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29th
JUN

This week’s best posts

Posted by Gina Trapani under Uncategorized

The abundance of Lifehacker posts cloggin' up the ol' feedreader? Get a digest of our best posts delivered to your newsreader once a week using our Highlights feed. If that's not enough for you, instead grab our daily top stories feed. This week's best posts include:

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29th

Taking the Cake: Marketing Manager Carolyn Lai

Posted by admin under Uncategorized

Carolyn Lai, 25, works as the marketing manager of a cake company, but it isn't any ordinary cake company. Satura Cakes makes cakes Japanese style. That means that instead of having the overly sweet taste of mass-produced American cakes, Japanese-style Satura cakes boast the tremendous flavors of ingredients other than sugar. High-quality fruits, nuts, chocolate, and other ingredients are the highlights when it comes to taste, while sugar takes a supporting role. Carolyn's role in the company, which has two stores in California's Silicon Valley and two in Hawaii, is to manage all marketing projects, including branding, store promotions, advertising, and merchandising. The first store opened in January 2006 and was an instant success. The company has received plentiful interest from venture capitalists, and it plans to open about 50 stores across the United States over the next five years. To learn more about Carolyn Lai and how she found her own delectable slice of sweet success in the world of Japanese-style cakes, check out this week's Young & Professional Profile.

Company

Satura Cakes

Founded

December 2004

Website

www.saturacakes.com

Name

Carolyn Lai
Marketing Manager

Age

25

Hometown

Oakland, CA

Current residence

San Francisco, CA

Education

University of California at Berkeley
BA in Mass Communications, Minor in Business Administration
(2004)

Work Experience

Satura Cakes
Marketing Manager
2006-Present

World Savings
Internal Auditor
2005 - 2006

Pacific Union GMAC
Marketing Associate
2004 - 2005

Ethnicity

Chinese-American

About the company

Satura Cakes specializes in unique European desserts such as German Baum Kuchens, Italian Tiramisus and Panna Cottas, French Mont Blancs, etc., using special Japanese baking styles and ingredients. A team of professionally trained pastry chefs prepare desserts on a daily basis using the best ingredients available: Himalayan rock salt, Japanese chestnut paste, local gourmet honey, etc.. Satura Cakes also specializes in gourmet hand-pressed espressos and coffee, unique dessert bars and catering, as well as top of line wedding cakes.

Satura Cakes was founded by Hironobu Tamaki of Japan. While working in Silicon Valley for many years and adjusting to the American lifestyle, he realized that Americans were missing out on the type of high quality desserts that was prevalent in Japan. He realized that desserts in America were commonly mass produced and overly sweet – something about it was not satisfactory. After his company, Golfer's Digest Online Japan went public in 2004, Tamaki, as the company's top investor, partnered with a famous bakery in Tokyo, the Anniversary Bakery, to reintroduce desserts in a more appreciative and delectable light to Americans.


The company's idea spawned a lot of interest with Silicon Valley VC's. With the funding, the company plans on opening about 50 stores across the nation in the next five years. The company, however, plans to maintain a local production site by having one production site (kitchen) for 3-5 nearby retail sites. Satura Cakes currently has two stores in CA Silicon Valley: Los Altos, CA and Palo Alto, CA, and two stores in Honolulu, HI. A third Honolulu store is opening in Waikiki in July 2007 and a third CA store is opening in Campbell, CA early 2008.

What are your day-to-day responsibilities?

As the marketing manager, I oversee all marketing efforts at both the corporate level as well as the retail level. Corporate marketing projects include periodic press releases about company funding, expansion plans, new products and ideas to both English and Japanese media entering new markets as well as company branding and creating consistency on all fronts when expanding. I have recently started working on building the company's merchandise department, with creative ideas on new retail items, designing retail space and developing a replenishment system. Retail and local marketing projects include local store promotions, holiday planning, advertising, customer and local community relations, as well as local market product planning.

Most notable company milestones

Satura's flagship store in Los Altos, CA (which opened January 2006) exceeded all expectations in sales and popularity. After only months of opening, Satura Cakes was offered a significant amount of money from JAFCO, Co., Ltd, a private equity company based in Japan with a branch in Silicon Valley. With this investment, Satura Cakes quickly opened a second store in Palo Alto, CA only seven months later (July 2006). The build-out and openings of the Hawaii stores followed very shortly.

Salty Chocolates
Personally, I have received support and approval from our owner and board of directors to move forward with bringing all of our stores up to the standards of being a "Green Business." With contacts of various organizations, I have begun a new project to start with our Palo Alto, CA store and work my way to all stores and well as future build outs of new stores to maintain environmental sustainability. As a company, we will be not only building our stores with environmental consciousness, we will be providing the best local ingredients possible – with dedication to healthier alternatives as a bakery.

What's the niche?

Satura Cakes offers and educates our customers about spectacular unique European desserts. We "reinvent" them in a Japanese baking sense in such a way that is more satisfying by focusing on other ingredients that bring tremendous flavors other than sugar. We pride ourselves in being one of the first to introduce these desserts to the American market.

What's the biggest challenge?

Just like sushi, lattes, a plethora of ethnic-based foods, have been difficult to introduce to a mass market of Americans, Satura Cakes has been associated very much with Japanese desserts. People tend to think of weird sweets like red bean, mochi balls and jellies when they hear Japanese sweets. The challenge is to convince and educate the common American to enjoy their desserts in a much healthier, enjoyable, knowledgeable way.

As Starbucks may have reinvented the way Americans drank coffee (introducing espresso, lattes, machiatos, cappuccinos as a alternative to drip coffee) and Japanese food experts have introduced sushi as a common American favorite, Satura hopes to be the leader of a new way to enjoy desserts.

What's in store for the future for Satura?

As a past-faced growing company, Satura Cakes plans to expand into different metropolitan markets across the nation and perhaps even into Japan. Satura Cakes has major plans to go public in the next few years.

Best way to keep a competitive edge

In any given industry, to be creative and provide something that people in your target market cannot find anywhere else. In our instance – unique, gourmet cakes, made from the finest ingredients at very reasonable prices. Sure, a slice of cake at $4.95 has its premium compared to a cake from Safeway, but we see it as an introduction to luxury desserts without the many dollar signs.

The important thing is the education to our customers and employees about our products. Without that knowledge of the background, the design and baking efforts of a particular dessert, it serves as nothing special.

Guiding principle in life

I always imagine myself 10 years older from my current state and think, "if i look back at my life now, what will i regret not doing?" I'll then zero in on a few things and actually do them.

Shortcake

Yardstick of success

A lot of people equate success with a monetary yardstick. I say success is simply putting your mind into pursuing something, whatever it may be, setting goals, and doing whatever it takes to achieve that goal. There's nothing more fulfilling than crossing that major goal off of your life's "to-do" list.

Success is following through.

Goal yet to be achieved

My personal goals: getting an MBA, living outside of the Bay Area (I have traveled a lot but have always resided in the greater Bay Area), living in a different country, starting a non-profit organization, supporting my parents (immigrant parents who live their lives to better mine).

What motivated you to work at Satura?

It was an opportunity to work from the ground up for a start-up that is working to become a corporation. The idea of opening pastry shop/espresso cafe expressed thoughts of happinesses, luxury, relaxation, fun, desserts ... much more appealing to me at the time than my last job– performing internal audit and compliance work for a financial institute.

Like best about what you do?

It is nice to see customers smile when they enter our stores, to see our professional chefs nod in approval at their latest products, and to see and hear great compliments of our work.

Like least about what you do?

Being a part of a small company has problems such as a lack of structure, chaotic at times, organizational issues.

This also means wearing numerous "hats" at the job and being able to be flexible and work on various projects that may not be related to your position.

I also find myself "spread too thin" – working on projects ranging from advertising, PR, merchandising, forecasting, promotions, updating the website, graphic design, photography... to making lattes, serving cake slices and occasionally going on delivery runs.

At age 10, what did you want to be when you grew up?

She-Ra, a doctor or a lifeguard. I guess at that age, my passion was to save lives!

