Michigan Ross Alums Share Their Experiences from Ross Reunion Weekend

Alums had the chance to reconnect with the Ross School of Business and reunite with classmates they may not have seen in years. Attendees also enjoyed the University of Michigan versus Rutgers football game, a reception for each of the milestone classes in attendance, and several other special events.

A few event highlights included a fireside chat and musical performance from Kwang Jin Kim, MBA ’88, an alum with a unique and successful career in both finance and the KPop music industry, as well as food and drinks at longtime-favorite spots for Ross students and alums, Conor O’Neil’s and Dominick's.

Below, hear from five alums from the Classes of 1988, 1993, and 2003 as they share their experiences from this year’s Ross Reunion.
 

Amy (Percy) Lemen

MBA Class of 2003

How did you celebrate Reunion?
On Friday, I met up with friends at Ashley's, shopped for Michigan gear at the M-Den, and caught up with classmates during the happy hour at Dominick's. Then, I attended the milestone reception and went to Pizza House. On Saturday, I attended the tailgate with my family, followed by cheering on the Wolverines at the football game, and ended the day with dinner with my class at the Executive Residence. It was a whirlwind weekend, and I loved every minute of it!

What was your favorite part of this year's Reunion?
The happy hour at Dominick's was so much fun — it was so exciting to see so many familiar faces and dear friends after so long, and this was our first opportunity to meet up during the weekend. But every minute was a highlight!

Coming back to Ross, what did you miss about being a student here?
I miss so much — the professors, the students, the teams and projects we worked on, the socializing at Mitch's on Thursday nights, and knowing that I was at a special place and time in my life when I was making lifelong friends.

What is your favorite/best Michigan Ross memory?
Meeting my future husband on the first day of the Leadership Development Program in Section One!

Anything else you'd like to share?
Coming back to the reunion has reminded me of what a special place Ross is and how wonderful our class is. We experienced a lot of ups and downs together from 2001-03, and as a result, we have a bond that, even after 20 years, is still so strong.  

Kwang Jin Kim

MBA Class of 1988

How did you celebrate Reunion? 
It was a great honor for me to have a fireside chat with alumni. I had a chance to talk about my journey and sing my five hit songs.

What was your favorite part of this year's Reunion?
I would like to sincerely thank the alumni who prepared for the event. They prepared wonderful audio and video equipment. I met many new friends, and there was great support from Korean faculty teaching at the University of Michigan.

Coming back to Ross, what did you miss about being a student here?
It was just the best time of my life. As a basketball fan, I miss basketball games in the Crisler Center. After graduation, I served in the military in South Korea. It was such a great feeling to listen to the NCAA tournament championship game on the radio in 1989.

What is your favorite/best Michigan Ross memory?
Reflecting back to the winter of 1986, I was facing that classic dilemma of staying in school or taking a different path. It was during this period that fate intervened, leading me to participate in the "Business Follies" talent show at Michigan Ross. On that memorable night, I chose to perform Just the Way You Are by Billy Joel. To my astonishment, the audience responded with resounding enthusiasm, propelling me into a newfound prominence within the student body.

Anything else you'd like to share?
Following my graduation, I returned to Korea and embarked upon a successful career spanning both the music and financial industries. Over time, I have been privileged to witness numerous Korean and foreign musicians covering and reinterpreting my songs. Magic Castle is featured in Korean children's textbooks due to its widespread popularity.

After releasing my mega-hit Magic Castle, I went on to film music videos for two of my singles, Lady in the Rainy Night and War and Love in the United States. The two music videos were created in New York under close collaboration of Korean and U.S. staff, setting the stage for modern Korean music.

In the popular audition program, Superstar K season 3 in 2011, the final 11 contestants were given a mission to choose and sing one song from the musical collection of five famous composers. I was honored that four of the 11 competitors selected my songs. After the episode, the four songs sung by the competitors who chose my music reached the top of the Korean Billboard chart.

Judith Hochhauser Schneider

MBA Class of 2003

How did you celebrate Reunion?
I love that the school supported our effort to have so many events over the weekend.

What was your favorite part of this year's Reunion?
The opportunity for my kids to get to spend time with my classmates' kids at all the events, especially at the tailgate in the Winter Garden and at the Big House. When my 14-year-old turned to me and said, "I want to come back next year so I can hang out with your friends' kids!"

