♪
Welcome to the Paul Merage School of Business
2020 commencement.
It's my honor as dean to address you,
our distinguished group of graduates
as your friends, faculty
and family come together
to celebrate this special
milestone in your lives.
Congratulations to each of you.
And congratulations to all who sacrificed
and supported you on this journey.
I really wish we could spend
this day together in person
but that, obviously, is not possible
due to the current circumstances.
After nearly two decades as a dean
I never imagined that
my final commencement
would take place virtually.
I'm sure you never imagined
the culmination of your time
at UCI would end this way either.
But here we are and that's
because of a larger purpose,
we are trying to achieve
something together,
not just as a community
here in Orange County
but as a global community.
You graduates will go on
to leadership positions
in myriad sectors across
our nation, state and world.
You represent innovators,
current and future business founders,
change makers and thoughtful leaders.
We are proud to call
each of you Anteaters,
now and always.
Here at the Merage school,
we're known for innovation
and we've really had to
lean in to our reputation
for digitally driven
leadership in recent weeks.
In a matter of days, our
faculty and support teams
seamlessly transitioned
to virtual learning
across all of our programs,
making our world-class business education
accessible to students
all around the globe.
With our creativity, technical expertise
and a lot of hard work,
together we're facing the most
uniquely challenging period
in the Merage's school's history.
While we applaud our staff and faculty
and greater Merage community
for making this transition possible.
The most significant praise
goes to you, our students
and now our graduates.
During these difficult circumstances
you all came together and
you supported each other
and you showed us how Anteaters
respond in the face of adversity.
We don't back down, we don't give up,
we work together, we fight
and, ultimately, we thrive.
This class has embodied the
essence of what it means
to be a contemporary leader,
in our school and in our community.
Graduates, you gave inspired
us, selflessly led us
and taught us how business
goes far beyond profitability.
Through countless advance,
numerous service projects
and intentional conversations,
you have reminded us
that the most important thing in business,
and in life for that matter is,
of course, our relationships.
I'm not only proud of how you represent us
as business leaders, I'm proud
of the people that you are.
As a marketing professor I always care
about how data informs our
ability to serve the customer.
So class of 2020, let's talk a few stats.
First, 60% of you have
connected with the school
to talk about postgraduate
leadership rules
and ways to make an impact
on those succeeding you.
The class of 2020 is one of connection.
Second 70% of you will be taking
on new professional roles,
that's an impressive stat
considering the job market
that we are entering.
And given the circumstances,
your new roles will look very different
than many of you expected.
But you have the attitude
and the tools necessary
to face these new challenges.
The class of 2020 is indeed
one of growth and innovation.
Third, 95% of you participated
in a Mirage community event
during your time on campus,
further emphasizing your
investment in our community.
The class of 2020 is one of participation.
Albert Schweitzer said,
"You must give some
time to your fellow men,
"even if it's a little thing,
"do something for others,
something for which you get no pay
"but the privilege of doing it."
I believe he was right.
And many of you have shown
that you believe this as well.
Perhaps what I'm most proud
of is your servant leadership.
Many of you have spearheaded projects
related to supporting
those affected by COVID19,
you've sacrificed time, energy
and in some cases your own
wellbeing to serve others.
The class of 2020 is one of selflessness.
I hope you continue to
appreciate that spirit
of caring and giving I've seen
demonstrated by many of you
as students here in the Mirage school
and as business people in our communities,
both locally and globally.
Never forget this spirit as you travel
through your professional
and personal lives.
Sometimes these opportunities
serve our business needs,
other times they simply serve human needs,
both are important as we
consider the world we live in
and the world we want future
generations to inherit.
I encourage to figure out where
and how you can continue to serve others
and then do so with
the passion you brought
to your time here in the mirage school.
Well, to wrap things up I'll leave you
with something my mother
used to say to me, she said,
"Eric, be nice, it matters."
You represent the best
that society has to offer,
but your accomplishments in academia
and in the world of business
do not entirely define you.
You'll also be remembered
here in the Mirage school
because of your acts of kindness,
selflessness and thoughtfulness.
As you step into this
next phase of your life,
continue to be nice,
it will serve you well.
Class of 2020, today is your day.
You represent on of the
most impressive classes
in the history of the Paul
Merage School of Business.
On behalf of our community, I thank you
for the leadership that you have shown
and will continue to show
as you impact the world around you.
Now, more than ever, the
world needs leaders like you.
Congratulations class of 2020.
- Good morning, Class of 2020!
As Associate Dean of the
Master's programs at Merage,
I truly wish that I could
congratulate you in person.
But this year, our celebratory events
must be done at arm's length
and in today's case, virtually.
While this event is not
ideal, by any means,
it is at least going
to be quite memorable.
Hugs and handshakes are an
indelible part of our celebration
but this year, I can only wave to you
and say a few words here.
Congratulations to the MPAc, MFin,
MSBA, and MIE class of 2020!
We are very pleased to graduate
our inaugural MIE cohort.
Faculty and staff have been very impressed
by the entrepreneurial
spirit across your programs.
One of your fellow classmates
in the MSBA program
created a Super Bowl prediction model
that accurately predicted the results
of the past Super Bowl. Great job!