What was your first job?

A teller at Wells Fargo Bank.

Biggest pastime outside of work

Trying new restaurants and bars, enjoying the outdoors, concerts.

Person most interested in meeting?

The 14th Dalai Lama – for his dedication to peace, compassion, goodness and religion.

Leader in business most interested in meeting?

Sergey Brin, Eric Schmidt and Larry Page of Google – for their passion and innovations to advance human intellect and to satisfy their curiosity. Especially so for the way they have reinvented a whole new work environment that actually works.

Three interesting facts about yourself

  1. I am a certified SCUBA diver. I am fascinated by the fact that there is a complete foreign world on our very own planet – underwater!
  2. I traveled to South East Asia, visiting seven different countries in three months with one backpack.
  3. I went to the same high school as Tom Hanks.

Maca Coco

Three characteristics that describe you

  1. Ambitious
  2. Curious
  3. Hilarious (at least my friends think so!)

Three greatest passions

  1. Travel (especially South East Asia)
  2. Seeing good in people
  3. Discovering and trying new foods

Favorite book

"Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Favorite cause

Cancer Research, AIDS Foundation

Who would you like to be contacted by?

Oprah Winfrey! Daily Candy!

Want to get in touch with Carolyn Lai?

It's not enough to just read about what young, driven, and forward-thinking individuals are doing out there. It's important to connect with them! Go ahead and send our profilee a quick email to say hello! If you have a question, want to give kudos, or just want to drop them a line - we encourage you to reach out!

Credits

Interview by Sumaya Kazi
Introduction by Preeti Aroon
Edited by Valerie Enriquez

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29th

AIDS Organization Leader Paul Kawata

Posted by admin under Uncategorized

After a close friend died in the early 1980s, during the dawn of AIDS, Paul Kawata became involved in HIV/AIDS issues. Today, as Executive Director since 1989 of the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC), he is the longest serving and surviving AIDS-organization Executive Director in the United States. NMAC is the only national nonprofit that focuses on HIV/AIDS among racial and ethnic minorities. It provides support to community-based organizations through trainings, on-site technical assistance, conferences, publications, and other services. Paul oversees the general operation of NMAC, works to raise funds from major donors, and serves as the public face of the organization during events such as its annual United States Conference on AIDS. More than 70 percent of U.S. HIV/AIDS cases are among minorities; thus, Paul says his organization's work is greatly needed. Read more about Paul Kawata and the National Minority AIDS Council in this week's Nonprofit Spotlight.

Non-Profit

The National Minority AIDS Council

Founded

October 1989

Website

www.nmac.org

Name, Title

Paul Akio Kawata

Hometown

Seattle, WA

Current residence

Washington, DC

Education

Antioch University M.A. in Urban Planning

University of the Pacific
Los Angeles, CA
B.A. (Phi Beta Kappa)

Work Experience

National Minority AIDS Council
Washington, DC
Executive Director
1989-present

National AIDS Network
Washington, DC
Founding Executive Director
1985-1989

Office of the Mayor
Seattle, WA
Staff Liaison
1983

Ethnicity

Japanese Sansei (third generation)

About the non-profit

The National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) was founded in 1987 to develop leadership within communities of color to address challenges of HIV/AIDS.

The agency has fulfilled this mission by leveraging and building the capacity of community-based organizations (CBOs) delivering HIV/AIDS primary care, prevention and other related services in minority communities with a unique array of programs and services, including a public policy education program; national and regional conferences; treatment and research programs and trainings; numerous publications; and a website: www.nmac.org.

NMAC, which also serves as a member association for HIV/AIDS organizations, provides its constituents a powerful voice in Washington, DC, advocating for sound HIV/AIDS policy.

What are your day-to-day responsibilities?

I oversee the general operation of the agency, and serve as the primary lead in fundraising efforts with our major donors.

For many, I am the face of NMAC, particularly during our signature event, the United States Conference on AIDS (USCA), the largest AIDS-related meeting held each year in this country. This year's USCA will take place in Palm Springs, CA, from November 4-7.

Most notable milestones

I am the longest serving and surviving AIDS executive director in the country.

When I took over NMAC in 1989, I was charged with closing down its operations. I felt there was a need to continue the agency's work raising awareness around the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS in communities of color, and opted to keep the agency open, covering payroll with my own money.

When I took over, I changed the mission of the agency. Instead of raising awareness about the AIDS epidemic on minorities, NMAC would assist the agencies assisting communities of color. Many of these community-based organizations had received grants to provide HIV/AIDS services; but did not have the capacity or knowledge necessary to deliver their services effectively to their clients and/or to navigate the bureaucratic demands and obligations associated with government funding.

Through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NMAC was able to provide these organizations the technical assistance they needed, through trainings, onsite consultant visits and publications, electronic and printed.

In 1993, I headed the work involved with the purchase of the agency's headquarters building, located in Washington, DC's historic U Street corridor. This move not only helped strengthen the agency financially; but also improved a formerly underserved area of the District. The building was refurbished over a period three years, with NMAC moving into the premises in 1996.

Most of the divisions now operate from NMAC's headquarters building, including the Executive Office, Human Resources, Technical Assistance Training and Treatment, Conferences and Meeting Services, and Development. The remaining two divisions, Communications and Government Relations and Public Policy, are located in the agency's satellite office, which we are in the process of purchasing.

Another milestone of note: I was awarded the Citizen of the Biennium Award, by the Japanese American Citizen’s League, in 1999.

What's the niche?

Most discussion of HIV/AIDS is this country focuses on the impact of the epidemic abroad. NMAC is the only national nonprofit dedicated to addresses the impact of HIV/AIDS in communities of color, which have been hardest hit since the epidemic began three decades earlier. NMAC fulfills this mission by leveraging local resources in communities of color to address the challenges they face around HIV/AIDS.

The need for this work cannot be overstated. Minorities bear over 70 percent of the HIV/AIDS burden in this country. Though African Americans represent less than 13 percent of the US population, they account for over 50 percent of the all new HIV cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) each year. Latinos, whose population is roughly equal to that of African Americans, also have a high incidence rate of HIV, representing nearly 20 percent of all new HIV cases. Asian and Pacific Islanders and Native Americans also continue to report a disproportionately high number of HIV/AIDS cases.

The agency's programs and services, which include trainings, conferences, publications and internet information, are geared to helping minority community-based organizations deliver services more efficiently and effectively those living with and impacted by HIV/AIDS.

What's the biggest challenge?

Funding is the biggest challenge faced by NMAC – and all HIV/AIDS nonprofits for that matter. The reason is simple: there is serious donor fatigue around AIDS. People expected there to be a cure by now. Indeed, many mistakenly believe that the drug treatment is a cure.

Though effective in extending the lives of those living with HIV/AIDS, anti-retrovirals are not a cure. They also cannot help those Americans who do not know their status, or do have access to health care.

From 2000 until the Democratic takeover of Congress is 2006, NMAC, and many AIDS organizations for that matter, had to work around the Bush administration, which cut or flat funded many health care programs, particularly those associated with HIV/AIDS.

What's in store for the future?

Unfortunately, a cure of AIDS anytime soon is unlikely. There will continue to be a need for an agency like NMAC that will speak out and fight for people living with HIV/AIDS and to support organizations working to prevent future infections.

Best way to stay ahead

NMAC is committed to the "wow" factor in all that it does, whether it is putting on a training or providing a cutting-edge website. That way, we help our constituents – the community-based organizations serving minority communities hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic – build their capacity to provide services and save lives. That is the way we stay competitive.

Guiding principle in life

Courage. I cannot overstate my belief in the transformative powers of speaking truth to power, especially in the face of overwhelming odds.

Yardstick of success

The yardstick of NMAC's failure and success begins and ends with our constituents whether or not they are doing well. We are successful only when they are. If they are failing to reach their goals, then we know we have to do something different.

Goal yet to be achieved

I want to be here for the cure.

Best practical advice

Remember that none us can do this work alone. You need mentors from whom you can learn and help you traverse this rough terrain called life.

