About Amy: Amy was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, and spent parts of her childhood in Singapore and Pennsylvania. After graduating from high school in Taipei, she moved to Berkeley, California, where she studied Economics and Marketing at the University of California, Berkeley. There, she discovered her passion for digital marketing and went on to spend five years in New York working in ad tech as a marketing specialist, account manager, and customer success manager. At Anderson, Amy aims to pivot into product marketing to further develop her strategic, leadership, and technical skills within the technology industry.

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Applying for an MBA was something I never pictured myself doing in my 20s. But about a year ago, I found myself at a crossroads. After four years working as a Customer Success Manager at inPowered.ai, I felt the itch for something different, something that would challenge me, broaden my experiences, and push me to grow in ways that day-to-day work simply couldn’t. What I didn’t expect was that this decision would take me 3,000 miles across the country, from New York to Los Angeles.

New York has a way of becoming part of your wiring. The noise, the energy, the pace, they fold into your operating system without you realizing it. So the idea of leaving the city that shaped my early 20s felt like I was abandoning a version of myself. I still remember packing my apartment and thinking: How am I supposed to go from walking everywhere to driving everywhere? From working a full-time job to becoming a full-time student? From having a routine, favorite restaurants, and a tight circle of friends to starting over alone in a new city? The thought was exciting, but also extremely terrifying.

My worries and fears dissipated once orientation began in August. Suddenly, I was surrounded by people who were also starting fresh, moving from different countries and states, leaving stable careers, and navigating their own transitions. Instead of feeling like a “New Yorker in LA”, I immediately felt part of a community of students all learning to adapt together. 

Anderson’s collaborative culture made the transition smoother than I ever expected. Right from the start, the program’s structure helped Anderson feel a lot less intimidating. We were divided into sections, 300 students split into four sections, and that immediately gave me a sense of belonging. In Section A, I quickly found a group of classmates I clicked with, and many of them have become people I see every day both in and outside of class. I also loved my learning team within Section A. Being placed into a small group of five created a built-in support system where we got to know one another deeply while working through assignments for all of our core classes. From late-night study sessions to the unexpectedly unhinged and hilarious moments, those team meetings became one of the most grounding parts of my first quarter.

By joining clubs such as AnderTech, the Marketing Association, and the Taiwanese Student Business Association, I also found friends with similar interests and backgrounds. By attending club meetings, company infosessions, networking events, and workshops together, I was able to build meaningful friendships almost immediately. 

What surprised me most about Anderson was, and still is, how eager everyone was to help. Whenever I had questions about LA, neighborhoods, restaurants, parking (always parking), someone was ready with thoughtful advice. A single question posted in a Slack or WhatsApp group could generate 20+ responses from people offering answers, resources, or sharing the same concerns. That sense of openness made Los Angeles feel less like a place I had to adjust to and more like a place I could grow into. In the same vein, my fear of feeling lonely or bored also vanished almost as soon as orientation began. There were events nearly every day, beach meetups, hikes, volunteering outings, and even industry conventions, so it was impossible not to feel anything but engaged. If you have the time and energy, there is always a way to meet new people, build connections, and expand your network. 

Moving from New York to Los Angeles by myself felt daunting, but Anderson has given me the structure, people, and support to build a new sense of home faster than I could have imagined. I came to Anderson searching for growth, and I’ve found it – not only academically and professionally, but personally. The move challenged me and reminded me that starting over doesn’t have to be scary or isolating. It can mean discovering a new community, a new purpose, a new set of values, or an environment that simply feels like a better fit. And dare I say it, I might actually like LA more than New York now!

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Student Blogger: Amy Lu ‘27

Undergrad: University of California, Berkeley ’20

Pre-MBA: Customer Success Manager at inPowered.ai

Leadership@Anderson: Director of Marketing, Admissions Ambassador Corps; Director of Events, Marketing Association; Director of External Relations, Taiwanese Student Business Association; Mentor, Riordan Scholars Program