Your classes are very diverse,
coming from 18 countries,
you have the highest number
of underrepresented minority students.
Very proudly we can say that 60% of you
are our future women leaders.
I hope this diverse and innovative network
will be a power source for all of you,
even after you return
to your home countries.
During the COVID-19
pandemic, we accomplished,
individually and collectively,
things that nobody would
have imagined we could.
In that sense, we have
all had to graduate early
from our comfort zones
and embrace radical change
in ways that have never been thought of.
This is why I believe that the resilience
you have experienced as a class of 2020
will carry with you in all walks of life.
Every red light eventually
will become green.
I hope you envision ways
to become the green light
that will carry your
businesses, communities,
and employees to new heights.
Again, congratulations to all of you!
Zot, zot, zot!
- MIE Class of 2020, as
members of the inaugural class,
you'll always be an important part
of the MIE program and the Merage School.
Of course, this is not
the way that any of us
wanted to celebrate your commencement,
I'll genuinely miss
the opportunity to hear
your name announced over the
PA at the Bren Events Center,
see you walk across the stage,
hear the cheers of your
family and friends,
give you your diploma and shake your hand.
However, the ceremony,
with everyone wearing
somewhat ridiculous robes, let's face it,
is just a formality and in
reality it's a tradition
that actually separates graduates
from the people who matter most to them:
their family and their loved ones.
So I hope you're watching this message
together with those who
mean the most to you.
Although it won't be the same
as commencement ceremonies in the past,
my hope is that watching this video
together with your family
and your loved ones,
rather than being separated
across a basketball arena,
will provide a meaningful
experience to you.
I wanna take a moment
to reflect on what
you've just accomplished.
Yes, you've completed a Masters degree
at the University of California,
and that's no small feat.
It's something that you can
and should be very proud of.
More important, however, you've
completed an intensive study
of the entrepreneurial process.
The knowledge about this process gives you
the tools you need to explore new ideas,
to evaluate the market for those ideas,
communicate the importance of your ideas
to others who can help you,
and ultimately pursue your dreams.
So to a large extent,
this moment is a milestone
that marks the end of
your journey as a student
but only the beginning of your
journey as an entrepreneur.
That said, I hope this
certainly is not the end
of your association
with the Merage School.
I look forward to seeing
you again at events
next year and for years to come,
regardless of whether
you live close enough
to join us in person or
will join us by remote.
The Merage School, UCI
Beall Applied Innovation,
and the rest of campus will
always be here for you.
So in closing, congratulations,
Merage MIE class of 2020.
Just as you will do as
entrepreneurs in the future,
you have met unexpected
challenges this year
with determination and perseverance
and you've come out on the other side
better than where you started.
So I wish the very best
for you in the future,
and I sincerely look forward
to seeing you again soon.
(birds chirping)
- Hello and good day MIE class of 2020!
Let me start off by saying
congratulations on making it this far
and what the heck happened to this year?
The world was on fire,
we ran out of toilet paper, we lost Kobe!
The world needs a win.
And I believe it takes one good
person to do one great thing
to make the world a better place.
So I want everyone to look
their neighbor dead in the eye,
because one, this is a
great LinkedIn opportunity,
and two, because everyone
here is graduating
from the Paul Merage School of Business.
I'm well aware it wasn't easy
getting to where you are right now.
A lot of you did this
to better yourselves,
to become someone your
younger self would want to be
and to become someone your
future self would be proud of.
A lot of you, though, are also doing it
for everyone other than yourselves:
for the people that you grew up with,
and the few that you wish
could still watch you grow,
the people that have supported
you for your entire life,
that opened the door to
today, and said "Go get 'em!".
Some of you may be the first
of them to get this far,
to be the manifestation
of your family's new life
and to represent generations of hard work
that culminates here today.
But by the looks on your faces,
it was actually pretty easy, right?
It only took countless hours
in the Merage School study rooms
that line the hallways of SB1,
struggling with the conjoined analysis
seeing how a monopolistic test
affects market share for the Fortune 500
you used in Hierarchical
Clustering in SPSS,
or maybe it was just late
nights pulling your hair out
to discern the foundations of finance
by examining empirical evidence
related to portfolio theory
and asset pricing models.
What did you get out of it though?
Maybe you became an entrepreneur,
won the New Venture competition,
gained the power to
predict the Super Bowl,
hell, maybe you just met a
bunch of wonderful people,
formed an eternal bond
with your classmates,
and formed a wolf pack.
Some people wait for the opportunity
to come knocking on their door,
and that's the time they'll shine.
But they never get the chance
because they're always waiting.
You all realized the
door was always opened,
stepped outside, and seized
the opportunity yourself.
You took the first step,
worked with what you had,
and the opportunity
materialized on it's own,
and you got it.
All the struggles, tears, failures,
have made you the person
you are at this very moment,
and that's something to be proud of.
Knowing it wouldn't be easy
going through the debt,
stress, and time you'd spend,
you did it anyway, and now
you're about to become an Anteater,
with all the knowledge
and resources of UCI
at your disposal as soon
as you step outside.