Paul Kawata with Monica Johnson, NMAC Board Member

Supportive words from a family member or friend on your venture

My parents have been, and continue to be, extraordinarily supportive of me and my work. As second generation Japanese Americans, I know it must be difficult for them in some ways to deal with having a son who runs an AIDS organization. Culturally, it is a bit of out the ordinary. But I know they are very proud of what I do.

Mentors

I've had many mentors; but the one I look to most is Dr. Beny Primm, Executive Director of the Addiction Research Treatment Corporation and NMAC's Emeritus Chairperson. In addition to his professional achievements, I've always admired how he lives his life with dignity and grace and stays true to what he believes.

More over, my mentors are those loved ones I have lost to HIV and in whose memories I continued to do this work.

What motivated you to get started?

I first became involved in HIV/AIDS issues following the death of a very dear friend. This happened in the early 1980s, when everyone felt helpless in the face of AIDS. I do not like feeling helpless and needed to do something to stop this disease.

Like best about what you do?

What I like best is the fact that we feel we are making a difference – that our work helps others save lives.

Like least about what you do?

What I like least about the work I do is that people are still dying from AIDS. Despite the innovations in treatment, AIDS is still a terminal disease.

At age 10, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a dentist. As a child, I was taught to be quiet and passive; these were the hallmarks of Japanese culture at the time.

I had a mentor who was a dentist who was loud, outrageous and fun. He was the exact opposite of most adults I knew and I wanted to be just like him. Of course, being a kid, I thought his personality was the result of his profession!

What was your first job?

My first job was picking strawberries and it was just awful. Since the strawberries on the farm where I worked were for a jam manufacturer, you had to remove the green stem before placing them in the quart boxes. Filling one little box took forever! What was worse - you didn't earn money by the box. You received 35 cents for each flat, which was composed of 20 strawberry filled boxes!

Biggest pastime outside of work

I love Brazil and travel there as often as possible.

Person most interested in meeting?

I would love to meet Bill Gates because of everything he has done to combat AIDS in the world

Leader in business most interested in meeting?

Outside of Bill Gates, I would love to meet Steve Jobs. I love Apple products and I'm fascinated by how he constantly has the ability to wow the American public with his new and innovative technologies and toys.

NMAC Headquarters in Washington DC

Three interesting facts about yourself

  1. I'm the longest living national HIV/AIDS executive director in the United States.
  2. I am one of the founders of the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA), the first national organization dedicated to advocating on behalf of those living with and impacted by HIV/AIDS. I am the only surviving founding member.
  3. I'm an avid reader of trash fiction.

Three characteristics that describe you

  1. Courageous
  2. Outrageous
  3. I remember that I have been here since the early days of HIV/AIDS. I was in the room when it began; I will be in the room when it ends.

Three greatest passions

  1. Fighting AIDS and ensuring there is a response in the community to this epidemic.
  2. Fashion. I don't know; but I totally love it.
  3. I love to engender courage in others. Watching them become more confident in themselves is life changing – for them and me.

Favorite book

"The Best Little Boy in the World" by Andrew Tobias

Favorite cause

I support causes that ensure the liberation of people: civil rights and civil justice issues.

Who would you like to be contacted by?

Organizations interested in funding HIV/AIDS efforts.

Want to get in touch with Paul Kawata?

It's not enough to just read about what young, driven, and forward-thinking individuals are doing out there. It's important to connect with them! Go ahead and send our profilee a quick email to say hello! If you have a question, want to give kudos, or just want to drop them a line - we encourage you to reach out!

Credits

Interview by Vanessa Chan
Introduction by Preeti Aroon
Edited by Valerie Enriquez

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24th
JUN

Venture Capital Maestro Juan-Antonio Carballo

Posted by admin under Uncategorized

For Dr. Juan-Antonio Carballo, the fear of launching his own venture capital firm lasted all of three seconds. At age 36 and as a General Partner of Argon Venture Partners, Juan-Antonio saw the tech market of Western Canada as almost entirely untapped, and as such, jumped into what he knew would be a guaranteed business success. Based out of Silicon Valley, California and Alberta, Canada, he and two other General Partners found that the greatest profits were reaped through early investments in technology start-ups. Guiding new projects through the full line of development to marketing allows Juan-Antonio to ensure a project's stability and ultimate market value. If this weren't successful enough, can we just add that he has three advanced degrees up his sleeve as well? Learn more about his never-ending drive and the company's upcoming projects as we feature Dr. Carballo in this week's Young & Professional Profile.

Company

Argon Venture Partners

Founded

November 2006

Website

www.argoncap.com

Name

Dr. Juan-Antonio Carballo
General Partner

Age

36

Hometown

Madrid, Spain

Current residence

San Francisco, CA

Education

University of Michigan
Electrical Engineering, Ph.D.
(2000)

College des Ingenieurs
Business Administration, M.B.A.
(1995)

Universidad Politecnica de Madrid
Telecommunications Engineering, M.Sc.
(1994)

Work Experience

IBM Venture Capital Group
Partner
2004-2006

IBM Research
Adaptive Communications Research Lead
2000-2004

Digital Equipment Corporation
Senior Design Engineer
1997

LSI Logic
Senior Researcher
1996

Electricite de France
IT Consultant
1994-1995

Accenture
IT Consultant
1992-1993

Ethnicity

Hispanic White

Tell us about Argon Venture Partners

Argon Venture Partners is a cross-border early-stage venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley, California, and Alberta, Canada. We partner with visionary entrepreneurs to build information technology start-ups with long term growth potential. Our comprehensive strategy is comprised of a proprietary early stage investment process, a unique cross-border model, and an extended team with deep yet balanced skill sets.

Historically, early stage investments have produced the highest returns. Our investments commence at the earliest stages of company development, focused on seed and Series A financing. This approach allows Argon to provide frequent "hands on" portfolio management and to maximize upside for all stakeholders involved. Angel investing, the world's largest source of early stage funding, is a critical lever for technology entrepreneurs. Argon has full ownership of Western Canada's top angel investment group, which vastly enhances its deal flow and screening capabilities.

Cross-border funds have become increasingly attractive as human, information and financial barriers have come down. The benefits of diversification, cost/talent arbitrage and ability to infiltrate larger global markets has created an unprecedented opportunity. Western Canada is a largely untapped market and has favorable geographical, business, legal and government conditions. Argon is the only cross-border venture fund that combines senior local presence in Alberta with a Silicon-Valley investment team that has access to top technology managers and the largest information technology markets.

Argon's senior management team is situated in Silicon Valley (two general partners, one executive partner) and Calgary (one general partner, one associate). This balanced group of experienced professionals has extensive industry expertise, venture investing background, business relationships and entrepreneurial history.

What are your day-to-day responsibilities?

I am one of Argon's three General Partners, and as such an owner of the firm.

Most notable milestones

  • American Venture Magazine's Number One "Top 40 Under 40" 2006.
  • Over 23 patents filed in electronics, computing, software, business.
  • Over 50 technical and business articles.
  • Over 20 chairs of technical and business committees.
  • Over 10 IBM technical and business awards.
  • Over 100 business partnerships established with VCs and start-ups.

What's the niche?

What's unique is my ability to effectively mix business and technology in multicultural environment to achieve quantifiable results – results that truly matter for institutions, governments, and corporations.

What's the biggest challenge?

To create true value and return on investment through the effective mix of technology and business management.

What's in store for the future?

We're building the world's first cross-border venture capital firm between the USA and Western Canada with headquarters in both countries.

Best way to keep a competitive edge

Focus on core competences and differentiators.

Guiding principle in life

Provide real value to people and projects that you are truly passionate about. Have integrity and respect for others' values in every endeavor.

Yardstick of success

Achieve truly world-class results at any project that you focus on.

Goal yet to be achieved

Achieve top-tier return on investment for world's first US-Canada Venture-Capital fund.

Best practical advice

Focus first, expand later.

Supportive words from a family member or friend on your venture

Knowing you, you will not stop until you make this one work.

