About Megan: Megan grew up in Walnut, CA and is currently an MBA candidate at UCLA Anderson, pivoting from entertainment finance into technology strategy. Prior to Anderson, she audited at PwC before moving into finance at The Walt Disney Company, where she worked across distribution businesses ranging from video-on-demand to third-party content licensing. She prides herself on chasing the “why” behind complex numbers to drive growth. This summer, she’s joining Airbnb’s Strategic Finance and Analytics team. On campus, Megan champions inclusive excellence as President of the Admissions Ambassador Corps (AAC) and VP in both Asian Management Student Association (AMSA) and Black Business Student Association (BBSA). Off campus, you’ll find her competing on the pickleball courts, hunting down LA’s best pasta, or scoping out her next favorite coffee shop.

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We can’t even agree on where to grab a quick lunch on Sawtelle Boulevard. So, how can we traverse all of Japan with 100 MBAs?

That was the question looping in my mind when I finally signed up for the Japan Trek. This was a “bucket list” item I’d been manifesting since my very first Access Anderson info session as a prospective student. Fast forward to spring break, and the dream was finally live. But what I didn’t anticipate was how profoundly the trip would redefine the concept at the very soul of our Anderson community: Share Success.

The Trek is a masterclass in student leadership, organized by eight of our incredible Japanese classmates: Takuya, Shotaro, Shunsuke, Yuka, Yoichiro, Manato, Hiroaki, and Katie. They didn’t just plan a trip, but managed the “strategic operations” of moving a small army across multiple cities. Before we even touched down, they equipped us with a cultural etiquette guide that included some rules that hit some of us harder than others: no eating on the commuter trains, as an example. The guide served as a major signal of the collective respect in Japanese society we were about to experience.

Our group, a high-energy mix of the full-time class of 2027 and 2026, alongside students from the FEMBA program, hit Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, Hiroshima, and Tokyo. Every stop had a different “vibe.” We wandered through Kyoto’s ancient temples where the cherry blossoms were in peak bloom, and the air had a stillness that forced even the most caffeinated MBAs to slow down. In Nara, we met the local deer who have clearly figured out that MBA tourists are the easiest targets for snacks. I’ve also walked away with a new infatuation with A5 Wagyu, Japanese eggs, and late night “conbini” onigiris.

The moments that really struck me, though, were the ones our classmates curated specifically for us. In Kyoto, they brought in a 100-pound fresh bluefin tuna for a live carving, part culinary performance, part absolute core memory. In Hiroshima, we shared a traditional ryokan dinner in our yukatas, which inevitably evolved into a private karaoke session where the Class of 2027 really showed their range (I waited an hour to sing my Cheetah Girls song). We wrapped the trip in Tokyo aboard a yakatabune, a private tatami dinner boat drifting along the Sumida River as the city skyline shimmered around us.

What struck me wasn’t just the aesthetic beauty of Japan, but the intentionality of our classmates’ hospitality. They each modeled a level of care that made 100 people feel seen and supported in a country where most of us couldn’t even read the train platform signs.

That warmth wasn’t just limited to our cohort. It was everywhere. It was in the strangers who walked us to the right platform and the restaurants that welcomed our foreign group with genuine smiles. Though Japan is a famously collectivist society and quite different from American culture, I came across more similarities in my adventure. The experience reinforced my own values of community and reciprocity. Additionally, there is a beautiful alignment between that cultural ethos and what we mean at Anderson when we talk about Share Success. It’s the idea that individual achievement tastes even better when collaborating with those next to you (like finally finding the Sukiyaki restaurant you’ve been looking for after getting lost in Shinagawa for 20 minutes with your best friend).

I came home with sore feet, a camera roll full of cherry blossoms, and a deep appreciation for what happens when a community orients itself around care for others. Our eight classmates gave us Japan through their eyes, and in doing so, they reminded us what Share Success looks like in practice.

Turns out, 100 MBAs can traverse an entire country without a single casualty. We just needed the right guides to lead the way.

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Student Blogger: Megan Belmonte ’27
Undergrad: Chapman University
Pre-MBA: Finance at the Walt Disney Company
Leadership@Anderson: President, Admissions Ambassador Corps (AAC), VP of Admissions, Asian Management Student Association (AMSA), VP of Allyship, Black Business Student Association (BBSA)