And nobody, absolutely nobody,
can take that away from you.
The point I'm trying to make is,
that the diploma you will eventually get,
is not just a piece of paper you hang up
so your parents can brag about
you during dinner parties.
It represents the memories, relationships,
failures, tears, effort, time,
tenacity, and determination
you can output to succeed in this life.
If you could do it here,
you could do it anywhere,
because now you are armed
with a dangerous amount of knowledge
that you can use to change the world.
So back to the beginning.
I still believe it takes one good person
to do one great thing to make
the world a better place.
So tell me what 41 superb Anteaters
that are about to get
a great degree can do.
Let's all be the change we
want to see in the world
and show everyone what it
means to be an Anteater.
Until I see you next time, zot zot!
- Hey all!
We're here today because
we finished the first ever
Master's of Innovation and
Entrepreneurship program
in the UC system.
This is truly a great achievement,
and I'm proud of what
we've all accomplished,
individually, as well as as a cohort.
With that said, as your elected
section representatives,
Borna and I want to appreciate everyone
that helped make this
program happen for us.
This program would not exist
without a ton of hard work.
First, we wanna recognize the students.
This cohort is the first ever
to go through anything like this.
The MIE program was expertly designed
to unify all 41 students in the class.
Each one of you has played a unique
and critical role in this inaugural class,
and we are thankful for
every single one of you.
We want to thank each student,
as well as their families,
for their sacrifice, effort, and teamwork
in making this the best
possible year that it could be.
Second, we are extremely
grateful to the administrators
who made this program memorable.
From orientation to graduation,
the team always went out of their way
to keep us engaged in ways that
they really didn't have to.
They demonstrated selflessness
as well as resilience
in the face of unprecedented problems
that were sure to arise
with a new kind of program.
A standout example of this
was our San Diego trip,
where we were treated to
a especially classy lunch
when everyone was just expecting In-N-Out,
as well as handling the obvious transition
from in-person to online
courses during this pandemic.
Third, we wanna thank the faculty.
Having such a spirit of
encouragement and passion,
our classes were filled with
energy and practical teaching.
From Professor Emron
and his zeal for the MIE
to Professor Wilke and
his never-ending patience
with our crazy ideas, the
faculty has shaped us in ways
that we still don't fully understand
and we will always be grateful
for the input they've had
on our lives and careers.
We'd like to continue with
a message of encouragement
for our classmates and everyone
that is here to see their progress.
We founded several startups together
over the course of the last nine months,
and all of them are headed
in the right direction.
Here's a few examples:
ReVibe is a startup that promotes
a more healthy way to stay
hydrated at music festivals.
The team is a bunch of go-getters, and
they're really really knowledgeable
about the music scene.
BikeZero is a fully electric bike
that can be folded and carried as luggage.
This team made us exceptionally proud
by presenting at CES
2020 earlier this year.
Stella is dating app that uses astrology
to match users together.
Wave Wearable is a startup
that treats carpal tunnel syndrome,
lowering the need for surgery.
Mascart has never before
seen design for mascara
that eliminates pain and
smudges when applying it.
Singe is a startup that prevents wildfires
using a system of
self-deploying fire hydrants.
Augmented Venue is a solution
that helps entrepreneurs
use technology to make
networking more effective.
Unarchive is a startup
that gives used clothing a second life
by closing that loop on fast fashion.
Baby Box sends new moms
boxes with baby products
to save them more time and more money.
And that's really the core of
what our program's all about.
We identify a problem, find
a technology that solves it,
break the product-to-service
into attributes with levels,
and use interviews to determine who is,
and more importantly,
who is not the customer
to find the product market-fit.
Finally, we want to bring your attention
to the inaugural nature of this program
and how it ties into entrepreneurship.
MIE is a startup.
Many quirks came up that
could not be anticipated.
It is not a perfect program,
and it's not a unicorn, yet.
But the faculty inspired us,
the administration guided us,
and now we are steadily moving
towards our elegant solution.
It was our honor as Section Reps
to have played any role
in improving the program
and bettering the experience
for all of us and for future students.
Ultimately, we know that the
relational bonds we've made
in this short year will
remain for our lifetimes.
Never forget that it is a
long journey to the top,
but together, we can summit with ease.
We love you all,
and wish you all the best
in your future endeavors.
God bless.
- Yeah, thanks for joining us!
- Yeah, of course!
- So do you know why you're here?
- Um, no.
I wasn't speeding, was I?
- Um, no, but there was another offense.
- Oh. Okay...
- So, in light of COVID,
we've been talking to a lot of the faculty
and collecting their feedback,
and checking in to see
if there's any students
that we need to follow up with,
if they've concerns in the classroom.
Your name repeatedly came up.
- Really?
- Yes.
- Okay.
- And so,
- Oh gosh, you dropped--
- You're actually the
top GPA in the class!
- Oh. Yay!
(all cheering)
Oh, you had me going!
Oh my gosh!
(woman laughs)
Holy cow!
- Congratulations!
- Thanks, awesome!
(woman sings celebratory music)
Number one! We're number
one, we're number one!
USA! USA!
- Did you break a little
bit of a sweat there?