Mentor

Mentors are always useful. A wonderful example for me is Dr. David Liddle from US Venture Partners.

What motivated you to get started?

The drive to lead (as opposed to follow) the creation of new value through the mix of business and technology insight.

Like best about what you do?

Identifying new technologies and teams and nurture them to success using my experience, creativity, and discipline.

Like least about what you do?

The challenge of balancing personal and business demands.

At age 10, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A foreign correspondent.

What was your first job?

English teacher.

Biggest pastime outside of work

Practicing sports, traveling, and learning foreign languages.

Person most interested in meeting and why?

Bill Clinton. To learn more about true leadership.

Three interesting facts about yourself

  1. I speak five languages.
  2. I traveled to 20+ countries.
  3. I worked and studied in three continents.

Three characteristics that describe you

  1. Disciplined
  2. Energetic
  3. Extrovert

Three greatest passions

  1. Technology
  2. Venture Capital
  3. The flattening of the world.

Favorite book

"Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes

Favorite cause

Technology-driven economic growth.

Want to get in touch with Dr. Juan-Antonio Carballo?

It's not enough to just read about what young, driven, and forward-thinking individuals are doing out there. It's important to connect with them! Go ahead and send our profilee a quick email to say hello! If you have a question, want to give kudos, or just want to drop them a line - we encourage you to reach out!

Credits

Interview by Marcela Gutierrez
Introduction by Sara Ortega
Edited by Valerie Enriquez

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24th

What Have You Accomplished? (Part 1)

Posted by admin under Uncategorized

Every week we spotlight the talents and accomplishments of amazing young professionals across various ethnic Diasporas and professions. This week we'd like to highlight successful young professionals across time and regardless of their ethnicity. Young professionals have the ability to succeed early on in life, and here's some proof (in addition to the over 500 interviews we've published to date) that anything is possible. Let's break it down by age, shall we?

At Age 21:
  • English chemist Humphry Davy discovered nitrous oxide ("laughing gas"), and suggested that it may have use as an anesthetic.
  • College dropout Steven Jobs co-founded Apple Computer.
  • French mathematician Evariste Galois developed group theory (and many other theorems) before his death at the age of 21.
At Age 23:
  • John Singleton directed his first film, "Boyz 'N the Hood."
  • Orson Welles produced and performed his "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast, terrifying millions of people. He also got his face on the cover of Time Magazine.
  • Francois-Louis Cailler manufactured the world's first eating chocolate to be commercially produced.
At Age 25:
  • By this age, Charles Chaplin had appeared in 35 films.
  • P. T. Barnum bought a "160-year-old" slave woman and began a career in show business.
  • Bavarian painter Aloys Senefelder invented the lithograph.
At Age 27:
  • Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space.
  • Ernest Hemingway published his first novel, The Sun Also Rises.
  • Memphis millionaire Frederic W. Smith, whose father built the Greyhound bus system, founded Federal Express.
At Age 29:
  • The Buddha decided to renounce the world and abandon family and possessions. Seven years later, he realized this brought him no closer to the wisdom he sought.
  • Scottish-born inventor Alexander Graham Bell transmitted the first complete sentence by telephone.
At Age 31:
  • British physician Thomas Wedgwood produced the first photograph.
  • Eli Terry produced clocks with interchangeable parts. He also introduced the free-trial, no-money-down sales method.
  • Gregory Pincus achieved in-vitro fertilization of rabbits. Later he invented the birth control pill.
At Age 33:
  • Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic alone.
  • Successful merchant Cyrus West Field retired at age 33 to devote himself to laying the first transatlantic telegraph cable.
  • Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote his essay, "Nature," encouraging readers to see the miraculous in the common.
At Age 35:
  • Frederic William Herschel, an English astronomer, invented the contact lens.
  • Amedeo Avogadro developed Avogadro's hypothesis.
  • Margie Profet proposed a new theory of menstruation which claims that menstruation protects against infection and won a MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant.

Next week we'll spotlight all the even ages from 22 to 34! So stay tuned for Part 2.

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24th

Hispanic College Fund, Making College a Reality

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While many people are staunch supporters of the "bootstrap" motto, few could say that a helping hand, an inspiring mentor, or a friend with encouraging words didn't lead to ultimate professional success. The Hispanic College Fund (HCF), based in Washington, DC, offers this support through a variety of ways, be it college preparation seminars for teens, university scholarships, internships, mentorships, and so much more. When HCF founders launched their innovative program 14 years ago, it was out of frustration at how few Latino students could afford to pursue the college degree that would eventually lead toward upward mobility. Program Manager, Jeanne Barrueta, tells us that this non-profit sees itself helping mold future leaders by supporting those pursuing degrees in business, science, engineering, technology and math. What she has found in response is that HCF alumni turn right around once those degrees are in-hand to donate what they can to further the Hispanic academic and professional cause, thus supporting the next generation of leaders. Learn more about the Hispanic College Fund in this week's Non-Profit Spotlight and how your mentorship or financial contributions will be able to help thousands more achieve their dreams.

Non-Profit

The Hispanic College Fund

Founded

1993

Website

www.hispanicfund.org

Name

Jeanne Barrueta
Program Manager

Age

26

Hometown

Rockville, MD

Current residence

Silver Spring, MD

Education

University of Virginia
Darden School of Business
(2009)

Brown University
History
(2003)

Work Experience

Hispanic College Fund
Program Manager
2006-2007

Hispanic College Fund
Program Assistant
2005-2006

Tree Top Kids
Assistant Store Director
2004

Ethnicity

Mexican-American and Caucasian

About the non-profit

The Hispanic College Fund is the product of a dedicated group of Hispanic businessmen and women who were inspired to respond to the alarming growth in the number of talented Hispanic students who could not afford a college education. This call to action was precipitated by a compelling letter to the editor published in November 1990, in Hispanic Business magazine in which a student described his disillusionment in seeking financial aid from chief executive officers profiled in the magazine. Several concerned Hispanic CEOs who read the same letter responded by offering to help support the creation of the Hispanic College Fund.

In 1994 the Hispanic College Fund awarded $30,000 in scholarships to 14 Hispanic students on the business career track. Since then, the HCF Scholars program has expanded to awarding over $2 million every year to more than 600 students demonstrating financial need and pursuing degrees in business, science, engineering, technology and math.

With a passionate, energetic staff, extensive networks and dozens of partners the Hispanic College Fund has been able to expand on our scholarship program to provide more than just college funding to students. Since 2003, the Hispanic College Fund has developed highly effective college and career access programs for both high school and undergraduate students, including the rapidly expanding Hispanic Youth Symposia.

The Hispanic College Fund's mission is to educate and develop the next generation of Hispanic professionals. We accomplish our mission by providing students with vision, resources, tools, and mentors through our programs which include the HCF Scholars Program, the Hispanic Youth Symposia, Latinos on the Fast Track (LOFT) and the Hispanic Young Professionals Program. Our programs focus on developing Latino youth who are pursuing undergraduate degrees in business, science, engineering, technology and math.

Our model provides a direct pathway from high school to college, from college to career, and career to giving back.

What are your day-to-day responsibilities?

As the Program Manager, my overall responsibility is to ensure that we are providing our students with the best resources and opportunities available so that they can develop into the leaders and professionals we know they can be.

My work is ever-changing – exactly why I love my job. Every part of the year is different depending on what's going on with our programs, events or fundraising.

Year-round I manage our application technology, send out reports, train interns, keep in touch with students and work with my phenomenal colleagues in an open cubicle we affectionately call the Bull Pen or sometimes, the Gymboree. Together we run a $2.5 million scholarship program and the Hispanic Youth Symposium, a multi-city three day leadership program for high school students.

I also develop and maintain partnerships with other organizations and companies to give our scholars more access to mentorship, internships and other resources, all necessary for students to reach their personal, academic and professional goals.

Most notable milestones

It's probably the day I decided to pick up the phone and called my close friend from high school who works in marketing at Google, Inc. Although the only thing I did was make the first phone call and pass information on to the development staff, I'm still proud. That phone call resulted in a $100,000 scholarship program.


