Ambition

Eric Onyango
Sophomore
Accounting & Analytics and Finance

This day begun peacefully, after a great day of networking ended off with one of my personal favorite alumni thus far, Hector Cuellar, an Investment banker with extensive experience in both bulge bracket and middle market transactions. This set the tone, as immediately with the spare time given, I used the same driven approach to explore the LA metro area! We took scooters out to see the Dodgers Stadium, Chinatown, Little Tokyo, The Fashion District and much more.

LA genuinely has much to offer, and it’s contingent on how hard you work, and who is laying eyes on your hard work, that’s my honest takeaway. After meeting with Nathan Ledesma at Universal Music Group, someone who has completely transformed the trajectory of their career after starting in Accounting at Loyola and pivoting into marketing in the interests of following his long term passions in music, I was truly astounded by how far ambition will get you, and his career is a testament to that. He hounded on the themes of resilience and ownership, and that one must possess both qualities to truly propel themselves past any trials and tribulations that are warranted when pursuing your wildest dreams. His movement from Houston to Chicago to LA is somewhat parallel to my own, and his story was nothing short of inspiring in that regard.

Wraping up our day, we met with our large alumni base in LA at the Johnathan Club hosted none other than by John O’Keefe, and the warm greetings from past alumni touched my heart in a special way. It felt great to know that my college journey has begun under an institution where alumni never stop giving back, and it leads for a foundation for connection with the community that I wish to continue post-graduation. I end my day today with many new insights, but moreover, eager for what is to come on this trip and beyond for both my academic and professional career and really living up to the expectations set today by previous alums!