I’m an American from Austin, Texas. You can hardly get more American than Austin. Cowboys, music, soccer moms, politicians...Austin’s a diverse place where they all converge and co-mingle. Graduating from the Huntsman Program at the University of Pennsylvania, I received a dual degree in business and international studies. My competitive college experience really set the stage for a high-performing career.

I’ve been living and working in Hong Kong now for over a year. It’s been a whirlwind, but I wouldn’t change a single thing about it. September 4th of 2008 was my big “move date”. I made this transition to join Deutsche Bank’s Corporate Finance team at the Analyst level. It was one of those “clean slate” moves that encompass every aspect of your life.

I chose DB mostly because of the people I met. People say it often, but our culture truly is warm and welcoming. And it wasn’t just because of recruiting. Believe me, many firms will say nice things to you, but it was the energy and passion, in everyone I encountered that really won me over. People were still individuals - talented individuals, yes -- but individuals with their own lives and perspectives. Seeing that I had international goals, I knew DB was the place that could make those goals a reality. Believe it or not, I was actually completing an Associate Internship with another financial firm, but everything I just mentioned about DB was the reason I stopped what I was doing with the other firm and came over to DB. Of course I had to interview first, but once I was accepted, I knew I had made the right decision! Global induction training took place over six weeks in London. The really cool thing about London was that there were only three other Americans. Out of a class of 80!

I networked with incredible people, literally from everywhere. The camaraderie was amazing. While in training, I hung out frequently with my German and Russian teammates. Then, I moved out to Hong Kong with 12 other new Analysts. And thus began my Pan-Asian adventure! Diving headfirst into work/life in Hong Kong, I saw my projects and input reaching out to so many other offices.

My primary reason for coming to Hong Kong was the work: there’s so much growth in Asia. It also obviously helps that I speak fluent Chinese. Career-wise, I used to be in generalist group for deal execution, called the Corporate Advisory Group (CAG) in Corporate Finance. CAG team members can often be staffed on many projects in various product groups and industries.

My current role is with the Consumer team. The thing I love about this work: I deal with products and services that the people purchase on a daily basis. A potential client could be a restaurant or a clothing retail store. So now whenever I eat out or go shopping, I can say that I am doing industry research! My principle work is on the banking side, helping clients generate ideas for mergers and acquisitions. Recently, I worked on a deal for one of the largest global beer companies. It was a cross-border deal with key players, which gave me a broader view of our entire industry.

Day to day, my biggest professional challenges parallel my personal choice to move halfway across the world. I’d define this challenge as almost being overwhelmed in the moment. My decision to come to Hong Kong was motivated by the markets. I didn't really stop to think about the practical aspects of being 15 hours away by plane from family. Although it was hard, especially in the beginning, for me to get used to life here, it has also been exciting - performing every day for incredible clients and colleagues.

I think my generation tends to be a more mobile group of people. Around fifty years ago, it was normal for someone to stay in one job for life. Now, that's a rarity. And I’ve only just begun my career. I think it’d be excessively confident to say that I’ll be in banking forever. But this I can say for sure: if my job continues to be challenging and interesting, then I can see myself on this path for a while. Hong Kong is home for the foreseeable future.

I’d say I have a passion for exercise, playing sports and breaking a sweat. When I get stressed, a good workout really takes my mind off things. I'll either go to the gym, take a quick walk or play a pickup game of basketball with coworkers. It's a challenge to organize games, since everyone has their own schedules, but we still manage to play regularly. It provides a nice support structure.

People are surprised to hear I come from an intensively musical household. My favorite kind of music is anything that my family performs. I have two younger sisters. The older one is an amazing classical pianist. The younger one is excellent at the violin. And my mom is the conductor of a Chinese community choir. So, I always love to attend their performances. Sometimes, they’ll play something for me over Skype. By the way, Skype has changed the world for me. What an amazing, free resource!

Working with great people, it really helps me to keep perspective on tough days. I became really close with the Analysts who transplanted to Hong Kong with me. DB colleagues tend to be cool and eclectic individuals. I’m happy to say many of my colleagues are friends and vice versa. We hang out and actually have fun outside of work! Imagine some other financial firm saying that. So, I'm convinced that DB was the best decision for me at the time, now and in the future. On so many levels. If you have the opportunity, jump at it.