What's the niche?

The Hispanic College Fund is developing the next generation of Hispanic professionals. We have developed a simple, but powerful high school to college, college to career pathway. Students are inspired through our Hispanic Youth Symposium. They are motivated when they become HCF Scholars, and they succeed when we provide them with mentorship through our professional development programs and networks.

The key to our programs is that we not only provide scholarships, but also vision, mentorship and opportunities through our network of professionals, alumni and partners. Our programs focus (but not exclusively) on STEMB: science, technology, engineering, mathematics and business careers to encourage students to pursue careers which will up them on the leadership path. Our scholars and alumni will be closing the gap in the professional world, taking positions as executives, leading researchers, government leaders and innovators.

Corporations and government agencies recognize that not long from now half of the workforce will be Hispanic, but Hispanics are attaining college degrees at far worse rates than their white counterparts. An investment in the education and encouragement of a young aspiring Hispanic professional is an investment in the economic vitality of America.

What's the biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge for our organization is finding the right balance between what we want to do and what we can do. This is why we try to focus on our partnerships and our ability to leverage those relationships so that we can give our students what they need while staying focused on our mission.

For me, one of my biggest challenges is my youth. I look even younger than I am and when dealing with corporate folks it's hard to make them see past that without being aggressive, highly confident or outspoken, none of which describe me.

What's in store for the future?

I may be biased, but big things are in store for the Hispanic College Fund. HCF is growing at a fantastic rate. In just three years the staff has nearly doubled. Our Hispanic Youth Symposium has expanded from one city to four. In the past seven years the scholarship program has tripled in size.

Our staff is passionate, creative and bursting with energy. We will hold Hispanic Youth Symposia in 20 cities nationwide and hope to award $10 million in scholarships by 2010.

Best way to keep a competitive edge

Read the newspaper every day and make lots of friends. I don't do either of these as much as I should, but if I did, I'd be a lot more successful.

Yardstick of success

I'll be happy when I can take a four week vacation.

Goal yet to be achieved

I'm still working on figuring out what I want to be when I grow up. Although I'm passionate about my organization's mission and I absolutely love my job, for some reason I'm still drawn to move on and go to graduate school. It may not be the right decision, but I hope eventually it will allow me to help the Hispanic College Fund and the Hispanic community in even bigger ways.

Best practical advice

"If you don't ask, you don't get."
–Courtesy of my father.

Mentor

There are two people who I look to as mentors even if they don't know it. Idalia Fernandez and George Cushman who are both leaders at the Hispanic College Fund. I may not directly seek advice from them, but in reality I'm always try to emulate their values, management practices and their ability to inspire others. I am completely in awe of them.

What motivated you to get started?

I was unemployed – I needed a job. Before I came to HCF I had no ambitions and I had no idea what to do after I graduated college. I was really lucky that the people at HCF took me in as part of the family. They gave me something to be passionate about.

Like best about what you do?

Most memorable moment at HCF was the day one of our recently graduated scholarship recipients flew into Washington, DC from Dallas and signed over his first pay check. It really hit home for me that what we're doing is the right thing.

Like least about what you do?

By far the worst is declining applicants scholarship awards. One year I decided to calculate the total unmet need from the applicants to HCF who didn't win scholarships. It was $30 million. That's just the small subset of students who took the time to apply and took the time to send us their financial need information.

It's so surprising how difficult it can be to raise funds for such an important cause which benefits not just the students, but our country as a whole.

At age 10, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Specifically at age 10 I wanted to be a scientist. We went to the Maryland Science Center on a class trip and we did an activity where we worked as a team working on a space voyage to the moon. For one half of the activity we acted as scientists on the ground, doing experiments with beakers and Bunsen burners, sending radio messages to the astronauts and monitoring the shuttle take off. The other half we were astronauts on the moon, but this part wasn't nearly as fun (at least to me). All we did was stand around and pick up rocks.

The next day we had to draw pictures of what we wanted to be when we grew up. Most students drew themselves as astronauts, but I drew myself as a scientist. I remember one other kid laughed at me, because what 10-year-old doesn't want to be an astronaut? I was really embarrassed and I never told anyone again that I wanted to be a scientist. Maybe that's why I never became one...

What was your first job?

I worked at a Starbucks in a retirement community. Starbucks wasn't as big then and the customers were generally confused by the menu and often asked "what's a frapp-a-chino?" They just wanted a coffee.

In that same summer, I interned at a non-profit Hispanic organization in downtown DC. I was the receptionist, but I didn't have a computer and the phone system had no transfer mechanism. I spent all day reading books except when the phone rang. I would have to put the caller on hold and yell down the hallway "Hey Juan! Phone is for you!" I was so bored I quit that job for the Starbucks gig full-time.

Biggest pastime outside of work? favorite hobby?

Work exhausts me. I spend most of my time vegetating in front of the TV or a movie with my friends. When I'm a little more energetic and have someone to go with, I love to play tennis really really badly.

Leader in business most interested in meeting?

I'd love to meet Bill Gates because I'm pretty sure I know more about the various tricks and tools in MS Word and MS Excel than he does.

Three interesting facts about yourself

  1. I'm birthday buddies with Cesar Chavez
  2. I'm half Jewish-American and half Mexican-American so I celebrated both Chanukah and Christmas, but I'm not fluent in Spanish or Hebrew.
  3. I worked at a toy store for one year.

Three characteristics that describe you

I took a personality test so I know the answer to this question:

  1. Laid-back
  2. Charming
  3. Clever

Three greatest passions

I have a hard time figuring this out on a grander scale. Definitely my relationships with my friends and family.

Favorite book? show? movie? song? (choose 1 or more)

This is embarrassing, but I still hold a special place in my heart for all those movies I loved as a child, and most of my friends and family can tell you some funny stories about me in that regard. I think I love the Muppet movies most of all. In fact, I quoted "The Muppet Movie" in one of business school application essays – I didn't get into that school. I guess the corporate folk don't appreciate the Muppets.

Favorite cause

Education without a doubt. The whole system needs an overhaul. I'm always so frustrated when I hear another statistic about the poor education students are getting from so many struggling high schools.

If you could work any where else, what would you be doing?

If I had the talent and creativity I would have loved to be a photographer or cinematographer.

Who would you like to be contacted by?

Any of the fortune 500 company CEOs who don't know what to do with all those extra profits can give me a call any time.

High school and college students who are looking for help with college admissions, financial aid or internships should also call. I'm always happy to help.

Want to get in touch with Jeanne Barrueta?

It's not enough to just read about what young, driven, and forward-thinking individuals are doing out there. It's important to connect with them! Go ahead and send our profilee a quick email to say hello! If you have a question, want to give kudos, or just want to drop them a line - we encourage you to reach out!

Credits

Interview by Alexander Grant
Introduction by Sara Ortega
Edited by Valerie Enriquez

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23rd
JUN

2007 NCAA Men’s Tennis Champ, Somdev Devvarman

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What do John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, and Somdev Devvarman have in common?

All three have won NCAA men's singles tennis championships.

On May 28th, 2007, the 2nd-seeded Devvarman, of the University of Virginia tennis team, defeated the University of Georgia's John Isner (the top seed) 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 to win the 2007 NCAA men's tennis singles championship.

The 22-year-old champion is from Chennai, and is the first person of Indian descent to win the NCAA men’s singles tennis title (this history dates back to 1883.) A sociology major, Somdev will enter his senior year in the fall of 2007. We caught up with Somdev a few days after he'd won the title.

***

Some people are calling this match one of the greatest matches in NCAA tennis finals history. What’s your reaction to being involved in such an epic match?

It’s a great honor. John and I both played very well. He served extremely well. I never broke his serve and I don’t even think I ever got a break point. I think that the two of us were both honored to be out there and compete.

It’s pretty amazing that you won the match without ever breaking serve. Had you ever done that before?

Not than I can remember!

