Class of 2010 Alumni Update: Where Are They Now?
The top students at the Fowler College of Business in 2010 with their most influential faculty members were marketing professor Massoud Saghafi, Rachel McCullough (marketing), management information systems professor Theo Addo, Rex Brown (management), management lecturer Christine Probett, finance professor Nikhil Varaiya, Wesley Martin (accounting), Chris White (finance), accounting lecturer Will Snyder and Daryl Rysberg (management information systems).
When the class of 2010 graduated from the San Diego State University College of Business Administration (now the Fowler College of Business), five undergraduate students were chosen as the top students in their major by the faculty in each department.
Those five students — Wesley Martin (accounting), Christopher White (finance), Rex Brown (management), Daryl Rysdyk (management information systems) and Rachel McCullough (marketing) — each selected their most influential faculty member to join them on stage during their commencement ceremony which took place on May 22, 2010.
White was named the Most Outstanding Student in the College and during the ceremony, he stepped up to the podium to lead the tassel-turning tradition which signifies the graduates have earned their degrees.
The SDSU Fowler News Team recently connected with these top graduates to see how their journeys have evolved over the last decade following their graduation from SDSU. The young alumni have found success across a variety of industries and at notable organizations such as Google, Facebook, and the U.S. Navy, to name a few. Here’s what four of them had to say:
Finance: Chris White
Most Influential Faculty Member:
Dr. Nikhil Varaiya
Chris White Q&A
White enjoys hiking with his family.
1. What has happened in your life since you left SDSU 10 years ago?
Since graduation, a lot has happened.
I started my career with Booz Allen Hamilton (a contracting firm to the federal government) working as a business financial manager (BFM) to United States Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Center (SPAWAR) in San Diego. Over the span of 10 years, I’ve supported various divisions within the Command, Control, Computers, Communications and Intelligence (C4I) community and the Navy's new shipbuilding programs.
I've married the woman of my dreams (at the summit of Mammoth Mountain), had two kids, bought two homes and sold one, and have taken a six-month leave of absence from work to backpack with my wife for 1,020 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail in Southern California for our honeymoon.
2. Where are you working now? What is your title?
I am currently working for Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) — formerly SPAWAR — as a Department of Defense (DOD) United States Navy civilian employee as a BFM for various submarine programs.
3. What was your favorite memory from SDSU?
My favorite memory from SDSU was when I learned how to invest in foreign currency exchange in Dan Seiver's international finance class. He held a completion each semester using the OANDA platform and I recall finishing in the top five based on return on investment (ROI).
4. What was the most important lesson you learned at SDSU?
The most important lesson I learned was that your college degree is a building block for future success, but only if you apply yourself after graduation. I received my bachelor’s degree in business finance, but it has very little in common with my current financial management role with the government. Though these two worlds are very different, yet the underlying commitment to quality of work and due diligence required for academic success holds true in my current line of work.
5. What advice would you give current SDSU business students?
Graduate!!!! Four years of your life is only a blip on the radar in the larger scheme of your life. Once obtained, your degree is something no one can ever take from you. It might only seem like a piece of paper but that piece of paper can open a myriad of future opportunities. No matter the challenges, keep a good attitude and never forget once you put aside the schoolwork or job duties, that we are all people. As you finish school, start your career and master your technical skills, don't forget about the human aspect. Take care of your people and your team. Hang in there and graduate — it's worth it!
Management Information Systems: Daryl Rysberg (Rysdyk)
Most Influential Faculty Member:
Dr. Theo Addo
Daryl Rysberg Q&A
Rysdyk (now Rysberg) is a systems administrator at UC San Diego.
1. What has happened in your life since you left SDSU 10 years ago?
During my tenure at SDSU, I was working full time at the department of structural engineering at UCSD, but I switched departments nine years ago. I’ve also bought a house in San Diego, traveled to several countries in Europe and got married. We haven't had a kid yet, but that's on the horizon.
2. Where are you working now? What is your title?
I'm working at the Preuss School at UC San Diego as a system administrator, managing about 1,300 computers and about 900 users.
3. What was your favorite memory from SDSU?
Graduating and nailing a strict 8-minute presentation at 7:58 without a clock or a timer.
4. What was the most important lesson you learned at SDSU?
Even though I had to take classes that I didn't think applied to me, I still learned valuable information that I still use or think about today.
5. What advice would you give current SDSU business students?
Get to know your professors and peers, and make sure they know a little about you. You'll never know when they can help you or you can help them later in life. Also, after you graduate, find a career that you are intrinsically motivated to do, especially if it's one that is beneficial for others.
6. Lastly, you have an interesting story about your last name. Could you share it?
My last name is Rysberg now. When I got married, my wife and I combined our last names. Hers was Vandenberg and mine was Rysdyk, so we made it Rysberg.
Management: Rex Brown
Most Influential Faculty Member:
Professor Christine Probett
Rex Brown Q&A
Brown and his wife, Nicole, at their wedding.
