The Kearny Alliance offers stipend support, internship and career development opportunities to bright young people from mainland China, Burma, Cambodia and Vietnam. Below are some of their stories, told in their own words. 

TAFAS Scholar Stories - Roger Li

Thunderbird School of Global Management student Roger Li from China talks about the TAFAS scholarship program.

TAFAS Scholar Stories - Sumian Luo

Thunderbird School of Global Management student Sumian Luo from China talks about the TAFAS scholarship and her path to Thunderbird.

Where the Dream Begins

Ching (Back row, 1st from left) with friends in a hiking activity organized by Hong Kong Baptist University S.U. Mountaineering Association

I still remember the moment when the Kearny Alliance came to Guangdong University of Foreign Studies to recruit qualified candidates for Hong Kong Baptist University BBA scholarship. Like many sophomores, at the moment I was more confused than curious about the future, it seemed I need some motivations to refresh myself and cultivate the potential. The announcement of the program awakened me to a turning point - That’s it! I made a decision immediately and send my CV for application.

Three months later, I arrived in Hong Kong to begin a brand new life and to study. As I was an undergraduate at GDUFS majoring in Advertising, I chose Marketing as my concentration at HKBU. This fits the program goals as well as meets a personal interest – to master comprehensive business knowledge and develop business operation skills.

Study at Hong Kong Baptist University
The study at HKBU has improved my way of learning and practicing a lot to an international level. The professors encourage group work that involves minds of diversified backgrounds in order to strengthen student’s competitiveness in a global market.

Our classmates are from Hong Kong, mainland China and overseas countries including the US, France and Switzerland. It’s really challenging for me to overcome language barriers and teamwork with friends from all over the world. Moreover, people come along with different ways of thinking and getting things done. For instance, when we start a group assignment, the first concern always comes to coordinate the schedule and members’ preference of taking actions. Everyone can express his/her idea upon the project freely, and to make it clear, we’ll follow a series of professional steps including brainstorm, flexible plans, etc. All the experience has helped me learn to listen for opinions and recognize other’s merits, in the meantime, I became better in expressing and reflecting myself.

Compared with that in mainland China, study at Hong Kong is fast-paced and carries more pressure. Each course has a string of strict requirements, apart from attending classes and exams on time, students are often busy with one deadline after another, say individual assignment, group project, quiz, etc. After one year practice, I’ve become more skilled in handling this ‘Hong Kong’ style and more confident to cope with challenges ahead.

Summer Internship with Global Sources
During the summer internship with Global Sources, I was based in Hong Kong, working with the global sales team based in Manila to do new supplier market research for China Sourcing Fair (CSF) sales. The project covers Turkey, Eastern European countries, Thailand and Indonesia. We’d like to know the potential, the situation of competition as well as relevant contacts in each country.

My responsibilities are first to browse tradeshow portals to get target countries’ participation, along with the analysis of the fair region, active exhibitors, and the involvement of public sectors according to the product categories. In addition, I paid attention to the background information, the development of consumer goods production and exports in each country, whether there’s a sizable number of SMEs in the industry, if the government has implemented any incentive policies to promote SMEs’ export and to encourage their participation in foreign fairs. At last, I prepared research reports and developed the summaries to make management decisions.

I knew nothing about those markets at the very beginning and the research was mainly conducted through the Internet. It’s interesting but not easy to make acquaintance with a totally new market, to search out the key sales information and identify the effective approaches. Often, I had to deal with the unfamiliar languages, to transfer between country channels and to face with insufficient or overloaded information since countries vary in the level of openness, development of E-commerce and consumer goods industry.

The internship was quite helpful and benefited me - It has not only enriched my knowledge on some new countries and markets which I had interests before but never given a chance to know, but also built a gateway for the career started with Global Sources next year upon my graduation.

I’ve learnt the professional and practical ways of business thinking, doing and improving from my fellows and the manager; it’s totally different from the academic education at school and definitely another great source for development. Moreover, my fellow team members were very friendly, my work was granted with the initiative and the efforts were always treated with respect, which made me look forward to the job next year.

Editor’s note: Here is a comment from her supervisor, General manager Armando Mojica: “Yeqing Wang is a very diligent worker. She has her own initiative and is very proactive. She has keen attention to detail and delivers very comprehensive results. Also, she is very professional, has a good work attitude and showed excellent skills at market research.”

Sometimes I couldn’t believe the moment I’m getting closer and closer to my core dream – from the mainland to Hong Kong, to communicate between cultures and widen my horizons.

I really appreciate the wonderful opportunity that the Kearny Alliance brought to me and I am willing to share every moment of my growth with all who are interested.

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Start from here with the Kearny Alliance... 

Kearny Alliance scholars (Eleven is 3rd from right)at the 2009 Global Sources welcome event at the Aberdeen Marina Club.

I still remember how exciting I was when I got the Kearny Alliance scholarship to study at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) in the summer of 2009. I was so lucky and dreaming of all the beautiful things! But then I realized life in HKBU was of different colors; sometimes you felt dark, but when you persisted in your dreams, you would see some bright lights in the end.

Now I'm benefited from being a Kearny Alliance scholar again as I received an offer and started my career life with Global Sources. With just two months on board, I know this is a right place for me. I pay my efforts and get accomplishments; I learn a new field while being able to support myself!   

Well, sometimes I feel I'm still a student and all memories of campus float into my mind. Surely, they are the golden times in my whole life and I would like to share some of them with you here.

The Young Reporter reporter
The thing I hated and loved most in HKBU was the same -- being a reporter for The Young Reporter, a school magazine. Just like a real journalist, you needed to dig out news, interview people and write good stories before deadline. I hated it because it was never an easy job -- to discover something new to the local people while basically everything was new to you as a "new arrival" and you need to do it fast as deadline was approaching. To get your job done, there was no other choice but to get into the life of local people, to know their tastes and to feel their anger, happiness and sorrow. The benefits of being a reporter were many. Firstly, you had interests and motivations to know all kinds of people. The more you knew them, the better you got used to the new environment and also much more easier for you to write good stories. When you saw your stories published in the magazine, they were just like your babies! You would be so proud of yourself for being able to help the disadvantaged voice out their opinions and needs.

About diversity
Before I went to HKBU, I studied in Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in the mainland. Many people have asked my about the difference of university life in Hong Kong and mainland China. For me, the biggest difference was that I see more diversity and I have more choices. I met teachers, classmates, interviewees and other people from different places of the world. That helped so much to lift my eyes to the board horizons ahead.

Hong Kong is a metropolis that you can see luxury cars and expensive dresses. There is also such a huge gap between the poor and the rich -- some people are struggling for survival. That reminded me that I should give to society what I can. My efforts may not make a big change to society, but at least I should try to bring some happiness to people around me.

It's hard to describe two years' life in detail here, and the above are some experiences and feelings that I love to share. I would also love to tell about what I'm doing now.

My career with Global Sources
My daily job is related to print advertising and promotions for Global Sources Exhibitions. I need to make ads for external magazines and newspapers, create templates for venue decorations for exhibitions and create other promotional materials.

I love my job: It makes me patient, improves my communication skills and gives me accomplishments. Life in the office is very busy, but the working environment is comfortable. Colleagues are nice and help me a lot not only in daily work but also in many other aspects like sharing good places for lunch.

About challenge
As I said before, I'm here for only two months and I knew there is a lot to learn. I think the most satisfying thing in my job is that our creation can be presented in real life – they are tangible. Of course, we need to considerate all the aspects like promotional goals, the balance of photos and copy, the size and location the ad…. In all, it requires experience and creativity. I will take the challenges to improve myself and to give what I've learnt for the company.

Lastly, I should give my great gratitude here to Kearny Alliance and Global Sources for providing the chances to go study in Hong Kong and to work in Shenzhen. I met some other Kearny Alliance scholars in the company and they all looked professional and confident. I hope there are more scholars can benefit from Kearny Alliance programs to fulfill their dreams!