John Isner was trying to accomplish something historical: He had won the NCAA men’s doubles championship in 2005 with Antonio Ruiz. And John’s team, Georgia, had won the team title in 2006 (and won it again in 2007). So John was going for the career triple crown, which is a rare accomplishment. Speak for a moment about Isner and his achievements.

I think that John is one of the best tennis players that college tennis has seen in the last decade or maybe even more. His record speaks for itself. He is so good and so focused that it’s very difficult to beat him when he’s feeling good. He’s going to go a long way with that serve which is an absolute cannon. I think we’re going to see a lot of John on the pro circuit.

You’ve only beaten John twice, and the first time was just a week before this match, in the NCAA team tournament. How many times had you played him before that?

Three.

This match was in Athens, Ga., on John’s home court. Did that have any impact on you?

Maybe a little at the start, but once you get into the match you really just focus on your job and forget about all the external factors. The good thing about playing on John’s home court was that we had a great crowd to play for, which is not very common in college tennis.

John closed out the second set with three consecutive aces. But television replays indicated that two of those three aces were wide, one by nearly half a foot. Did you know at the time that those were out?

Yes.

Somdev Devvarman celebrates winning the 2007 NCAA Singles Championship (Donovan Eason/University of Georgia)

How did you react from an emotional standpoint?

Going into the third set, the last thing I needed was negativity. Those calls happened and I couldn’t do anything about them. I’ve got to stay focused on what I can control. And stay focused on the next point.

Is that an ability that you’ve had to work to develop? Or is that just your personality?

When I was younger I used to get really mad at bad calls, but as I got more experience and more coaching, I learned that getting mad didn’t help me win the next point. So I learned to let go of it and move on. Even in this case, it’s just two points.

But it’s two points that cost you a set! In the championship match!

Yeah, but I couldn't think of it that way because that wouldn't benefit me in the match. It would probably do the opposite.

So it’s a very rational approach.

Yes, you’re exactly right.

On match point, you served an ace down the middle. You were working with four match points, being up 6-2 in the tiebreaker, but still, this was an extremely close match, and this set would decide the whole thing. At that moment, being up 6-2 in the tiebreaker, were you tempted at all to go conservative and hope that Isner would make a mistake on one of the next four points?

No, no, not at all. I had a lot of adrenaline going, and also my second serve had been going well. I thought that I could make the serve, so I went for it.

The NCAA men’s tennis tournament starts with a 64-player field. That means that you have to win 6 consecutive matches to win. In 2005 you won one match and then lost in the 2nd round. In 2006 you made a huge leap and made it all the way to the championship match, but lost. And now you’ve won the whole thing in 2007. How did you make such huge leaps during those two years?

The first year taught me that I shouldn’t get too excited about just being there. I have to treat every match as just another match and prepare for it and be focused on the game. And then, especially last year, I learned that I really could compete with these guys.

And Coach Boland [U.Va. men’s tennis head coach Brian Boland] helped me a lot. He knows so much about the game, we are lucky to have him. He’s helped me improve every part of my game.
Also I’ve worked really hard on my fitness and strength, so now as it gets late in a match, I’m not as fatigued.

What’s your basic exercise regimen?

I lift weights three times a week. I run every single day.

Distance or sprints?

A mix. Sometimes distance, sometimes sprints. I also do court sprints every day after practice, and I do hills once or twice a week.

You are part of a nationally-ranked men’s doubles team (with Treat Huey). Does your singles game benefit from your playing doubles? And if so, how?

Definitely! Playing doubles has vastly improved my net game, my court awareness, and my serving.

I can see how playing doubles would improve your net game and court awareness, but I’m not sure how it would improve your serving.

In doubles, especially in men’s doubles, points are short. Long rallies are rare. So you’re always looking for ways to win points quickly. When you’re serving, you want to try to get your partner an easy put-away. Or better yet, get a service winner or an ace. So you’re forced to really do more with your serve.

Ah, that makes sense now...What are your interests outside of tennis and academics?

I love music. I play the guitar and I’m not very good at it. I love watching movies and playing other sports. I especially enjoy playing basketball and soccer.

Is tennis a family sport for you?

No. Nobody else in my family plays tennis. My brother played a tiny bit when he was younger, but that's all. I just used to see it on TV and so I got interested.

When did you start playing?

When I was nine.

That's older than I would have guessed.

Yeah, most players start when they're five or six.

Many basketball and football players who achieve greatness at the college level leave school early to go pro. Does this happen much in tennis?

Yes, quite a bit. But that's a personal choice. I'm definitely staying in school. My education is very important to me. I'm planning on going pro in 2008 after graduation.

***

Ranjit Souri lives in Chicago and is a columnist for India Currents magazine. He teaches classes in improvisation, comedy writing, creative non-fiction, and GMAT and LSAT prep. You can reach Ranjit at ranjit@theculturalconnect.com
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23rd

Singer-Songwriter Ajai, Crossing Musical Boundaries

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Singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Ajai, 21, isn't constrained by boundaries. Genre, instrument choice and language pose no limits for him when it comes to making music. Ajai has studied both ancient Indian ragas and modern-day rock, and from engrossing himself in these two disparate musical worlds, he has found a creative freedom. His boundary-crossing songs, which reflect his American and Indian roots, will be available on iTunes later this year, and he's in talks with major labels in India to get his debut disc on sale across the entire subcontinent. Ajai learned to play the piano before he could even read, and from that starting point, he has matured today into an artist whose music was featured in the movie "Offshore." Read more about this young musician's rise to success as we feature him in this week's Young & Professional profile.

Website

http://www.ajaimusic.com

Name

Ajai Anand

Age

21

Hometown

West Bloomfield, Michigan

Current residence

Ann Arbor, MI
Gurgaon, India

Education

University of Michigan (2007)

Ethnicity

Indian

What's your story?

From the very beginning, music has been instrumental in my life. I grew up immersed in it. I learned to play the piano before I learned how to read. Over the years, I picked up many instruments, most notably the guitar and the drums. Fueled by a hunger to create, I developed a serious dedication to writing and composing seven years ago.

I spent the years engrossed in the compositions of Western and Eastern artists that I revered. I studied the ragas and Western classical theory. I spent time studying voice with both Western and Indian teachers. Ann Arbor has a rich history and a robust culture of music, and I truly matured during my time there.

Two years ago, armed with a disc of my work, my manager and I traveled to Mumbai to meet with various people in the film and music industry. I returned with the conviction that I would be heard on the national stage. About a year ago, I met Manish Joshi, a well respected lyricist. His God-given ability to put a thought into verse astounded me. We decided to get together to assemble the latest round of songs. We have just started the business processes associated with securing a partner for marketing and distribution, for which I was in India earlier this year.

What are your day-to-day responsibilities?

I wouldn't call them responsibilities. Playing my guitar and singing? For me, songwriting isn't a structured process. You can't plan for it. It's inspired. It's creative, and each time, something different jump-starts the progression. It's something you end up playing by ear (no pun intended). I occasionally have to wander over to the business side of things, but thankfully my wonderful manager takes care of most of that.

Most notable milestones

I got a call from Diane Cheklich saying that she would like to have my song for the movie "Offshore." That was quite a thrill. Securing distribution through iTunes with BMR label was also quite exciting.

What's the niche?

Like many South-Asian Americans, I've had the opportunity to evolve in a unique atmosphere. I am a lifelong student of two fantastically diverse musical histories: Indian classical, established millennia ago through the Vedas, and the relatively modern genre of rock.

In this fusion of cultures and this new musical environment, I have found a beautiful freedom. I don't feel constrained by any boundary, be it by genre, by instrument choice, or even by language. I don't actively strive to create "a sound," but rather strive simply to create music that appeals to my basic instincts. To create music that makes me smile.

What's the biggest challenge?

Facing rejection. Anyone in the industry will tell you the same thing. Over time, though, what you learn is that you have to believe in music, believe in yourself, and most importantly, believe in the music inside of you.

What's in store for the future?