1. What has happened in your life since you left SDSU 10 years ago?
After I graduated, I moved back home to the Bay Area to start my career in Silicon Valley. Earlier this year, I became a father for the first time as my wife Nicole and I welcomed Isaiah Bryant Brown to the world.
2. Where are you working now? What is your title?
I'm a policy manager at Pinterest where I work at the intersection of technology and policy. Prior to that, I spent nine years in product, business development and marketing roles at Google, YouTube and Facebook.
3. What was your favorite memory from SDSU?
I enjoyed playing basketball and making friends at the Aztec Recreation Center, carne asada fries and the amazing campus. I also met friends, Evan Allen and Hugo Figueredo, at the freshman year dorms and I met my wedding officiant, Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, through a summer academic program during my junior year at SDSU.
4. What was the most important lesson you learned at SDSU?
I learned that it's okay to pivot and change directions: I switched majors multiple times, interned in different industries and applied to law school but never ended up attending. College is the perfect time to be really honest with yourself and figure out what really drives you (and what doesn't). It's completely fine to not have your life planned out, but use your time in college to try to focus on a specific industry and function. Test your hypothesis by talking to people in the roles and industries that you're curious about and do the research. Through the process of elimination, you'll get closer to figuring out what path may make the most sense.
5. What advice would you give current SDSU business students?
Try out different things. Apply for the scholarship that you think is a reach. Learn the art of cold outreach and contact people on LinkedIn who are in your dream roles or at your dream companies. Be proactive and seek wisdom from your professors and alumni. Be firm with your goals but flexible in your approach. Push yourself physically, mentally and emotionally. Build lifelong friendships and support their journeys. Speak up and do what's right. And once things fall into place, give back to those who need it. Looking back, that was my approach and I can't thank SDSU enough for giving me the environment and support to achieve my dreams.
If you ever have questions about working in Silicon Valley or want to chat, don't hesitate to reach out. I wish you the best and Go Aztecs!
Marketing: Rachel McCullough
Most Influential Faculty Member:
Dr. Massoud Saghafi
Rachel McCullough Q&A
McCullough is vice president at Iconic Event Studios in Los Angeles.
1. What has happened in your life since you left SDSU 10 years ago?
I still can’t believe it has been 10 years since I graduated — time has flown by!
Life since SDSU has been one of discovery, I would say. After graduating, I moved to Los Angeles and started my career at a small fully integrated marketing agency as an account coordinator. It was a wonderful experience - learning the ins and out of media placement, social media advertising, branding, and marketing.
After gaining some experience in a small agency, I wanted to test out the “corporate world” for comparison. I eventually made my way to MetLife of Southern California as marketing manager for their West Los Angeles office. After being in that position for two years, I was promoted to marketing director, where I oversaw the marketing department for all five of the Southern California offices.
While loving this position and being fully immersed in the corporate world, my design/creative side was itching to make a career move. At this time, I hired a career coach and did some soul searching. I had come to realize that one aspect of my current position that I truly enjoyed was assisting the financial advisors in planning various kinds of client appreciation events — it energized me. From conceptualization to implementation, I couldn’t get enough of it. So I explored the world of event planning with my coach and decided to take a leap of faith by going back to school. I attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Francisco to earn my professional designation in visual communications to supplement my business degree. Upon completion, I moved back to Los Angeles to launch my new event production and design career and secured a position at my current company, Iconic Event Studios. I’ve been here ever since — five years and counting!
It has been one wild ride getting to where I am now — and certainly one I didn’t see coming — but every twist and turn was so worth it. Having a business background has been absolutely invaluable in every career situation I’ve been in and now, I am fully utilizing my design/creative side as well, which fuels my soul!
2. Where are you working now? What is your title?
I am currently the vice president at Iconic Event Studios, an event production and design company in Los Angeles, CA.
3. What was your favorite memory from SDSU?
I have so many amazing memories from SDSU! However, one that sticks in my mind the most was sitting on stage during graduation. All of the hard work, late nights, (and yes, tears!), had finally come down to one moment — I was graduating with honors. It was such a sense of accomplishment and pride that I will never forget.
4. What was the most important lesson you learned at SDSU?
Teamwork. For whatever reason, team projects seemed to be the dreaded assignment in all classes back in the day! However, looking back, they were the most important projects in terms of showing us a glimpse of real-life career situations. There has not been a single job, no matter my role or title, where my work hasn’t been dependent on the work of others in some way or another. The teamwork, communication skills, delegation, and brainstorming activities that you learn in group project situations are vital to being successful in any career.
5. What advice would you give current SDSU business students?
Three things I would suggest:
Look up from your books every once in a while, and breathe - it will all be okay.
Try not to pigeonhole yourself in terms of your career goals. Know that your degree is a stepping stone to a wonderful world of possibilities. It is easy to get tunnel vision and only focus on one path, but keep your eyes open to all of the opportunities out there. You’ll be surprised as to where they may take you!
Don’t be afraid to take a leap of faith and follow your dreams. Your career can become anything you want to make it — you just need to have the wisdom to know that it is ok to make certain moves, even if it seems to be the road less traveled. It will all pay off in the end!
