Jiayu “Leo” Dong, B.A., Economics, fall 2010
Chinese zodiac: Dragon
Greek zodiac: Scorpio
Favorite quote: “I decided a while ago not to deny myself the simpler pleasure of existence.” ----John Green Favorite book: “A Song of Fire and Ice” written by George R. R. Martin
Favorite TV show: The popular singing show “The Voice of China”
Hobbies: Basketball, swimming, soccer, billiards, and other kinds of sports; diverse kinds of movie, such as action, comedy, and thriller
Jiayu Dong, one
of the first ICB alumni following the restart of the ICB program, is now focusing
on his master degree of mathematical finance at Rutgers University in New
Jersey, U.S.A. In order to achieve his goal of being a portfolio manager, Dong
is gaining experience working in a large financial analytics company in New
York City. Dong constantly keeps his
eyes open for new experiences and opportunities to accelerate his career.
Similar to the
former president of the Denver-based ICB Club, Fan Zhang, Dong was a
significant board member and one of the club’s founders. Dong believed that the
foundation of the ICB club was one of the most unforgettable experiences he had
in the period of studying in Denver. “There were already several Asian student
associations when I first came to Denver,” Dong says. “Then Fan Zhang proposed
that we build a club for ourselves. The idea came easily; launching it was the
most challenging part.” Through the efforts of Dong, Zhang and a few other ICB
students, the club did launch and continues to thrive today!
Though
experiencing cultural collisions and life difficulties the first time living alone
in the United States, Dong consider it the busiest, but most meaningful and
memorable experience of his time at CU Denver. “The ICB program provided me a
lot of social skills and knowledge with which to fuel my further study,” Dong
says, “ICB offers an opportunity for Chinese students to gain a broader global
vision from both Eastern and Western cultural perspectives.” In addition, Dong believes that a successful
global education program gives an individual a better understanding not only of
a foreign culture, but also of his own.