- Yeah!
(women laugh)
No, literally, my palms are sweating!
- It worked!
- I was like "Oh, my God"
(women laugh)
I knew I shoulda kept my camera on
and stopped playing Nintendo!
(women laugh)
- Well, we're actually,
so we wanted to surprise
the top GPAs, there's two of you,
and so we're incorporating,
you're being filmed right now,
- Oh, okay.
- And we wanted to get a quick
clip from you just to say
anything you'd like: you
can accept this award,
you can speak to your
class, just, you know,
quick message to the class
because you are the top GPA recipient.
- Okay, let me make sure my
hair is fixed, okay, cool.
I am proud to accept this wonderful honor
by the MIE cohort and
to all of my classmates:
suck it losers, I'm number one! Yeah!
(laughs)
Oh man, in your faces!
- [Woman] Well you're tied.
(all laugh)
- Tied for number one, that's
the same thing as number one.
(women laugh)
- [Woman] But everyone
else, you beat them!
- [Woman 2] Yes.
- Okay.
Yeah! Top two!
- [Woman] Well congratulations
(all laughing)
Well done!
- I'm just kidding, you guys.
I love you all, I couldn't have done it
without your terrible
performance in the classroom.
(all laugh)
- [Top GPA Recipient
2] Thank you very much,
it's your support, it's a
very interesting program,
great design, and, I think,
contribution of all the teachers
and it felt, I know that Imron
put a lot of work, everybody,
and you, everybody who is in that program,
it made that program, like, special:
not specialized, but also special.
(woman laughs)
And every class and teachers
have very wide and great
experience and also, kind of,
you feel that passion
about like giving it back
and kind of teaching and it's incredible.
I mean, I'm really glad that
I got into this specialty program and also
it's not just for me, what I
noticed is that at my work,
people actually start noticing
that I start speaking differently,
I start thinking differently
and I'm bringing value to
for the Ingram, during the class,
because we engage with the
UCI and that was on our agenda
it just happened that being
inside of the University
I was able to engage
with a different program,
like the capstone with the
Computer Science, also,
even with MIE, so we had a TEDTalk,
with our TEDTalk program, basically,
when we have our innovation department,
it's actually conducting
some of the working sessions
and provide some knowledge
back to some of the departments
so, another thing, like
a checkmark in that area,
and that he gives us
opportunity to present
from Ingram Micro, kind
of like a design workshop.
Like, it was a great feedback and
at the same time, so I'm bringing already
the value back to Ingram Micro
before I even finish the school.
Luckily, within just one of our projects,
in Harlenovich's class, if you know,
we brought him a Ingram Micro, he said:
"It has to be a specific
project, it's kind of like
"let's say if Ingram Micro wants
to have a separate business
"as starting a small venture".
And we had that kind of an idea,
and he supported us and
he brought that project
inside of one of the
consulting classes right now.
And so it's another value
that we're bringing back to Ingram Micro,
so it's tremendous, like, the
engagement with the school,
not just my personal achievements,
but also it helped the
company that I'm working for.
- All right, Esemel,
I'm not gonna beat
around the bush with you,
I'm gonna tell you straight up,
you won the award for the
most quirky individual
in the inaugural MIE class.
(cheering)
- Congratulations!
- [Michelle] Congrats!
- [Esemel] You guys got me!
(all laugh)
- Congratulations!
- [Esemel] Thanks!
- [Borna] Tell us how you
feel, give us a quick rundown.
- I feel like now I have
to introduce all my trolls!
(all laugh)
- Oh my God!
(all laughing)
- I feel really grateful, thank
you guys so much, you know,
like, I've been practicing this speech.
(Lina laughs)
So, you know, I've put
in a lot of work all year
to be the quirkiest, you
know, I haven't been like,
being weird everyday
because I'm actually weird.
Well, actually I am.
(laughs) It's a lot of...
I'm just really happy
to have won this award
and I would like to thank the whole MIE
for, you know, putting up
with my quirkiness, thank you.
- I have two follow-up
questions: what is next to you?
What is that? (laughs)
- [Esemel] What is what?
- [Michelle] Was that milk?
- Oh, it's (laughs)
- Just hangin' out, on the counter?
- It's horchata!
Would that have been a quirky thing,
to have some milk on the counter?
(all laugh)
- And can you please
pan back to the trolls?
I don't feel like I got a sufficient view.
- Michelle was too busy jumping back.
- [Lina] Huh?
- Michelle was too busy--
- How many are there?
- I need more time to process.
- So how many of them are there?
- 77, I have some more
under the coffee table
that my roommates try to hide
'cause they're freaked
out if we keep them out.
- Which one's your favorite?
- Oof, that's such a hard question.
I would say Ezra.
- (laughs) Why do you like Ezra?
- Because he's my first troll.
- [Michelle] Oh, okay
- [Vanessa] Aww.
- And I just worked on some
of their outfits yesterday,
like I made this one a
little crocheted overalls.
I made most of their clothes.
- So cute!
- I made Obadiah Jones some khaki pants.
- Wow!
- [Vanessa] Obadiah!
- [Esemel] Yeah.