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I’m glad to give what I can in return

Jean after her Thunderbird graduation ceremony in Glendale, Arizona.

As part of its corporate social responsibility, Global Sources has partnered with The Kearny Alliance in supporting journalism scholars at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) by accepting interns and graduates into the Company. I was one of the lucky scholars.

In 2003, while completing a bachelor's degree in international journalism at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, I was given the opportunity to study at HKBU through The Kearny Alliance scholarship. Adapting to the cosmopolitan environment in Hong Kong, and having classmates and peers from different places, I started to realize the diversity of cultures I was becoming a part of. Studying at HKBU taught me how to see things in different perspectives and how to relate to people of different personalities.

After graduating from HKBU, I joined Global Sources as Market Analyst in 2005. I was trained in Shenzhen for six months and was relocated to our Qingdao office where I worked full time for one and a half years.

After working for two years at Global Sources, I felt that I would like to take on more challenging tasks which require more responsibilities. However, I knew I had to be better equipped, so I decided to pursue an MBA degree. In 2007, I applied for Thunderbird and was granted a scholarship offered by the Thunderbird Alumni Fund for Asian Students and The Kearny Alliance.

Since the program I was taking at Thunderbird is focused on international management, students came from a larger variety of foreign countries, including Canada, Mexico, Peru, India, The Philippines, Thailand, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Turkey and Malaysia.

My experiences in the U.S. had a huge impact on my life, particularly after seeing how everyone is treated equally despite differences in race and culture. Respect is the key. Respect is a two-way street: if you treat people with spite, do not expect them to thank you in return. If you can put your feet into other people’s shoes, anything that is alien to your own culture will become easy to understand. That is the way I learned how get along with individuals. It works very well. I became more receptive to different ideas and values by other people. As I learned to appreciate other cultures I had the opportunity of experiencing, the more I learned to appreciate my own culture as well.

HKBU and Thunderbird proved to be good training grounds for me to learn about diversity, a lesson I can put to use in organizations like Global Sources which facilitates trade among countries. Today, I am back to have a better understanding of our global buyer community.

Upon returning to Global Sources as a management trainee, I had a rotation in Singapore for six months where I engaged in projects aiming to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Global Sources Online; therefore, generating sales leads among suppliers and buyers. Under the supervision of Deputy COO Peter Zapf, I learned how we identify actions to take, how we prioritize those actions, and how we measure the results.

Currently I lead the Private Sourcing Events team to help international top retailers to find the right suppliers and arrange meetings between buyers and suppliers. It’s a big responsibility and it’s challenging, but I enjoy it. Whenever I hear buyers say they find our events very useful for them to find good vendors and suppliers say they are happy to find new business opportunities, I feel proud that our team was able to help with the global trade.

To sum up, the opportunity that The Kearny Alliance and Global Sources offers has had a huge impact on myself and, in a broader perspective, business communities. The partnership between Kearny and Global Sources has given me and other scholars the opportunity to learn in such a diverse environment and use that knowledge to help communities thrive in the global business environment. I am grateful for what I have and I’m glad that now I have the opportunity to give what I can in return.

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First step to get close to my dream

Jenny Zhang is a Market analyst with Global Sources China Bureau in Guangzhou.

Choosing journalism as my major was a new attempt when I applied for universities. I am always interested in writing and learning English. Meanwhile, since my grandfather, my fathers, my uncles and most of my cousins are businessman, it seems that I am sensitive and familiar with commerce.

Therefore, when I learned of the Kearny Alliance Scholarship to offer a chance of studying business writing in Hong Kong Baptist University, I applied at once without any hesitation. I still remembered that the professor who was responsible for collecting applications looked so surprised when she received my application. Because I was the first one to apply for this program and she just released how to apply to be a Kearny Alliance scholar the day before I applied.

Actually, I had done a lot of preparation before I sent out my application, including taking some business courses in my home university Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, reading books about marketing, economy and so on. Being a Kearny Alliance scholar was the first step for me to get close to my dream of being a business journalist or analyst.

When I graduated from Hong Kong Baptist University, according to the opportunity with Kearny Alliance and Global Sources, I joined Global Sources. I chose to work in one of the editorial departments in Global Sources, which is called China Bureau.

Global Sources is leading business-to-business media company that primarily facilitates the trading in Greater China. The core business of the company is to use English-language media to boost trade from Greater China to the world. The other business of the company is to use Chinese-media to enhance trade within domestic markets of Greater China.

Global Sources have worked as an essential international trade facilitator for nearly 40 years. In 2010, the company has a supplier community of more than 262,000 suppliers and a buyer community of over 967,000 active buyers. It delivers information between its supplier-and-buyer communities through 14 online marketplaces, 13 monthly print and 16 digital magazines, over 80 sourcing research reports and 20 specialized trade shows that run 57 times a year across 9 cities. With the help of Global Sources, suppliers are able to get connected with hard-to-reach buyers.

Following the company main principle of connecting Greater China to the world, China Bureau, my department’s aim it to provide the exact information that worldwide buyers want to know about China suppliers and products as much and as correct as possible.

The main work of the China Bureau is to interview Chinese suppliers and write all kinds of reports for worldwide clients. There are China Sourcing Reports, Sourcing Updates, and Sourcing Center. Though content and structure are different, the main theme of these reports are all telling overseas volume buyers where they can get products they want, how much the products are, what’s the differences among products made by different production hubs.

At first, I was not good at writing these kinds of reports. Because each report covers a specific product and this product needs to be understand with quite a lot of background information. Although I learned how to interview and communicate with interviewees during my school life, I found I couldn’t ask the key questions about products at the very beginning.

Meanwhile, since those clients are manufacturers or suppliers, communicating with them is much more complex from communicating with people from outside their specific industries. These manufacturers and suppliers do not like to talk to anyone who knows nothing about export, their industry and their products.

Getting close to the customer
As a result, in order to get close to them and make them talkative during interviews, I need to become “one of them”, which means that I should be their professional counterpart and familiar with products or industries that I am going to cover.

I always do a lot of research before interviewing them. I often read much industry news about product trend, R&D (research and development) issue, and some export policy or improvement about the product and the industry that I am going to cover. What’s more, sometimes I will figure out the HS code of the covered product and then search the export statistics of this product from China Customs’ online database. (PS: HS code is the product code inside International Convention for Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System. Each kind of products has a fixed code for customhouse to trace and do some statistic summery.)

Then when I start talking to my interviewees, sometimes I even know more than them either about industry or product. At that moment, my interviewees are quite willing to talk to me about their products and industries. Meanwhile, my abundant preparation also enhances their impression on the professionalism of Global Sources. “You, Global Sources, are really more professional than other B2B media platforms,” some suppliers said to me after my interviews with them.

Making my first interviews impressive is good for my follow-up communication with these suppliers, too. Some suppliers will keep contact with me from then on. Sometimes they will tell me some latest news in their industry or even just send me festival greetings. I think effective information sharing should be bilateral.

After working in China Bureau as a market analyst for more than two years, I have applied most of communication theories that I learned in HKBU to the reality. For the future career, I prefer to learn something about management.

During the past two years, I have interviewed and visited hundreds of Chinese exporters. From those interviews, I met various managers and recognized their operation strategies or principles. Actually, I came across an item called “Confucian Entrepreneur”.

Confucian Entrepreneurs are those business operators, who run their companies according to five Confucian basic principles. The five Confucian basic principles in Chinese are Ren, Yi, Li, Zhi, and Xin. In English, they are humanity, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, and honesty.

In my opinion, modern entrepreneurs should emphasize their companies’ long-term development instead of short-term profit.