We are currently talking to the major labels in India, so if all goes well, you'll find my debut disc on shelves across India in the coming year. In any case you'll be able to purchase tracks from iTunes later this year. There is a studio session booked for late May, so we will see what comes out of that. In a different vein, there have been offers to act. However, for the time being, music continues to remain my focus, as well as my number one passion.

Best way to keep a competitive edge

I don't think about it as "a competitive edge." A competitive edge implies an external focus, which in business is essential, but in art is dangerous. Do your thing. Do what you love. Do what sounds beautiful to you. Don't concern yourself with what others are doing. Find the music inside of you.

Guiding principle in life

Integrity. Everything else comes second.

Yardstick of success

A lasting impression.

Goal yet to be achieved

Sharing my music with the whole world.

Supportive words from a family member or friend on your venture

Kuch outstanding karna hai! - Nani.


What motivated you to get started?

It's a bit difficult to pinpoint the precise moment that I started on this path. I don't believe it was ever a conscious decision. In retrospect, events seem to follow a logical progression, but that was never by intent. I just did what I loved, and one thing led to another.

Like best about what you do?

Rabindranath Tagore said "music fills the infinite between two souls." I realize a joy that is unparalleled each time I see another human being enjoying my music.

Like least about what you do?

Nothing. I feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to live in the world of music every day.

What advice can you give to others interested in a career in music? (Especially South Asians!)

First, stop and thank your lucky stars. We live in unprecedented times, as far as accessibility. There is very little standing between you and your most fantastic dreams. Begin today, and never stop working. Remember: no matter what you do, there will be critics. Trust your gut.

At age 10, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Both a physicist and a professional ice-hockey player. Simultaneously.

What was your first job?

Working the line at Taco Bell.

Biggest pastime outside of work

I love to work with the homeless men and women of Ann Arbor, Michigan. I have learned more from them than I have from any professor.

Person most interested in meeting?

Leonardo Da Vinci. Versatility beyond imagination and genius beyond comprehension.

Leader in business most interested in meeting

A.R. Rehman. His style is terribly elegant.

Three interesting facts about yourself

  1. I bowled a 290.
  2. I was attacked by a shark, but fortunately not bitten.
  3. I believe that things come in threes.

Three characteristics that describe you

  1. Simple
  2. Ethical
  3. Hardworking

Three greatest passions

  1. My family
  2. Music
  3. Chasing dreams

Favorite cause

The children of the world.

"If help and salvation are to come, they can only come from the children, for the children are the makers of men." - Maria Montessori

Who would you like to be contacted by?

Absolutely anyone who enjoys the music.

Want to get in touch with Ajai?

It's not enough to just read about what young, driven, and forward-thinking individuals are doing out there. It's important to connect with them! Go ahead and send our profilee a quick email to say hello! If you have a question, want to give kudos, or just want to drop them a line - we encourage you to reach out!

Credits

Interview by Sheena Singh
Introduction by Preeti Aroon
Edited by Valerie Enriquez

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23rd

Keeping Jain Youth Connected

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Jainism is a minority religion in the United States, and adherents are geographically dispersed throughout the country. Amit Jain, 25, is part of an organization that is keeping young Jains connected. As Director of Project Development of Young Jains of America (YJA), he manages various projects pertaining to Jains in the 14-to-29 age group. The mission is to create a network of young members of the faith and establish a forum for sharing Jain heritage and religion. For example, YJA is working to keep Jain youth connected online by building a social networking site called Jainster.com. The organization doesn’t just put on its own activities and projects, though. It has also supported other organizations with which it shares a common cause, such as Habitat for Humanity and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. To learn more about Amit Jain and his organization, check out this week’s Non-Profit Spotlight.

Non-Profit

Young Jains of America

Founded

July 1991

Website

www.yja.org

Name

Amit Jain
Director of Project Development

Age

25

Hometown

Tempe, Arizona

Current residence

Los Angeles, California

Education

Loyola Marymount University
MBA
(2006)

Work Experience

Independent Business Consultant
2005-Present

Sunsetronics
Director of Operations
2002-Present

Mumbai Entertainment
Co-Founder
2004-Present

Ethnicity

Punjabi Jain

About the non-profit

Young Jains of America (YJA) is a committee of Federation of Jain Associations in North America (JAINA) who puts emphasis on projects relating to Jain youth from ages 14-29.

Our mission is:

  • To be recognized as a national and international umbrella Jain youth organization for establishing a network to share Jain heritage and religion through young people.
  • To raise awareness about Jain ideals and principles in North America and the world.
  • To create a forum for sharing Jain religion.
  • To instill a sense of pride among Jain youth about their heritage.
  • To address the problems, difficulties, and concerns facing Jain youth.
  • To assist and to promote charitable community activities.
  • To prepare Jain youth to become successful Jain leaders of tomorrow.
  • To develop friendships among young Jains.
  • To foster and strengthen local Jain youth groups.

What are your day-to-day responsibilities?

Project management on various levels of projects undertaken by the YJA Executive Board that reinforce our values and goals and helps us accomplish our objectives.

Most notable milestones

July 1991 – YJA is born!
July 1994 – First Convention organized in Chicago, IL
July 1995 – YJA unveils its website – www.yja.org.
July 1996 – Second Convention organized in San Francisco, CA
July 1998 – Third Convention organized in Houston, TX
April 2001 – Mahavir Jayanti 2600 Celebration Play: "The Past Lives of Bhagwan Mahavir" is played around nations across North America.
July 2000 – Fourth Convention organized in Los Angeles, CA.
June 2002 – Annual Habitat for Humanity projects organized.
July 2002 – Fifth Convention organized in Mahwah, NJ.
December 2002 – YJA partners with Veerayatan to send youth to needy places.
July 2004 – Sixth Convention in the Bay Area, CA
July 2006 – Seventh Convention hosted in Stamford, CT

What's the niche?

What makes YJA unique is how well organized and established this youth organization is. We not only work very hard to put together our activities and projects for our Jain community, but we also work with other organizations that support the same causes that we value. For instance, YJA in the past has been a staunch support of Habitat for Humanity, PETA, Greenpeace and list goes on and on..

YJA has such a deep and rich talent pool of individuals willing to help grow the organization that there is always people doing things for YJA even if no one knows.

What's the biggest challenge?

Working as a virtual organization across the continent we are geographically challenged. We can't always be as organized and fluid as we like because of this challenge. It can delay our output at times but in the crunch, we always come through!

What's in store for the future?

YJA is working to build a strong online presence with a social networking website called Jainster.com and educational tools not only for the Jain community but for everyone. We are working diligently to put together a project management infrastructure over the internet called YJA Outreach, which will help individuals not officially on the YJA board initiate and work ongoing projects.

Best way to stay ahead

Flexibility. Organizations and individuals that can adapt and change to fit their environment can last longer and be more productive.

Guiding principle in life

Non-violence.

Yardstick of success

Too many to make one relevant.

Goal yet to be achieved

Conquering fear of heights.

Best practical advice

What's the worst that could happen? Think about it.

Supportive words from a family member or friend on your activities with YJA

Everybody told me that it was hard for them to imagine me putting such an effort into YJA like I have. From this, I've inspired my friends to get involved at various stages. The more people I can get the involved, the more I know I've done a good job.

Mentor(s) and why?

Dr. Fred Kiesner, LMU chair of Entrepreneurship. He lit a fire in me that will never go out. One of the greatest men I've been blessed to know.

What motivated you to be apart of YJA?

I wanted to see a good convention put together for Youth Older than 21 at the latest convention in 2006. I figured if I got involved, I could not only help enhance the experience for the crowd, but also give my input and expertise in a lot of other areas that YJA was lacking.

Like best about what you do?

The awesome people that I work with, hands down. YJA is full of interesting and nice people that contribute to this organization that makes it such a wonderful time there's ever a meeting or an event.

Like least about what you do?

The politics. Like any organization there's the underbelly of playing politics to get what you want, or to get things done. It's not as bad as it sounds but we can do without it.

At age 10, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A professional athlete. Unfortunately, puberty came early and left like a thief in the night leaving me average... :(

What was your first job?