- Love these names, by the way.
- So I'm really happy to
have won the quirky award,
as you can see, I think I
really, you know, deserve it.
- Speaking of talking, which is, you know,
what we're doing a lot of,
we were just trying to figure out
how we can help other MIE students
be as good of a networker as you are.
Do you consider yourself
a good networker, Enzo?
- Well I'm flattered, but, yes,
I would consider myself a good networker.
(laughs)
- So Enzo, what's, I mean
like, we're talking like
how can we increase the
networking capability
of the other MIE students?
Do you have one idea that you
can share with us right now?
- Um, can you elaborate a
little bit more perhaps?
- So we know that you have
no fear of talking to people
who are high up in the
ranks, low in the ranks,
you just wanna talk to everyone,
so what do you think we can do
to help other MIE students
get out of their shell?
- I think the most challenging
and most important part
is step out, step the
first step out, right?
It's to have a (computer
glitches) for the first time.
And they have to enjoy this process.
For me, there are many friends of mine
who I was trying to influence them,
but it seems to me that I can
guide them for the first time,
the second time, but not always be there.
And maybe for the third
time or the fourth time,
once they got hindered from something,
they stopped right away, they gave up.
And when you ask them why, just, you know,
they weren't really enjoying it very much.
So, I don't necessarily
have a direct answer to you,
but honestly speaking, I would say just
get them around with
people like us, you know,
with people who are really outgoing,
trying to have those people
influence them little by little.
It's not a one day thing,
right, to make the change?
- [Borna] Right, right.
- They really have to
be influenced by someone
who's way more energized than them,
and throughout this process, hopefully,
we can get a higher acquisition rate.
- Fantastic. And Enzo, how
would you feel if I told you
that you're MIE classmates voted you
to be the MIE class' best networker?
Congratulations on it!
(Enzo gasps)
You won the award for best networker!
- Wow! Today is, you made my day!
You all made my day today,
this is an amazing day for me,
this my own nieces this morning,
there's a podcast with you,
and now learning this
wonderful news, I'm so happy!
Thank you all very much! (laughs)
- This is me,
dialing John to tell him he won the
most likely to become a billionaire.
I hope he picks up.
'Cause that's what billionaires do right.
(laughs)
- I really hope so.
Hey buddy.
- [John] Hey bud.
- How are you doing, John?
(call ends)
(gasps)
(laughs)
- I think he went to log in now.
John, I want to make
one thing clear to you.
You being late to a
meeting does not matter.
You can afford that.
Why? Because your inaugural
class of the MIE students
all voted for you to win the award
for most likely to become a billionaire!
- Woo!
- [Woman] Congratulations!
- [John] Oh, thanks guys.
(claps)
- [Borna] Hey, so how do you feel?
- I'm really sorry I
missed our meeting now.
(laughs)
- [Borna] But you're a winner!
- It's okay, you'll just afford
an assistant later in life.
You'll be fine.
- We're all winners,
guys. We're all winners.
- Hey, improve your eye contact.
Look directly into the
camera, you're being recorded.
- [John] Oh.
- [Borna] Give us a quick speech.
(laughs)
- Speak like a- speak like a billionaire.
- [John] Speech, ladies and gentlemen,
I- (laughs) I don't know
how a billionaire speaks!
I've never been one. I'm extremely honored
and really really grateful to be chosen,
the chosen one for most
likely to be a billionaire.
That's super super fun, and I will not,
I don't take it lightly.
I'm absolutely not gonna
let any of you down,
and I hope you all remember me
when we all find our successes
and never lose touch.
I love you all, like sincerely.
- You came in at a fantastic time Deronte,
like we were just talking
about how we can help
the MIE students like gain a little bit
of uh, phsyical fitness.
You know, how can we help
them exercise a little,
and I thought back to one
of the craziest moments
that happened during the winter tour.
You were doing push-ups
and whatnot in your suit!
- Yeah.
- [Borna] And I was
just thinking to myself,
this guy, he's dressed for
success wherever he goes.
And Deronte, I'm super honored
on behalf of the MIE program,
to award you with the award
for "Dressed for Success!"
- Ayyy!
Wow! I was not expecting
that! What's going on?
- How you feeling?
- I would have to say, you know
dress for the position you wanna have
later on in life, right?
So I used to dress up in suits
because I wanted to be like
a businessman or a CEO
and everything like that,
so that inspired me starting to dress up.
But, what actually inspired
the suits and everything
every day was my freshman
year of college, yeah,
actually it was the summer
before my freshman year.
So there was one day, I
was actually wearing like a
Polo shirt and some khaki
shorts and some slippers, right.
And I was in this program where we had to
take summer classes before
we actually got into college.
So, we got credits beforehand.
So I went and we had like
study sessions and stuff,
so I went to the study sessions.
There was a guy, his name was Prince,
and he pulled me to the
side and he was like,
"Hey man, I don't ever wanna see you
dressed like this again."
And I was like, "what do you mean?"
'cause I felt like I look
better, more presentable
than everyone else, at least.
He was like, well, you never
know who's watching you,
and you never know how
someone might judge you just
based on your appearance.