Firstly, the long-term operation requires entrepreneurs to act mercifully. Acting mercifully but not sheepishly is to help build the company’s social reputation and responsibility. Nowadays, a company is not only a revenue-producing organization but also a social group with sense of social responsibility.

Secondly, being justicial refers to act fairly among all kinds of competitions. A fair business environment is healthy for prosperous economy.

Thirdly, having great courtesy implies to foster gentle temperament. In my observation, some of my colleagues are too aggressive. It is so easy to recognize what they want at the first sight of them. Then the relationship between them and their clients may be short-term. Having a gentle mask and charming personality are good to have long-tem cooperation with clients.

Fourthly, it is well-known that running a company needs wisdom. However, for me, wisdom does not equal to cleverness. There is a Chinese saying that it is clever to survive but it is wise to live. Making a living is much more difficult than just survival in the world. So is running an enterprise.

Finally, it comes to act honestly. For customers, the most important is that the money I pay is worth the product or service I obtained. So for operators, the most important is to offer products or services that have equivalent value to the payment. That’s how to bring up enterprises’ brand loyalty and customers’ trust. Yes, brand loyalty and customers’ trust are two sharpest weapons for a company to rely on.

I think management is an interesting and profound subject. It is wiser to think of managerial strategies when it is time for a company to expand its business. Besides, the main decision maker in a company is the most important mankind factor of management. I would like to keep trying and work to my best on management in the future career.

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My enthusiasm helped me to win

Anson Yang (back left) with Global Sources colleagues.

“Aid through trade” was actually a new concept for me. One thing I admire about the Kearny Alliance is that it works hard to achieve that goal. The scholar program, one of several programs the organization works on, is a good example of how the concept is put into action step by step. Let me explain a little bit by telling my own experience to you.

Scholarship, studies
Kearny Alliance has ‘partner in development’ relationship with Global Sources, a B2B media company I currently work for. Global Sources looks for people with journalism background and interest of business to provide high quality sourcing intelligent for global buyers. By doing so it also bridges developing countries and the rest of the world. The Kearny Alliance has partnered with Global Sources to offer trade-related skill and career development opportunities to Kearny Alliance Scholars from developing countries like China, Vietnam and Cambodia to study in Hong Kong, which is the joint between East and West.

I wasn’t the most outstanding one according to my transcripts when Kearny Alliance selected me to get the scholarship. I think it is my communication skills and enthusiasm for journalism that helped me to win.

My parents were very happy to know that I could go to Hong Kong and have chance to work for a listed company after graduation. As typical Chinese parents, they always worry about my career, marriage and children.

As for me, the scholarship did help me to cope financially. More importantly, it gives a great opportunity for me, a mainland student, who otherwise would most likely finish my study in mainland, to study in Hong Kong. It is particularly a treasure in 2005, when the educational exchange between mainland and Hong Kong wasn’t as open as it is now.

Hong Kong is a perfect place to study journalism as it embraces freedom of speech. I learnt comprehensive journalism theories and technique, and implemented them in practice. Also, in a place where Chinese and foreign cultures converge, I could deal with different people with different backgrounds and learn from them. In this city, which positions itself as an entrepot trade center and Asian financial center, I had more chance to experienced business activities, which help me a lot later in my job.

Internship
Global Sources offered paid internship to scholars. In my summer break, I went to the company’s Shenzhen office to work as an intern. My job is to write reports on new export products for buyers. Everyday I contacted suppliers in China to collect their new product information, and write a short description for each of them.

Although it looks like trivial work, it requires many journalistic skills I’ve leant at school. First I need to find the right suppliers who actually release new products which are assigned to my by editors. Then, I need to use my communication skills to explain to the interviewee what I want. Lastly, I need to write up short but attractive reports for buyers. Ideally I need to keep good relationship with my interviewees, for I might need to contact them again in the future!

The internship helped me to get familiar with the working mode and environment in Global Sources. It made me keep pace with my colleagues easily when I start my full-time work in Global Sources.

In addition, Global Sources also offers opportunity for scholars to attend its trade show: China Sourcing Fair in Hong Kong. It is a good chance for me to get in touch with buyers and suppliers from around the world.

Work
Global Sources is flexible to offer job in different locations. When I graduated, I could choose Shenzhen, Xiamen and Ningbo to work. It was great experience for me to work in Ningbo for two years. As a Cantonese, I haven’t had living experience outside Guangdong (Hong Kong is within the circle of Cantonese culture). I then transferred to Shenzhen where I am now.

I work in a department responsible for providing suppliers’ product information for buyers. My daily work is to identify new product trend and export issues, research related information, interview suppliers and related people and write up stories.

The content and story format changes as time goes. This is also one of the interesting yet challenging things of my job. During my three years in the department, I’ve been lucky enough to write on three very different sectors. At the first 1.5 years, I wrote stories for home products and gift products, then I spent about half a year focusing on garments and fashion accessories; now, I write stories for the whole export industry.

I think I’ve been trained to quickly adapt to different kind of jobs and how to make them better.

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Gateway to many doors of exciting opportunities

Khiem at the Hong Kong Baptist University campus before heading out to manage the Developing County Export Assistance Program.

Saigon feels hot in the breezy morning. Scooters and cars, bumper to bumper, are edging through bustling traffic, revving up their old engines and emitting thick, smoky streams of diesel fumes. Horns are blaring. People are trying to get through the gridlock to arrive to work.

A young man riding on a white Martin suddenly stops pedaling, carrying the bike up to the pavement and calmly walking across the intersection to escape from the jam. His office is just about 100 meters from the congestion. He is lucky.

It is 8:30 a.m.

Looking energetic and tidy in a white polo-shirt tucked in dark jeans, the man pulls out his laptop-sized backpack from his wide shoulders. His shirt is embroidered with a black logo on his left-sided pocket. It reads “The Kearny Alliance” with the slogan “Aid though trade” in capitals.

Khiem Vu, 28, sometimes teased as old as 38 when his hair forgot to be trimmed and his beard forgot to be shaved, has been devoting his humble three years in the vision of Aid through Trade of the US-based non-profit Kearny Alliance. Anyone who is outside his family, friends and colleagues hardly believe this young, simple-looking man is leading a sustainable development program to help hundreds of small and medium-sized suppliers in Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, India and the Philippines grow their export sales and create jobs for the community.

“I like to talk easily and get more close with my suppliers,” joked Khiem who often dodges a question of those who complain his old-man-looking hairstyle.

Khiem has got to know quite a lot of local suppliers since he worked as an export consultant for the Kearny Alliance three years ago. The suppliers he knows always welcome him and acknowledge the Developing Country Export Assistance Program which was launched by the organization in 2008.

But today he looks really like his age despite some strands of grey hair at both sides of his head. His hair, trimmed short, is carefully parted to the right and shaped in a style any serious young man might wear.

Khiem has found his life more glowing when he knew The Kearny Alliance through a scholarship program which offered him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pursue his Master of Arts in International Journalism at Hong Kong Baptist University in 2007. This is the course that he always dreamt of studying; the course that he proudly described as “a gateway to many doors of exciting opportunities.”

“Vietnamese people have a noted proverb which my parents taught me when I learnt to toddle into this life; that is, ‘when drinking water, remember its source’”, Khiem said, explaining that he could not have been developed for a meaningful program to help his country if he had not had an opportunity to study in Hong Kong. “In fact, I consider this job my opportunity, inspiration and passion – not any undertaking or repayment at all.”

After finishing his study at HKBU in 2008, which is also when the world economy hit hard by terrible downturn, he without a hesitation decided to return his home country to help Vietnam suppliers improve their export marketing activities and write two Vietnam Sourcing Reports Lacquerware and Indoor Outdoor Furniture to promote these suppliers to global buyers. This effort, later, equipped him with invaluable knowledge and experience to get him to be more successful in Bali where he also offered export consultancy to the footwear suppliers.