Coming back to Ross, what did you miss about being a student here?
The people! It's so cliche, but my classmates are truly the Leaders and Best. I'm grateful every day that these brilliant and passionate people are my friends and colleagues. As I'm starting a new business, I'm so grateful that I can reach out to people in various fields to get input, feedback, and advice.

What is your favorite/best Michigan Ross memory?
Meeting my husband, who was in the class behind us.

Anything else you'd like to share?
Ross is an amazing place. I'm grateful for my time in Ann Arbor, and even more grateful for how it continues to shape my life and career. Go Blue!

Sena Kwawu

MBA Class of 1993

How did you celebrate Reunion?
While the weekend was a whirlwind, I got the opportunity to meet most of the attendees. We started the festivities on Friday night at Conor O’Neil’s on Main Street with dinner and drinks. With over 50 attendees who had not seen each other in a while, the event was loud, cheerful, relaxing, engaging, and, most of all, fun! That enthusiasm and excitement continued on Saturday at the tailgate and at the game. Thanks to the strong showing by the Wolverines, I was able to continue reconnecting with folks at the game while still cheering on the boys. Later that evening, I joined two separate events, one at the home of a local MBA ’93 classmate and the other at the Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse downtown. There was another bar after that, too. Got home after 1 a.m.!

What was your favorite part of this year's Reunion?
My favorite part of the weekend was the dinner!

Coming back to Ross, what did you miss about being a student here?
The camaraderie and the sense of the upcoming adventure as we prepared to “go back into the world” after graduation. In short, I missed everyone!

What is your favorite/best Michigan Ross memory?
Too many to share in just a note. So, I will go for the most poignant. I miss going to see Dr. Alfred L. Edwards for advice, for input on my decisions, and sometimes just to sit in his office to be in his presence. Dr. Edwards had such a calmness about him that I needed at that time. Honestly, many times, I just sat outside his door as others went in to talk to him. I was not the only one who did that. His space was the Mecca for most African-American B-school students. There, we supported and helped each other through what was to be a pivotal moment in our professional trajectories.

Anything else you'd like to share?
My career has been a blessed one, thanks to my time at Michigan Ross. I started out at General Electric Co., thanks to Noel Tichy, professor of management and organizations. After almost 18 years at GE and its successor companies, I made a couple of moves that helped me end up at Starbucks as the CFO of supply chain and business operations, where I was part of the team responsible for sourcing coffee from 37+ countries, through six plants, and into more than 35,000 storefronts around the world! More importantly, that role got me to Seattle, where I still reside. I am in touch with a large number of my Section Five classmates via text chains and face-to-face interactions whenever possible. These guys and ladies will forever be close to me!

Grace (Tsuei) Tkach

MBA Class of 2003

How did you celebrate Reunion?
Friday class happy hour at Dominick's, milestone reception, Pizza House after hours, Saturday tailgate, football game, class dinner, cantina above Good Time Charley’s to watch the Ohio State game, Sunday brunch at Zingerman's Roadhouse, and cider donuts at Dexter Cider Mill.

What was your favorite part of this year's Reunion?
I liked seeing classmates I hadn't seen in years, but I really loved experiencing a game in the Big House with my nine-year-old and my husband — passing down the maize and blue torch and watching my son singing “Hail! to the victors valiant!”

Coming back to Ross, what did you miss about being a student here?
Being able to look around at every corner and see someone I knew who was interesting to talk to and just hang out with no pretenses.

What is your favorite/best Michigan Ross memory?
Oh, there are way too many Michigan Ross memories to choose from. If I had to choose, I'd say March Madness during our second year was pretty memorable. Four of us lived in a house near campus, and during the tournament, we just had a continuous rotation of friends through the house. I'd wake up, and sometimes there'd be someone there watching a game, come home from class — same thing. At one point, when there were so many games going on, people set up chairs to watch stadium-style, and we moved a few extra TVs in the same room to play at once. I'm sure some people were betting on brackets, but even for those not as into the tournament, that period of time was just fun. It was a penultimate experience to have such a strong social network of really fun, interesting, smart, and driven peers around.  

Anything else you'd like to share?
The Michigan Ross connection is strong! It's been 20 years, and I've lived in several locations since, and every time, I have gravitated toward a Michigan Ross alum connection. Professionally, I've come to know others in my field who are alums, and we can quickly get on the same page. Alums tend to have similar values, although we're always so different. I focus on culture a lot in my day job in human resources, and the Ross culture has been unmatched over the years and through each class.