So, the way you may eat
may tell someone something
and they could give you an opportunity.
The way you dress, the way
you speak, the little things
that you don't think people
are noticing, they do.
And so, that conversation there
kinda like sparked a change,
and so like I would never
wear sandals anymore.
I would wear shoes, if I went somewhere.
Then I met a guy named Richard Lucas III,
which is one of my big brothers,
and he used to wear suits everyday.
He was the president.
And that inspired me,
so seeing him dressing up and then
talking to this guy Prince, them together,
knowing that people are always watching.
You never know who's looking at you,
who's looking up to
you, and it inspired me
to dress well and be the
best and look the part.
But yeah, I appreciate you guys.
So, you never know who's watching you!
So always be prepared.
- Yeah, so, Cassidy, I have
the distinct honor and pleasure
of telling you that your
classmates, all of us have voted,
and we have unanimously claimed you
and given the award to
you of "Wellness Diva."
That is the award that has been...
- [Cassidy] Yay!
- Woo! Nice.
- Thanks. (laughs)
- [Jon] ...bestowed upon
you, (laughs) so yes,
congratulations.
- Congratulations!
Are you shocked at this?
- Um, yeah, you know in high school,
my senior superlative was
"Worst Case of Senioritis."
(laughs)
- What do you have to say to your fans?
- [Jon] I'm sure you
have something prepared.
(Vanessa laughs)
- [Cassidy] No, I have nothing prepared.
Um, didn't know it was
a category to be honest.
(laughs)
But yeah, thanks. (laughs)
- What do you have to
say about your victory?
Any advice?
- Any advice to other
aspiring wellness divas?
- Just that it's really a
full time job, you guys.
I mean (laughs) I talk about
this a lot but it is worth it.
Job is kind of a heavy word,
it's really more of a lifestyle
that could benefit everybody.
- So, we were starting the conversation
a little bit on the right foot here.
We were talking about how
can we increase engagement
in the program.
And then we went back to your talk
that you did back in the spring quarter,
back in the winter quarter, my apology,
and you talked about gainification.
And I couldn't help but notice
that, Maxim, you demonstrate
a lot of the characteristics
of an engaged student.
And because of that, I'm
thrilled to announce to you
that you are the winner of the
MIE's "Most Engaged Student!"
And how does that make you feel Maxim?
(cheering and applause)
- Wow, this is great.
(laughing)
- Congratulations.
- [Maxim] Thank you!
Seriously?
- [Woman] Seriously, yes, yeah.
It was voted on by the students.
(laughing)
- This is awesome. This is awesome.
It's... cool.
Don't tell my wife, because she says
I'm completely disengaged at home.
(laughs)
But I'll get back on
being engaged at home.
- So Maxim, why do you
think you were the winner
of this award?
And why do you think that
MIEsters voted for you?
- I don't know. But I
think that originally,
when I joined this
program and I was excited,
because it was my internal kind of.
They call it intrinsic motivation.
And it was really different inside of me.
I'm probably going to be
first in my generation,
like from my side of the family,
not from my wife's family but,
that master like a higher education.
Which is awesome, none of my mom or father
finished even a bachelor, so...
I kind of, this is awesome,
and it's not just that
but I also want to show my
kids that if you work hard,
you deserve something.
And I'm setting an example,
because it's very hard
to tell them, "Hey you should study more
and do something else."
You can't teach them, they mimic.
So now, actually, I have to
be more disciplined, better,
and show them an example so
they can achieve more in life.
- Hey everyone!
Congratulations to all of you.
At this time, I would like to take time
to recognize all of
our student ambassadors
for their contribution in recruitment.
First, thank you to Alan To,
for always being
responsive and passionate.
I remember how you brought all of your
business contact papers to our interview,
and I knew at that very moment
that you could be a great ambassador.
Next, thank you to Borna Malekshahi,
for representing us so well at
the first event of the year,
the fall kick-off.
You are for sure the most
memorable panelist of the night
for many people.
Next, thank you to Ravi Parashar.
I know that our prospective
students I presume enjoy
interacting with you,
because you make others
feel comfortable and welcome.
Next, thank you to Gerald Adams,
who just has the best energy.
I remember how you did
the class pitch for us
and after that moment I
received very positive feedback
from the students who were in the class.
Next, thank you to Alina Wu.
You are always so sweet and
bring brightness everywhere.
You also did a great job helping us
at the New Venture competition
tabling, and UCI Homecoming.
Next, thank you to Jon Freeman.
Jon, I feel like you
became such a superstar
after we did a feature campaign on you.
You did a stellar job and I
received a number of emails
from prospects that they
just want to be like you.
Next, thank you to Khang Do.
You were always the first one to respond
to my call for volunteers email,
and I truly appreciate that dedication.
Next, thank you to Marion Angelo Quijano.
Remember that one time you
did an amazing class pitch
for MIE at the Deck the Halls?
You are always so brave
and you are willing
to represent us anywhere.
Last but not least, thank
you to Michelle Liman,
who has the best style
and social media posts.
You represented the program so well
with your lovely presence.
To conclude, all of you guys
truly did an excellent job
representing the MIE program
and the Merage school in large.