“For the first time ever, I got to meet and interview with many businessmen from different industries. See the workers make very fine products by hand, I started to love and respect these handicrafts and decided to discover more about the souls of pieces and the artisan’s craftsmanship.”

Khiem notes that his maturity and experience come from the challenges during his study and work in Hong Kong and other Asian countries. At that time, the journalism-majored scholar had to struggle with piles of tight deadlines from many intensive and unfamiliar courses, which turn out to presently teach him to easily cope with the daily busy schedule at Kearny Alliance. “I realize my current work needs to have the qualities and high disciplines of a reporter. I used to feel bitter when I rushed to interview four suppliers within a rainy day in remote area, but it was so sweet after all – not only me, but the suppliers whom I met also felt the same.

“When we are thrown an entirely new assignment, we tend to be worried, scared or even frustrated, thinking that it would be the most challenging job in life. But once we overcome it, we ourselves will see that it is actually not that hard.

“We realize we could do more than what we are expected,” he pauses for a while, “Believe me, man’s power is super and usually hidden.”

Khiem chose to sit nearest with his team. He says it is easier to communicate and help each other. His 1.2 m-long desk is carefully pinned with the A4 sheet of 2011 reports’ timelines and many yellow stickers with his quick hand-written notes used to remind him of his to-do tasks. A small shelf carries a series of his published sourcing reports, which he himself personifies as his “naughty sons”.

This year, his team is expected to double the scope of the Program to bring sales support to more suppliers, meaning that the team will work harder together to achieve their goal. They know $725,000 worth of orders that the suppliers received in the past three years is just a start, compared to the orders the suppliers anticipate to develop into $5.5 million worth of sales. They plan to meet more suppliers, train more suppliers and create more jobs for people in developing Asia.

“Buyers are stunned by the unique designs our suppliers make, but find it hard to access these suppliers. Our team clears the way and bridges them together through many channels of marketing platforms offered by Global Sources. We also train them to better communicate with buyers through such tools.

“I am so fortunate that I can work with a great team with different background and nationalities. They support me a lot and are dedicated to this Program. Their experience in the field is plenty and worth learning.”

Khiem has a wish that his Program can be expanded to other countries in Asia such as Nepal and Bangladesh in years to come as there are many needy workers there.

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Doing good things in our communities

Karen Pham at the Pulitzer Prize workshop at Hong Kong Baptist University.

Choosing a career path is a big decision, luckily I made an exact one for me when pursuing a M.A course in International Journalism at Hong Kong Baptist University through Kearny Alliance fellowship. Being a Kearny Alliance scholar grants an excellent walk straight into my dream career.

Hong Kong is a leading financial center, the gate of Asia toward the world. It’s truly said that the city is a melting pot of different nationalities and cultures. It’s quite a good place for obtaining complementary backgrounds and skills of journalism. I found it convenient to get used to the living and study here as my teachers are so kind and helpful. Admittedly, my hometown does not have so many modern facilities and a small flower called Bauhinia blakeana – an emblem of Hong Kong but it has the same weather that made me feel familiar in the first days of arrival in Hong Kong.

It has been three years since I started to work as a consultant based in Hanoi for the Kearny Alliance’s Developing Country Export Assistance Program after graduation. I wasn’t covering exciting stories about crime and corruption, but rather I interview manufacturers and feature them in a series of Vietnam Sourcing Reports, and help them master the free marketing services offered on Global Sources online to reach global buyers. The Kearny Alliance started the free program in 2008 with in-kind support of Global Sources in developing countries to create more jobs and alleviate poverty.

Each supplier makes their own items and it’s wonderful to know and see how it is made especially the handmade products. The mid- and small-size companies have their own obstacles in promoting as well as approaching their relevant export markets. Before understanding and talking to them, I take a lot of time on research and preparation. It’s challenging sometimes, but so far I got to know a lot of suppliers as well as got an insight into different industries in my country.

It is one of the most rewarding moments in work when getting the phone calls or emails from suppliers to say thanks for Kearny Alliance team and Global Sources as they got real orders. That means more people are getting jobs.

I still remember how enthusiastic suppliers went the long way to join our workshop How to win more export orders held in Hanoi December 2010. Various exciting questions for Kearny Alliance program director Alex’s presentation were raised after Alex’s presentation on “what buyers want”. That suppliers continuously sent feedbacks with great value after the workshop makes me so proud of being part and involved what Kearny Alliance is doing.

The Kearny Alliance launched this program in India, Cambodia, Vietnam, The Philippines and Indonesia and we work closely in a multicultural team where we voice our opinions openly to achieve common goals. It seems that everyone trust the belief “none of us is as good as all of us.” Everyone os happy with the program results of creating more than 2,000 jobs in our countries and wish our effort will be granted much more in 2011.

I appreciate my choice and what I am doing with the support from Kearny Alliance. I wish new scholars who are joining us will find their commitment and appreciation for the value they get from the study and a chance of doing good things in our communities.

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I’m happy I’m doing this job

Tania Vander Meulen, Virgor Leather Marketing Manager discussing export marketing with Kearny Alliance’s Hoa Ta.

I was a reporter at Viet Nam News, the national daily English newspaper before I got the scholarship from Kearny Alliance.

I received that good news after I moved to Ho Chi Minh City from the capital city of Hanoi to escape away from the same old life since I was born, getting away from the cuddle of my parents and explored a new life for the adventurous me.

I was jumping up and down on my bed cheering up myself in a jealous eye from my roommate who just got rejected from the Chevening (Scholarship from British The Foreign and Commonwealth Office).

At that time, starting a new life in HCM City was already a big step for me. A year living in Hong Kong, one of the most dynamic and developed places in the world was way further my expectation. In addition, I got BBA as my first major so the journalism study is a great way to help me get to know my job in a systematic way.

Some people said that Hong Kong was not a good destination to pursue higher education but you would never know if you don’t try. I had a chance to meet many great journalists, Pulitzer winners and successful businessmen all over the world that Hong Kong Baptist University invited in different workshops and talks. Especially, I met Simon Murray, the big man from Vodafone Group PLC, Hutchison Whampoa, Deutsche Bank, whose talks gave me lots of courage to get on my own way of life.

I’m very grateful to the grant from Kearny Alliance. It made my life in some ways.

I came back to work for the same newspaper after the graduation. Covering social news gave me many opportunities to work with local NGO and go in field trips to poorest areas of the country.

I soon found myself an interest to work as an aid worker to make a change in living for other people. While I was about to search for a job, which give me a chance to go out and help people directly, Khiem Vu of the Kearny Alliance was so generous again  providing online marketing skills for small exporters in Bali and doing sourcing reports on small handicraft companies.

I have a great chance to visit Bali, the so-called paradise on earth and doing a job that I want to do. I was not very happy at first when I start the job to see those people I’m trying to help are not in an urgent condition like the charity defined in my mind. Alex Boome once cleared up my mind by saying that there are many ways to do charity.

Other organizations eye on providing food and help poor people with their basic needs but KA focuses on providing techniques and skills to improve the living standard. The more I meet and talk with suppliers in Bali, the better I know that there are still many things need to do as most of them are not equipped with professional skills of doing business.

Global Source, our partner in development, is a well-organized company, which has a huge network of suppliers and buyers all over the world. Getting the Indonesian suppliers into the network is a big chance for companies to learn how to present their products to catch business opportunities during one of the most difficult time of the global economy.

One of the ways to help people get out of the poverty is to help them find a job and get a stable income source, only by which, the sustainable development is guaranteed.

I’m happy I’m doing this job.

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Thank you, Kearny Alliance!

Swee Dagon temple is Rangoon’s most famous landmark – a golden beacon rising above the city’s skyline.