A friend and I our freshman year in high school started a business going door to door doing curbside paintings in neighborhoods. We mostly did address numbers on the curb. Our overhead was ridiculously low, but the brutal Arizona sun kept us honest.

Biggest pastime outside of work

Catching reruns of "Growing Pains" and "Scrubs."

Person most interested in meeting?

Penn Jillette from Penn and Teller (The big guy!)

People know him for his magic acts, but he is on the premiere critical thinkers and enlightened people that we have society. He's opinion on everything is so fascinating to me.

Leader in business most interested in meeting?

Bill Gates. Conventiional, I know, but he is still a genius and his success is unparalleled. I'd love to meet and talk with him because there's not that many people who have been more successful then he's been relatively speaking.

Three interesting facts about yourself

  1. I've broken nine bones, but not all at the same time.
  2. Up until the age of nine and a half years old I wanted to change my name to Mike, because "I thought it was cool..."
  3. I've taken more theological studies classes over the years than most priests or ordained ministers.

Three characteristics that describe you

  1. Authentic
  2. Intellectual
  3. Abnormal

Three greatest passions

  1. Taking the time to enjoying and exploring life and what it has to offer.
  2. Business
  3. Sports

Favorite book

"The Body" by Stephen King

Favorite cause

The organic movement!

Who would you like to be contacted by?

Anyone interested in YJA for any reason!

Want to get in touch with Amit Jain?

It's not enough to just read about what young, driven, and forward-thinking individuals are doing out there. It's important to connect with them! Go ahead and send our profilee a quick email to say hello! If you have a question, want to give kudos, or just want to drop them a line - we encourage you to reach out!

Credits

Interview by Sumaya Kazi
Introduction by Preeti Aroon
Edited by Valerie Enriquez

yja_supp2_site.jpg
0 Comments

22nd
JUN

This week’s best posts

Posted by Gina Trapani under Uncategorized

Suffering from Lifehacker information overload? Get a digest of our best posts delivered to your newsreader once a week using our Highlights feed. If that's not enough for you, instead grab our daily top stories feed.

This week's best posts include:

  • Turn your Windows Mobile phone into an iPhone
    "If your clunky old Windows Mobile phone is just sitting around collecting iPhone jealousy dust, you can either scrounge together 500 leafy Sacagaweas, or you can customize your Windows Mobile phone to emulate several of the iPhone's more interesting features."
  • Edit your digital photos with Picasa
    "If you don't have the cash or patience to get a copy of Photoshop and learn what to do with it, the free Windows photo manager software, Picasa, may have everything you need to adjust your photos to your liking."
  • 13 book hacks for the library crowd
    "Today, in the interest of lifehacking your bookshelf, I'm rounding up my favorite 13 'book hacks' for getting the most from your bound literature."
  • The art of the doable to-do list
    "Your to-do list can be a tool that guides you through your work, or it can be a big fat pillar of undone time bombs taunting you and your unproductive inadequacy."
  • Show Us Your iGoogle
    "Last week we asked readers to send us screenshots of their iGoogles, and you didn't disappoint."
  • Stephen Colbert, email assassin
    "Stephen Colbert sits down with email etiquette author Will Schwalbe and dives face first into email."
  • Monitor your Mac with iStat menus
    "iStat menus integrates system statistics like CPU, RAM, HD, and Network usage into your Mac's menubar."
  • Keep track of your browsing habits with MeeTimer
    "The MeeTimer Firefox extension tracks how much time you spend on different web sites and helps categorize the time spent to give you an idea of where your browsing time has gone."
  • Insert prompts and delays with Texter 0.4
    "Just released the latest version of our text snippet application, Texter, with bug fixes and a few cool new features."
  • Get the fullscreen (read: iPhone) browsing experience with Opera Mini 4 beta
    "The new Opera Mini beta 4 offers the fullscreen browsing experience on the comfort of your mobile device."
  • Use a silent ringtone for low priority contacts
    "I just created a 1 second long recording of "nothing" using my computer, transferred it to my phone, and I can now select it as a custom ringtone for numbers that, while I don't want to block, I just don't want to hear."
  • Reformat your Gmail address with dots
    "Because Gmail doesn't recognize dots as characters within usernames, adding or removing dots from a Gmail address won't change the actual destination address."
  • Better Gmail version 0.8 now available
    "This version adds 3 new user scripts: a Mac Mail-like skin, bottom posting when replying to email, and split screen Google Reader integration, as well as fixes for a few niggly annoyances in the current version."
0 Comments

20th
JUN

New Opportunities at The CulturalConnect

Posted by admin under Uncategorized

We're looking for people to scope out the hottest young talent in the professional world. We're seeking smart people to identify and get in touch with young professionals breaking age barriers in their company, starting their own companies, doing the corporate thing by day - moonlighting as something totally different at night and perhaps even breaking down stereotypes with their career choice.

This is a work whenever you want wherever you want - at home, at a party, at a coffee shop, mall, barber – part-time type of opportunity.

This is an amazing opportunity to further expand your network with the future leaders of our generation and contribute to a positive publication dedicated to young, driven and forward thinking young adults.

For other positions at The CulturalConnect, check out our Opportunities page.

If you're interested in joining The CulturalConnect staff, get in touch with us today!

0 Comments

18th
JUN

Children of Abraham: Global Interfaith Connectors

Posted by admin under Uncategorized

What first started out as a photojournalism project by two high school students documenting the stark similarities between Judaism and Islam has now evolved into a successful global non-profit that fosters important dialogues between Muslim and Jewish youth via the Internet. Mostafa Aghrib, 32, Director of Children of Abraham in Morocco, tells us that 160 students from 43 countries have graduated from its online program and have gone on to provide important interfaith awareness and connections. Learn more about Children of Abraham, its online program and how to get involved as we feature it in this week's Non-Profit Spotlight.

Non-Profit

Children of Abraham

Founded

2004

Website

www.childrenofabraham.org

Name

Mostafa Aghrib
Director of Children of Abraham-Morocco

Age

32

Hometown

El Jadida, Morocco

Current residence

Marrakech, Morocco

Education

Parix X
Library sciences
(2005)

IGMA School
Computer Sciences and Management
(2002)

Work Experience

Children of Abraham Morocco
Director
2007-present

Initiative of Change
Caux, Switzerland
Facilitator for a Muslim-Jewish youth dialogue group
July 2006

The Second World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace
Seville Spain
Coordinator
March 2006

Hommes de Parole
Paris, France
Congresses staff
2005-2006

French Cultural Institute, Embassy of France in Morocco
Marrakech, Morocco
Librarian in charge of religions books
2003-present

Alliance Franco-Marocaine El Jadida Morocco
Cultural Activities
1999-2003

Ethnicity

Moroccan / Muslim / Arab

How did Children of Abraham get started?

In the summer of 2003, two Orthodox Jewish high school students in New York, Sima Greenbaum and Eitan Hochster, set out to capture in photographs the most visually compelling similarities between Islam and Judaism. The idea for their project was conceived by Mr. Eli Epstein, an Orthodox Jew with many years of business experience in the Middle East, who had been struck by the profound similarities between the two faiths over the course of his many trips to predominantly Muslim countries.

Sima and Eitan’s work was made into a booklet that Mr. Epstein began to take with him on his travels, routinely receiving the same reaction from his Muslim colleagues of shock and bewilderment. Time and again, the reaction from Muslims abroad and Jews in his own community was the same. Seeing how Sima and Eitan had been transformed by participating in such a photographic exploration, Mr. Epstein imagined twenty students – ten Jewish and ten Muslim spread out all over the world engaging in a similar journey. He hired Ari Alexander, an American Jew, and Maria Ali-Adib a Syrian Muslim, to manage the international Internet-based summer project, which was called Children of Abraham.

Interest in the project from teenagers on six continents exceeded expectations and from July to August 2004, 61 students from 23 countries were selected to participate in what was designed as a one-time project, with the twin goals of providing a transformative experience for young Muslims and Jews to discover one another, and of publicizing