I have no doubt that you
will continue to represent us
as the first group of M-I-L-O.
I will dearly miss you
and all of your service.
Please keep in touch, and
congratulations once again.
- Hi, Breanna!
We are here to recognize you as the MIE
Champion of the program.
I personally wanna thank you
for your Herculean efforts
in establishing the MIE start-up fund.
That is something that
our cohort really needed,
and your rapid response
is helping all of us
get some business ideas off the ground,
and it's going to be something that helps
future cohorts down the line.
So, once again, thank you
for being our Champion.
- Hi, Breanna! I just wanted
to thank you from the MIE class
for putting on those brown bag lunches.
We really learned so much
and we really appreciate
you sharing your knowledge with us
in our journeys with our start-ups.
- Hi, Breanna! This is Enzo.
I want to thank you for your enthusiasm
and entrepreneurship,
and supporting OmniGraph
right away, and also
supporting all the students
here for the MIE program.
Really appreciate your
effort and... (exclaims)
- Hi, Breanna! I want
to say a big thank you
for the whole MIE program.
You offer us great resources,
not only to the Bike Zero Team
also to the whole MIE team.
And you always come on and check on us
to give us greater wises,
and I really appreciate it.
Thank you, Breanna.
- Hi, Breanna! On behalf
of all of the MIE class,
we sincerely want to thank you
from the bottom of our hearts
for continuously helping
us with our startups,
for advocating for things like
participating in competitions
or funding, or just checking up on us.
We really, really appreciate it.
I think our MIE experience would
not be complete without you
and your guidance, and we
just really want to say
a big thank you and how
much we appreciate you.
- Hi, Jon!
It's the MIE class just
wanting to award you
for being an MIE Champion.
Personally, I'd like to think you for
all the co-curriculars, where we learn
a new perspective on entrepreneurship,
and all the late night advice you gave us
when we needed your help.
- Thank you Jon, for
all your presentations
and all the contributions
you've given to us,
and the resources that
are available from you.
So thank you.
- Hey Jon, thank you so
much for all your guidance
and support throughout the year,
and for allowing us to make use of
the Entrepreneur Center
whenever it was possible.
It hasn't gone unnoticed,
and we really appreciate it.
- Thank you so much, Jon,
for always making time
to meet us even beyond your
office hours sometimes,
and give us some
feedbacks about our ideas.
We really appreciate your time
and effort in mentoring us.
- Jon, I want to thank
you for your enthusiasm
and the level of obsession
for us to actually succeed
as entrepreneurs, and
showing examples. Thank you.
- Jon, we want to thank you so much
for the time that you
took in mentoring us,
and giving us all the exciting
feedback you had for us
on all of our different ventures.
I also want to thank you so much for
the few basketball games that we got in.
- Hi, Jon! Thank you so much
for giving us so much resources
from the Beall Innovation Center.
Also, keep checking on us.
Thank you so much.
- Hey, Jon!
It's your main man Ravi P!
I love you Big Dog.
Gotta say thank you,
and the Mastering Entrepreneurship podcast
would be nothing without your help.
So thank you.
- Hey, Jon, this is Enzo here!
I just want to say thank
you for your enthusiasm
and all the help you
provided for OmniGraph.
It was a great experience and
a lot of fun tabling with you
at the homecoming event. Thank you.
- [Miriam] Thank you, Jon,
we appreciate you greatly.
- Hi, Sally, congratulation.
Congratulation as Protege
of the Years MIE program.
I like to thank MIE for the opportunity
to be the mentor to you.
During this times of months
that I'm working with you,
you demonstrate to me as a young lady
with such a determination for a product,
an idea to develop to
getting closer to reality.
I'm so proud of you.
You are a young ladies
that are always helpful
and caring and resourceful,
and you always ready to help others,
no matter what kind of task is.
I remember during a time you volunteers
your planning skills and
your management skills
to a local nonprofit
organization for a live event.
What you demonstrate in giving back
is more than we were expected.
You were such a phenomenal opportunity
for the bonding time for me and you,
that I got to know you personal
and your professional growth.
What a great opportunity, and I hope that
during this time, my advice
to you on your projects
are helpful to you.
And I'm so proud as your
mentor, and remember
entrepreneurship is not a rosy path.
It's always there's a
lot of humps and bumps.
And I encourage you,
there's an old saying that,
"no matter where you go, bring
the sunshine of yourself."
So I'm sure your projects,
this organic cosmetic line of products,
is going to change the industry.
It will be a new revolution that provide
organic products for
girls and I can't wait
to see your product be
successfully on the shelves,
in the world.
And again I congratulate
you, and you definitely have
my endorsement as the
Protege of the Years.
And I hope that you take this
experience at MIE program
to your business, to your future company,
and you're going to
encourage another generation
of new, of young
entrepreneur. Congratulation.
- Here's a shout out to Alayna McClue.
Congratulations Alayna.
You are the co-winner
of the 2020 Merage MIE
Mentorship Protege Award
for the year.
Your innovative idea based on
your personal work experience
during your undergraduate
years in Louisiana,
that you brought with you
to the Merage program,
involved developing a
unique way to mitigate
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and
all of its pain and suffering.