I had a dream of studying abroad since I was 14. However, the chance had not favored me until I applied for Kearny Alliance's scholarship to attend the Masters of Arts in International Journalism Studies at the Hong Kong Baptist University. At that time, I was a reporter with the Myanmar Times, the only private media which runs in both English and Myanmar.

When I applied for the scholarship program, it was the first time the Kearny Alliance offered the opportunity to Myanmar students. Being selected as one of the first students to attend the program, I was really excited.

The MA program was truly a challenge for me as I had a chance to learn theoretical aspects of journalism when I only knew about journalism through working experience. However, my working experience helped me with my studies.

During my studies, I also had a chance to learn many things from my classmates. We came from different backgrounds, different cultures and different age groups. However, we all had one single goal for the program which created a close friendship among us. We learned from each other while sharing our knowledge and experience among us.

Upon my graduation, I was fortunate to join the Kearny Alliance in Manila. Before joining Kearny in Manila, I went to Shenzhen for training with my friend and Kearny Alliance Scholar Kunthy, who later became my colleague at Kearny, to learn more about the Kearny's Aid through Trade program. I found this trip very interesting and learned many things.

During my service with the Kearny Alliance, I learned about how the Developing Country Export Assistance Program works, which includes preparing for the Developing Country Sourcing Reports, online account creation for Global Sources Online websites for the companies participating in the assistance program, and tracking the sale of the sourcing reports.

Later, the Hong Kong Baptist University Department of Journalism offered me to work for them as a research assistance that I decided to go back to Hong Kong. Living in Hong Kong was another exciting moment for me. Working on the journalism research project gave me more in-depth knowledge about foreign correspondents who were based in Hong Kong. They had covered many regional news from WWII to today. While I was working at Baptist University, I had a chance to help Kearny liaise with the scholarship students and maintain the scholar network of Kearny.

After I came back to my country, I started working as an aid worker, specializing in communication. Whenever facing new challenges in my current career, I use the combine knowledge from my previous working experiences with different organizations and from my studies. My working experience with Kearny has helped me a lot, especially for documentation, web knowledge and writing press releases.

I have faced ups and downs. But in general, I have progress in my life which cold not have happened without the Kearny Alliance scholarship program. Without Kearny's help, I might have to take longer to materialize my dream of studying abroad. Thus, I really want to say "Thank you Kearny!" for all of its help given to me.

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The work that’s worth doing in my life

Kang Thida (left), who cannot walk due to polio, shows Kunthy (Right) a silk purse at the Cambodian Handicraft Association store.

Holding a silk necklace in her both hands and facing to a woman in her thirties, Sokunthy is discussing with her producer about the product specifications requirement from her buyer in Japan.

Based in Cambodia, Sokunthy Heng is currently working for the Export Service Centre (ESC), a social enterprise of the Kearny Alliance (KA) which facilitates order from overseas buyers in Cambodia.

As an export manager, Sokunthy said the job made her feel more value in herself in a way that she can help her people. “I like the challenging of the job itself. More importantly, I am delighted to work directly with my suppliers. Every time I get inquiries or orders from buyers, I am very excited to tell the suppliers. I see their smiles and I am happy.”

Sokunthy is the only graduate from Cambodia who was granted a scholarship from the KA in 2008 to pursue her one-year Master’s Degree in Journalism at Hong Kong Baptist University in Hong Kong. Upon her graduation, she was selected to work as an export consultant for the KA in Developing Country Export Assistant Program. Screening for quality suppliers and conducting in-depth interview were what she did to produce the Developing Countries Sourcing Reports. She also trained her 21 small-scale suppliers on how to use online sales tool offered by Global Sources, a B2B media company.

Later, she started the ESC in Cambodia in January 2010. Before stepping in the position, Sokunthy was equipped with 6-week comprehensive training learing about the whole operation of the ESC provided by the ESC team at the main office in Bali, Indonesia. “She was diligent and fast to grab things in such intensive period. I am confident to let her go on her own,” said Eugene Verspoor, General manager of the ESC.

“Looking back, I never thought that I would end in this senior level. Though I have no business background, with the great support from the team, I am confident to roll on this role day by day. I have grasped a great deal of both professional and personal experiences from my team,” said Sokunthy.

Holding one Bachelor’s Degree in Media Management and one in English Literature in Cambodia, Sokunthy used to spend 2 years working as a radio producer for the BBC World Service Trust and some years being a reporter for ABC Radio Australia and local magazine and an interpreter. She got some other short training on communication and journalism abroad including Germany and Thailand.

Cambodia is war-torn country back from 30 years ago. The civil war left the country millions of mine which lead to many disable people, windows and the poor across the country. The small-scale suppliers that Sokunthy is working with mostly employ those disadvantage groups of people.

In April 2010, Sokunthy showcased hundreds of silk fashion accessories such as scarves, bags and jewelry from Cambodia at the China Sourcing Fair (CSF) in Hong Kong. Now, she is preparing to bring latest models of silk scarves and eco-friendly recycled paper jewelry the CSF October 27th-30th at booth #7N02.

“It is my first time to join such a big trade fair. The experience at the fair is significant where I met lots of big buyers from all over the world and learned about their business,” said Kunthy.

Born in a Cambodian-Chinese family, Sokunthy said: “Now, I am getting more interested in the social enterprise movement and the fact it directly helps the livelihood of the people. I am ready to give what I have to help my people. This makes my life more meaningful.”

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A new hope, a new desire for our country

The very first few days in Hong Kong had been shocking for me.

In downtown area of Hong Kong, the most densely populated area of the city, sometimes, I was shaken by the crowded people, buses, in everywhere… comparing with the place I have ever been and lived since my childhood. For me, this was the very first experience of studying abroad and exploring a new world.

Actually, I resigned from the job a week before I came to this place. My biggest weak point is I hadn’t prepared enough for studies in Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) except I earned a considerable amount of professional experience of on-job trainings.

In my country, for nearly three years, I worked as an editor at a broadcasting media which is joint-venture with government and the working experience introduced me to a wide gamut of both in and outside of the field such as translating news, editing, interviewing and broadcasting for TV programs.

As an editor, sometimes, I need to create news stories for television programs and have to decide which news should be included or excluded. So, I have benefited from the breadth area of broadcasting media. Plus, to lead a bare hand-to-mouth existence, I had another part-time job, a tutor for children and adults at a private education centre. In these situations, I didn’t have many chances or enough time to make myself ready for every small challenge which I must face during my studies and staying abroad.

In reality, Hong Kong is a great city. It is one of the most densely populated areas in the world with a population of seven million people. And it also leads to the fastest growing economy in the contemporary world. The transportation network is highly developed. The urban area is covered with skyscrapers making it the world’s most vertical city.

Moreover, Hong Kong also has high-ranking education system in the world. Its Universities have still retained the world-ranking standard. So, the studies in HKBU have equipped me with fabulous knowledge of journalism field. I learn more about the professional practices of reporting and producing news items as well as the concepts of press freedom. As a working media man who had nearly three-year involvement in the media industry and doesn't know very much about journalism field, just relying on self-study, at the University, I was trained theoretically as well as practically.

That’s why, I’ve got not only great knowledge in this field and also learned new teaching methods of Universities in Hong Kong while this study is totally different from my undergraduate studies in my country. The educational work I’ve known previously which we called it “old traditional teaching method” is relatively or much different from the program I had been involved in. Since I was a primary school student, I had needed to study hard by taking down everything the teachers said and learning it by heart. The students were not encouraged and trained to dare to ask questions or debate. So, we had been studying our lessons by heart, memorizing all of the things which we learned in the classroom without arguing with the teachers.

And the teachers also never asked themselves or invited from the students any discussions or questions about the validity of their teachings methods. To do well in exams, we just need to write down what the teachers want you to say and we will definitely pass our exams with flying colors.

Yet, there are some great teachers who genuinely love their subjects, dedicate and sacrifice themselves in the interests of their students. We were impressed and we worshipped such teachers.

