Blueprint to the audience. Project Blueprint is an ethnic minority volunteer development program designed to help United Way, its member agencies, and other nonprofit organizations become more inclusive, responsive and reflective of the culturally diverse communities which they serve. The goal of Project Blueprint is to accelerate involvement of African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino and Native American volunteers to become policy-makers on agency boards and committees.
Left to right: Kai Hu, Ascend Houston Chapter, President, KPMG Houston Office, Manager in Audit, Yueh-Feng (Tom) Chang, University of Houston, Scholarship Recipient
Submitted by: Kim N. Ho
(Left to right: Bud Giesinger, KPMG Houston Office, Managing Partner, Harvey Michaels, Deloitte Houston Office, Partner, Hanh My Tran, University of Houston, Scholarship Recipient, Jeff Harris, Houston CPA Society, President, Susan Sample, Houston CPA Society, Chair of the Accounting Scholarship Committee)
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BARUCH COLLEGE STUDENT CHAPTER: Ascend Communications Workshop Recap: A Successful Event! April 21, 2008—Ascend was very proud to work with Ellen Cahill, a renowned communications coach, to hold our first ever, multi-chapter Communications Workshop for our student members and guests. The event was attended by over 100 students, as well as several Ascend Metro NY Board and professional members. The event was held at Deloitte’s Midtown Manhattan offices and also featured a panel of recent graduates who work across the Big 4. Ms. Cahill and the panel offered both candid and relevant advice not only on how to improve overall communication skills, but also discussed common communication situations and effective methods to handle them professionally. Ms. Cahill, who has worked closely with executives at numerous Fortune 500 companies and the Big 4 firms, offered specific and concise advice on how people listen, and therefore how to be an effective speaker. By using simple yet highly relevant examples, Ms. Cahill offered advice and sample exercises on how to approach each conversation so that the listener leaves with a positive and memorable impression on the speaker. As the first of many such multi chapter events, these are the types of self-help skills Ascend continues to bring to our members!
Comments from two of the Communications Workshop participants: “The panel members are an inspiration both for my career goals and my networking skills.” “I thought the workshop was really well-organized and informative. I am glad to be a part of Ascend and want to learn more on how to improve and market myself.”
DEPAUL UNIVERSITY STUDENT CHAPTER: DePaul University recently launched the newest student chapter in the Midwest, located in the heart of Chicago. Opening on April 4, Ascend DePaul hosted their launch event at Lucky Strike Bowling, featuring a night of fun and networking in a setting close to the Navy Pier. A total of 32 students and 17 professionals from the Big 4 Firms attended, making the event a success. With a mission to “continuously influence and encourage the development of DePaul commerce students for their present and post-university career's],” Ascend DePaul hosted three career development events in their spring quarter: the Resume Building Workshop, Interview Skills Workshop, and Mock Interviews featuring professionals from Deloitte, KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers to proctor the interviews. Each student was given the opportunity to have their resume and interview session critiqued with positive and negative feedback in preparation for a real world setting. In the upcoming school year, the organization hopes to host more career-development workshops to target the problem areas in university students today, as well as networking and social events to foster a sense of community within the chapter and its connections outside of the university. Ascend DePaul aspires to be the premier student organization that focuses on the professional advancement, development, and enhancement of DePaul commerce students; and hopefully, their successes will continue as they assist students in their future career endeavors.
For more information on Ascend DePaul, please email us at :depauluniversity@ascendleadership.org Submitted by: Nikki Yuen Ascend DePaul University Student Chapter, Executive Vice President
Pictured to the right: Jason Fung, Vice President of External Affairs, Samantha Ou, President, Nikki Yuen, Executive Vice President
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ASCEND ON DIVERISTYINC.COM
Ascend Executive Director, Catherine Law, was interviewed by Diversity, Inc. on how the organization helps Asian professionals get an edge on their accounting and finance careers. To view this video, visit: http://www.diversityinc.com/public/3512.cfm
ASCEND RINGS OPENING BELL AT NASDAQ
NEW YORK, NY August 20, 2008—Several national and local chapter board members had the opportunity to ring the opening bell at NASDAQ in Times Square, NY. This event was the perfect close to a successful inaugural national convention that was held August 17-19, 2008 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in NYC, with close to 1,300 attendees.
ASCEND NATIONAL COMMITTEES — GET INVOLVED!
We encourage you to participate in several of our national committees. Be a representative for your local chapter and share your ideas and expertise with others to help develop shared best practices. * Membership * Professional Development * Communications * Student Affairs * Programs/Events * Website * Finance Contact Catherine Lam at Cat.Lam@ascendleadership.org for more information
NATIONAL OFFICE CONTACT INFORMATION
Mailing Address: 120 Wall Street, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10005 Telephone Number: 2 12-248-4888 Email: info@ascendleadership.org Fax Number: 212-344-5636