Your idea consisted of
modifying an over-the-counter
hand brace, sensors
connected to a smartphone,
and it was a very innovative
and excellent example
of an entrepreneurship idea that was
going to solve an existing problem.
That's the ideal
entrepreneurial idea approach.
You quickly, upon arriving
at the Merage school,
you quickly put together a
team of your outstanding peers
in the program, and concurrently
you filed for and received
from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office,
a provisional patent that
you obtained with the help
of one of the other
mentors in the program,
who's an Intellectual Property Attorney.
As you were pursuing that patent
and working with your team,
you were also able to enroll in your team
a Ph.D. in Biomedical Science to help you
with the technical aspects
of working on this problem.
Even more recently, you
were close to bringing
on to the team a recently
minted Masters candidate
in the Computer Science arena to help you
with the digitalization of the solution.
Overall, your ability to take this idea
from a product that solves a problem,
lead a team of talented individuals,
and apply the principles
taught in the Merage program,
is a tribute to you and our school.
Alayna, we wish you good
luck in bringing this product
to a commercially viable state.
We know it'll be not an easy task,
but we're confident that you can do it.
Good luck.
- Hello, Seymour. It's me, Alayna.
Here to tell you congratulations
on winning the Mentor of the Year Award.
You definitely deserve it.
You've been an amazing mentor to me,
my Wave Wearable team members,
and a lot of my other classmates.
You have definitely
made yourself available
to us as a resource, and we know
that you are someone we can go to
for advice, help, or just to talk to.
Which I do, very often.
Anyway, congratulations, you deserve it,
and thank you for everything you've done.
- Hi everybody, Professor Jagers here.
I wanted to congratulate all
of you on your graduation,
and also on a job well done.
I wish all of you all the
best in your future endeavors,
and just remember that there
is no substitute for hard work,
so stay in touch.
I would love to hear about
all of your future successes.
And again, congratulations,
and best of luck!
- Hey Class of 2020!
This is John Kaplan, Assistant Dean of MBA
and specialty Masters programs.
I just wanted to give
you guys a big shout-out.
Congratulations, job well done.
Looking forward to seeing you sometime
in the future as alumni.
Please stay in touch, and
if we can ever help you
in any way definitely let us know.
Congrats, and rip 'em Eaters!
- Hello MIE Class of 2020.
This is Professor Leonard
Lane and I want to offer
my hearty congratulations to completing
your Masters degree in
Innovation and Entrepreneurship,
and I look forward to
hearing from you on the
successful businesses that you
start and grow along the way.
Stay safe, and have a great year.
- Congratulations to the
inaugural graduating cohort
of the Masters in Innovation
and Entrepreneurship
program at University of
California Irvine's Merage
School of Business.
I'm Howard Merowitz, a
professor in this program.
I teach consulting for
entrepreneurial companies,
and I want to give a
big shout-out not only
to the whole graduating
class, but particularly
to the students in my course who are doing
a bang-up job helping actual
start-ups in Orange County
working directly with the
CEOs to get them ready
to raise money in very
trying circumstances.
Go get 'em, Anteaters!
- Congratulations, graduates.
I'm so excited for you all
and the opportunities
that you have created
for your future.
One good thing about the last few months
of your program, is that it has given you
some additional insight
into dealing with adversity.
And as entrepreneurs, you
probably know and understand
the value of that experience.
Dealing with adversity, right?
Thank you for discussing finance with me.
I hope you found it helpful.
Again, congratulations, stay in touch,
and good luck.
- Hi everybody. Just want to congratulate
the Class of 2020.
You've made it.
It's a lot of work to get
to this stage in your life.
It wasn't easy. You
probably had many people
to support you to get here.
Your family, friends,
and including yourself
for taking those long
steps and many late nights
to study and prepare to
make sure that you are now
completing your Masters Degree.
So I really do want to send
a sincere note of gratitude
and appreciation that you
were part of our school,
that you came to our school.
You are always and now forever
part of the UCI Anteater family
and I wish you the best
as you kind of embark
on the next stage of your journey.
It's probably going to
be a lot of challenges
and ups and downs that
are coming ahead of you.
But you will make it.
You've had this fortitude,
celebrate this moment very deeply.
We wish you all the best.
- Hi, this is Richard Sudek,
and I was very excited
to be part of the inaugural MIE class.
I'm looking forward to
seeing a lot of my students
become very successful entrepreneurs.
So congratulations, and good luck.
- Congratulations, everyone!
Greetings from Amsterdam!
Hope to see you soon.
Enjoy the summer.
- Congratulations to
the inaugural MIE class.
Very proud of how far we've
come since you all joined
less than a year ago.
I look forward to welcoming
you back, to speak to our
future MIE classes,
and share your success.
Congratulations.
- Well that concludes our celebration,
and all of you should take
pride in your accomplishment.
You've shown the spirit and drive
to graduate from one of the world's
top business schools at one of
the world's top universities,
and we take pride in you.
The Merage School was a second home to you
and we sincerely hope you
come back and visit often,
you're always welcome.
Now go celebrate.
(clicks)