Meanwhile, the teachers from HKBU encourage the students to try to develop more critical thinking on their written assignments as well as on their presentation by giving their opinions. They are managed to get the ability to make their own judgments from the opinions in books instead of accepting everything at face value. The Journalism Department in HKBU for Master Program had about nearly one hundred students altogether. Most students are from mainland China, a few are from South East Asian countries. All the students were really hardworking, intelligent and did their studies excellently. In the classrooms, the teachers trained the students to discuss what they were reading privately amongst themselves and made sense of it by relating it to their own, diverse backgrounds.

Also, the students sometimes brought together to discuss their homework assignments or group projects. And they were taught how to share information and exchange ideas in group activities.

In these ways, the University teachers enlighten our opinions, ideas and attitudes.

Above these are a few points which I learned during my days in Hong Kong and HKBU. The result is that; after finishing my study in HKBU, I find myself and begin to have a different idea of myself. And more, I get a new hope, a new desire for our country and our future educational system.

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My appreciation is beyond expression

Laura with her international friends at Thunderbird from the US, Japan, Russia and India.

If anybody would ask that for the past 27 years of my life, what I believe the most exciting and moment was, I would answer without a hesitation that it was the moment in 2008 when I saw the email offer of the TAFAS full-tuition scholarship for my MBA study, which is cosponsored by The Kearny Alliance and the HK Alumni Chapter of Thunderbird School of Global Management.

That moment meant more to me than when I received the official admission offer from Thunderbird School of Global Management for my two-year (from Aug 2008 to Aug 2010) full-time MBA program because offer from the school only gave me the chance of receiving the MBA education while the scholarship offer gave me a financial guarantee which is the indispensable prerequisite to fulfilling my MBA education dream.

My new professional journey started from there and my life has therefore changed significantly. As a matter of fact, the scholarship is much more than a simple financial support.

First of all, through the time of the scholarship application, I met people who have offered significant and selfless help on providing me information of the scholarship, connecting me to the right channel and leading me to the right application procedure etc. All these have strengthened my value of wanting to offer help to people in a professional and effective way whenever I can and affirmed my desire of making a difference to the world through my career development and prosperity. Having a goal and a value of that kind in mind has made both my personal and professional life more significant and meaningful.

The financial support of the scholarship has given me two amazing and productive years of my life. Through the two-year MBA education, my language ability has improved, my global mindset has been enhanced, my leadership potential has been maximized and my professional skills have been sharpened. The challenges and opportunities I have realized in these two years made me grow so much faster than any other two years of my life before that could make me.

One of the biggest challenges for people in a different culture is always how to well adapt to the different cultural and effectively communicate with others who are different from you culturally. In a more professional and practical setting, I call it team work. How to efficiently finish a team project and effectively play your role no matter as a team member or a team leader was a real challenge to me when I first got into the school. For one thing, team work wasn’t really an emphasis in my previous education. Moreover, I was teamed up with people from at least two or three different cultures. How to react when someone did or said something offensive according to my own culture? How do I avoid inappropriate behavior to other people’s culture? How to distribute works and motivate my team members to work toward the same goal? What can I do if someone in my team has completely different expectation on the team project results? Challenges like those and more came to me outrageously and I had to constantly make rough decision if I should spend most of my time dealing with those problems while risk getting a bad result for the project if I failed to solve the issues or if I should just give up and do the whole project myself which would probably take less time.

From my professional MBA education on cross-cultural communication and leadership and constantly dealing with those challenges, I came to realize that the first step to effective cross-cultural communication is to understand myself. By understanding myself, my own way of thinking, communication and my own leadership type, I gained the ability to analyze the differences I have from others and thus gain the ability to show more understanding and respect to people who are different from myself and make right decisions on how to minimize those differences for team projects. I also got to practice all these learning on being the president of Thunderbird Finance Association, vice president of Great China Club and a lot of other team projects. In the end, I became capable of managing team work and communication problems which I wasn’t able to deal with in the beginning. Both my confidence and my leadership skills have increased accordingly.

Being a TAFAS scholar has also helped me build up an invaluable professional network, through which I received a valuable work opportunity at Global Sources as an intern last year from May to July, 2009, which enabled me to put into practice as much as possible all the business models and theories I learnt at school. This has also led me to another precious work opportunity this year after I finished my MBA education in August, 2010. I’m currently working as a Management Trainee at Global Sources. I will be rotating through three different departments during my entire training. The first department I receive training from is Private Sourcing Events department which strives at creating and facilitating trade between suppliers and buyers by providing face-to-face meeting opportunities for them.

I enjoy the current training greatly for several reasons. First of all, what the department provides to buyers and suppliers is very much consistent with the value and goal formed during my TAFAS application experience which I mentioned previously. Secondly, Global Sources has a diversified working environment and thus provides me chances to implement my learning from my MBA education in Global Management. Moreover, instead of focusing on very small part of the business of Global Sources, I start to be able to see things from a wider perspective and have a bigger picture of the whole business. This helps me to focus and spend more time on the priorities of the business and changes rather than wasting time on dwelling on less valuable and less important aspects. After PSE I will be able to rotate through two other departments Client Service Ceter and Singapore eCommunity Development department, the training of which I’m also very excited and enthusiastic about.

Sometimes, one valuable opportunity can boost so many other opportunities. TAFAS is exactly like that, through which I have gained so much more besides the financial support for my MBA education and my appreciation is beyond literal expression.

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The experience has broadened my world

A radiant Jade Shen after her graduation ceremony at HKBU.

One thing that I am always appreciating is becoming one of the Kearny Alliance Scholars. It gave me a great chance to take a look at the world that I had never expected.

Kearny offers several scholarship schemes worldwide. And the mainland scholarship program chooses students from mainland china and offers the scholars a chance to study in Hong Kong Baptist University after two years studying in university.

I was luckily chosen to be one of the recipients of the Kearny stipend. This great chance enables me to receive education from a two totally different education system. And the experience has broadened my world so that I am able to look at the world in a wider prospective, which is a life-time benefit for me.

The mission of Kearny is Aid through Trade, which aims at bringing benefits to the social community through export business.

I was there to witness the successful translation of its mission in a practical sense.

After I become a family member of Kearny Alliance, I got to know its exiting trading program (Export Service Centre Indonesia), I applied for a chance to do my summer internship there.

The place I stayed and worked is the traveler’s longing paradise – Bali, Indonesia. Aside from its well-known sun-shining beaches, luxury hotels, breath-taking natural views, and exotic cultural relics, I got to know this place from the people who are living and earning their living there. And these people are the loveliest part of Bali to me.

Among all the people I got connected with there on my internship, I need to be most thankful for my Bali mother – Ms Ayu and her niece Ayu Nensy, the two who hosted me in their traditional Balinese family and treated me as their family member. They are so kind to give help to a stranger like me, and asked for nothing in return. And this is the hospitality of a typical Balinese.

I get to know these two people while researching and writing the Export Service Centre’s 5th anniversary book. Ms. Ayu manages a local silver workshop. And Export Service Centre brings her client and helps her with the quality control. This is basically the business model of what the Export Service Centre is doing there.

While Bali keeps attracting the world’s attention for its tourism, in the meantime it also shows travelers her potential of good business availability. The dynamic artistic atmosphere of Bali has succeeded in leaving good impression to the businessmen who are travelling on vacation. Products such as furniture, home decor, garments, footware, and fashion accessories.

Most of these lovely products are hand-made by the fragmentary home labor (besides the productive young hands, the home labor community is mostly composed of laid-off workers, housewives, and old people) spread all over the country. The grass-root community in Bali has become the robust engine of its economy. Unofficial statistic has shown that the Small and Medium Entrepreneurs makes up about 99 percent of the total number of Indonesian enterprises.

The business seemly goes pretty well. But the same research above also says while the SMEs take up 99 percent of the employment, it only accounts for 57 percent of the national GDP. Thus, discovering a perfect way to materializing their true value is sill underway.

The Kearny Alliance’s Export Service Center is right there facilitating the right service to bind the two sides – supplier and buyer. The local business has the ability to become stronger when they get into a trading ally. Kearny brings the quality standard and product trend information to the local businesses and it introduces the products to the world-wide buyers.

According to data provided by the Export Service Centre, it has successfully helped this community create more than 3,800 jobs in 2009 through partnerships with 84 local suppliers.

During my stay there, I have also interviewed around 30 local businessmen associating with the Export Service Centre. And their life story has vividly illustrated the good sides of the business. They did not speak perfect English, and they might not be able to understand me well enough. But I have no problem grabbing the information from them that they are appreciating what this good business has helped them.

I still remember the smile of the middle-aged craftsman - he told me how exiting it was to see his wooden home décor being displayed in a family living in the other side of the globe. And I remember the prayer of the pious Muslim housewife - she was so thankful to be able to support her children to school by her two hands. And I remember the happiness of the old couple in their sixties, they are so proud to show their drafted designs of saddles to me. And there are so many more people and their stories to be remembered.

These people I got in touch with are those who are still productive if there are opportunities for them. In our world of exchanging resources, goods and skills, fitting oneself in the right way is beneficiary to both sides in the procedure. And the Kearny Alliance is in the right place offering the right help.

There’s an old Chinese proverb going in this way –It's better to teach one fish than give him fish. And this is what I think Kearny is doing there. The best way to give out money is not charity, but instead, to let the beneficiary to be able to be financially self-sufficiency.

The virtue of business is implementing in the way of trading per se. And this is what I appreciate most about the Kearny Alliance.

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I treasure how I became mature and independent

Back from the Global Source welcome event for HKBU 2010 scholars. (Pictured left to right: Cheese Chen, Irene Huang, Vera Chen, Eleven Liu.).

When I was a teenage girl, my teacher introduced a contemporary poet to us on class. Six years later, I met this legendary poet in the adjacent school in Hong Kong, and get his signature on the book.

Thanks to Kearny Alliance, I got a chance to open the door to a different realm, full of uncertainty but extraordinary sceneries, including encountering brilliant people.

Beside the poet, I met Alex Boome, program director of Kearny Alliance. He is a warm and loving father to all of the scholars. I met brilliant teachers like Robin Ewing, Judith Clark, Steve Guo in Hong Kong Baptist University, and other scholars from Vietnam and Cambodia. I became very closed with Cheese and Eleven, two other scholars from my original school. And the proudest thing is that all of us have become expert on Hong Kong’s dim sum.

I appreciate the university education I had, two years in mainland and two years in Hong Kong, which enriches my experience and thoughts. I was always asked about the difference between the two systems, and I can always give different elaborations each time. So I become an expert on this question too.

The other knowledge I acquire during these years including speaking fluent Cantonese, learning very basic French and Japanese, feeling comfortable in parties and introducing myself to foreigners. Besides, I treasure how I become mature and independent on personality and knowing how to form my own opinions.

I’m more eager to know about myself and the world than any one, from each challenging course in the school, to internship assigned by Global Sources (I worked for Visitor Marketing Department in Shenzhen as an intern for two moths), to working opportunities offered by exhibitions of the company. The program is a perfect match between the desire of a curious young man or woman and a company’s educational vision.

I’m going to work as a conference producer from July 2011 in Global Source. They were serious about arranging interviews and knowing the scholars’ interests and goals in mind. I have a feeling of being helped by a stable hand from my study to career.

I want to see more students got the chance of knowing the Kearny Alliance, enjoying a more exciting journey of life starting from here.

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What the Kearny Alliance offers is unique

Irene Huang during school visit to Thomson Reuters' Hong Kong office. Irene now works for Global Sources in Shenzhen.

Before I entered Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in 2006, I got to know from senior students about the yearly Kearny Alliance scholarship program. But that was not in my plan until our instructor asked us to sign up for it two years later.

The memory of the interview, which was conducted by program director Alex Boome and two professors from Hong Kong Baptist University, is still fresh. After the 1st round selection, around 20 students were selected to the interview at Global Sources’ Guangzhou office and I was the eighth to enter the conference room that day.

When I received a call from Alex two months later, I just instinctively felt that this would be the change, a change that similar to what I read in people’s stories. Yet I was not sure where it would lead me to. And now, after another two years, I have my own version to share.

There are numerous scholarship programs in the Mainland universities, but what the Kearny Alliance offers is unique – we transferred to Hong Kong Baptist University, which provides excellent journalism education and rich practical resources in the field; the stipend ensures us to study without financial pressure as well as to enjoy a colorful life in the city; the opportunity to help at the Global Source’s popular fairs twice a year in AsiaWorld-Expo equips us with on-site trade show knowledge; plus, the 8-week internship experience with Global Sources before the final year brings me further understanding of the company.

I enjoyed the journalism courses at lot at school. But From Myanmar I still remember the second major option that I filled in my college entrance will - Tourism & Convention Management. I am interested in exhibition operation and wondered what would be the perfect combination of this area and my journalism major.

And now here I am, as a team member of Global Sources Exhibition in Shenzhen office. Currently, my responsibilities include sales materials (for China Sourcing Fairs) production, internal and external event support and project coordination. It needs creative thinking, practiced copywriting and editing skills in making house ads. To better communicate with the artists of Production team, certain level of understanding in production software and photography is required. Also we should be able to work under pressure, especially during the show seasons. These are exactly what I had been trained during university and I feel great to have a chance to apply it to work.

I’m lucky to have started off my career in a cohesive team. In the past few months, we’ve been busy preparing for the shows in Mumbai, Hong Kong and Singapore. And I keep learning from my excellent teammates. They are energetic, professional in rolling-out marketing campaigns, with fresh promotion ideas and are attention to detail. Working with them I wish to be a sponge, to soak up knowledge like it absorbs water.

Today I heard from Alex that The Kearny Alliance is expanding its scholarship program - what a good news for all of us! I believe the family of Kearny Alliance will get bigger year by year. And we all will help pass on our mission: Aid through Trade.

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An excellent learning platform for advanced knowledge and essential skills

Sally Yan during her Internship with Global Sources Hong Kong Accounts pictured with colleague.

If somebody ever asked me what the most unforgettable thing in my university life is, I would immediately reply, “Being a Kearny Alliance scholar!” Joining Kearny Alliance is such a wonderful experience that will no doubt have a great influence on my life. I feel greatly honored that I could have the precious opportunity to know so many talented fellows as well as explore the world from a different angle. 

Unlike other scholars, I had been studying in Hong Kong Baptist University for 2 years when I got the scholarship. It is the solid financial support together with the mission it conveys that attracted me to join Kearny Alliance.

With the mission “Aid through trade”, the scholarship is in accordance with what I have been striving for so far. Being brought up in rural areas in mainland China, I have witnessed people suffering from poverty since childhood. Consequently, I have set up my mind to devote what I could to the society, especially to those in my hometown, helping the have-nots get rid of the disastrous situation.

Though I have joined the Kearny Alliance family for only one year, I feel from the bottom of my heart that I have learnt a lot from different people through various experiences with Kearny Alliance and Global Sources jointly.

In both October 2010 and April 2011, I acted as a temporary helper of Kearny Alliance in the Asia Sourcing fair show. Short as 2 days were, the experience in trade exhibition was not only exciting but also helpful.

Different from the stereotype that promotional thing was easy and boring; I found it quite skills-requiring. Even the simplest booth installation was much more complex than I expected, let alone others. By no means was it easy for me, but I gradually learnt to adapt to and absorb from it. The 2-day exhibition showed me how a successfully marketing person should me. First of all, s/he must have an all-rounded understanding of the products. Besides, creativity also counts. Being more of an art than of science, how to arouse interest in target customers among competitors requires creativity as well as outstanding speaking skills.

Apart from the trade show, I was also offered the opportunity to work in Global Sources, a partner of Kearny Alliance.

Starting from this March, my Global Sources internship has also taught me a lot. Of course my time was nearly fully occupied by study and work in last semester, but I really enjoyed the time of devoting my heart and soul to absorb what I was interested in.

I worked in Global Sources Accounts Department which is located in Hong Kong. Representing all departments and business units, the Hong Kong team is composed of a diverse group of team members working to make the world better through global trade. Among them is our accounts department, which is responsible for all the financial and accounting work globally. Our main daily duty is to facilitate all the trade shows and magazine advertisements in a financial angle. For instance, we need to prepare collection summary and other collection reports, handle and process refund applications, assist in billing closing & commission calculation, etc.

During 3 months in Global Sources, I was lucky enough to be provided the chance to work under different teams in Accounts Department, which allowed me to get a relatively all-rounded understanding of the main business. At the very beginning, I was assigned the clerical task such as filing, photocopying. Many fellows may hold the opinion that filing was unexciting and unimportant; notwithstanding, I regarded it as a good opportunity to pick up my duty quickly. The documents to be filed were the finished work of current staff, which reflected what the company was doing, what the company structure was and how many business lines there were. By reading it and categorizing them, I was able to have a quick glimpse of the whole picture.

After getting familiar with the main business, I was asked to prepare the “cost analysis”. It was the allocation of the daily expenses in order to better control the cost. Instead of simply following the instructions mechanically, I could have my voiced heard: my supervisor gave me the right to adjust and add new items in the report where appropriate. As an intern, I really appreciated it and considered it as a signal of trust and acceptance.

Except for the above mentioned, I was deeply impressed by the caring corporation culture and the harmonious atmosphere as well.

Hong Kong office is where Global Sources began in 1971. Unlike big corporation with complicated hierarchy and office politics, Global Sources is a big and warm family. Big as Global Source is, it offers its staff comfortable and caring environment. In accord with what Alex told me in the interview, people here use their wisdom and knowledge instead of office politics.

Despite the fact that I was just a new comer; the colleagues involved me in their circle even from the first week. Every day at work I fully enjoyed the time getting on with them, working, eating and chatting with them. We may at times order take-away food and have small gatherings in the office, which was certainly unforgettable memory for me. Meanwhile, the experienced supervisor and considerate colleagues all helped me get adapted to the new environment soon. They are always by my side whenever I met obstacles.

In addition to the internship in Global Sources, I also got another precious learning opportunity in February from FOSCT (Future of US China Trade. Com). FOSCT is a website focuses on US-China trade, collecting up-to-date news and providing in-depth comments. Ms. Molly Castelazo, the Director of FOSCT, asked me to assist to collect news from ten assigned websites every week and write a summary update. Irrelevant as it may appear at first glimpse, it kept bringing me much information about the latest economic news, which was a great help for my study in Finance. What’s more, the commentary and analysis also taught me practical as well as unique ways to look at the current market.

Undoubtedly it was hard and demanding for an inexperienced student like me, but it was absolutely worthy of all the sweats and endeavors, for I have learnt skills beyond textbook, made friends with colleagues, and also built a clearer map of Global Sources’ main business. Those skills and knowledge are much more valuable, at least in terms of my future career path, than words printed on textbook.

Consequently, I really appreciate the experience of joining Kearny Alliance, which not only released my financial burden, but as well provided excellent learning platform to equip myself with advanced knowledge and essential skills, broaden my horizons, expand my social circle together with enhance myself from various angles. With the mission of “Aid through trade”, I have confidence that the Kearny Alliance team will continue to attract more and more talented students, passing the message on and enjoying a brighter future.

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Kearny Alliance, a one-of-a-kind dream accelerator!

Pason volunteering at the Kearny Alliance’s Export Service Centre booth at the Global Sources China Sourcing Fair in Hong Kong

Hong Kong was a dream city of mine where I longed for pursuing my bachelor’s degree when I was in high school. However, I missed it when the first time I could touch it. Thanks to Kearny Alliance, I was given the second opportunity to chase my dream. And what inspired me most was that, I seized it and didn’t let my dream over slip for a second time! That’s why, to me, Kearny Alliance is a dream accelerator. And furthermore, with the mission of “Aid through trade”, Kearny Alliance provides a supportive full stipend as well as an internship and a job offer from a international company – Global Sources – which engaged in the provision of information for global trade facilitation, from which perspective, I would say, Kearny Alliance is a one-of-a-kind dream accelerator to help you realize your dream faster and safer!

Study in Hong Kong Baptist University
 "Hong Kong is a fascinating place. It is multi-cultural, international, and cosmopolitan. It is where east meets west and the traditional meets the modern." That statement is written in the Hong Kong Baptist University handbook for oversea students. That is exactly what I feel about Hong Kong. Studying in such a fascinating place is quite fun since you can meet classmates and peers from a variety of backgrounds, and experience many things that are totally fresh to you. But in the meanwhile, to a student like me who had studied for 14 years in the mainland, how to adjust to a brand new study environment was a challenge that I needed to tackle. Thanks to people from all walks of life that I met here, I was able to fit into the new study system and thrive with it.

Aside the offer to study full-time in HKBU, the Kearny Alliance also complements the scholars' education by allowing us to experience export trade in action through its partnership with Global Sources. There is no better way for us to experience the real-world trade than to be a Kearny Alliance booth helper at the China Sourcing Fairs. I really treasured this opportunity to gain the first-hand information of the trade industry. And that’s why when I was helping out in the booth, I would not only communicate with the visitors of the booth but also walking around in different pavilions to talk with other exhibitors to know their concerns about trade show and sourcing, which gave me a different business perspective from what I learned in my text books.

And what’s more, last semester, I was provided a precious opportunity to take up an intern project from “FUTURE OF US-CHINA TRADE.COM”, which was established by Kearny Alliance in conjunction with Arizona State University in America. I was assigned to collect the latest news related to Sino-American trade in a dozen of business portals every week, from which, I could catch up with the latest trade tendency of Sino-American trade that it really benefit a lot for my curricular study and also my perspective of the trade market.

Intern in Global Sources
 I’m currently working as an intern reporting to the online marketing manager of the Visitor Marketing Department in Hong Kong office. My job responsibility includes assisting in the planning and execution of online media buy and online marketing plans for all online trade shows and physical shows, including both internal and external online promotion.

This job needs critical thinking as well as attention to the very minor details, as there are scores of websites to handle, that’s why an explicit “site-map” in mind is required to ensure a consistent marketing message to our visitors is well conveyed. Besides, I need to work closely with the technical team in Singapore and Shenzhen as well as my team members in Shenzhen and Shanghai to coordinate on website enhancement and maintenance on regular basis, from which, I learned, that communicating skill plays a vital role in this multi-national corporation since face-to-face communication is limited by geography. And that’s why the wording etiquette can leverage largely on the communication outcome.

I feel lucky that I can be a part of my current harmonious and cohesive team, which gives me a very unforgettable and enjoyable experience. When working, my professional colleagues are like instructors who guide me and teach me a lot while after working, they involve me in their circle treating me like a family member! In spite that we have a heavy work load especially during the show period that sometimes I need to have a couple of late overtimes in a week, I regard it as trust to accept me by sharing their work burden and I really enjoy every moment working with them even when we have overtime together!

In a word, I feel very grateful and lucky to have joined the Kearny Alliance Program, which have accelerated my dream and open a brighter window for my future. Being a member of it, I would try my best to convey “Aid through trade” to more people and take it into action to make more people benefit from the trade facilitation!