From moving into your first dorm room or enrolling in a Gen Ed class to becoming actively engaged or narrowing in on a major, the knowledge and experience gained along the way help us evolve.
Now having finished their second year at the Fox School, experience has clearly inspired the Class of 2025. Since our last check in during the spring of 2022, Fox students Jennifer Zheng, Yvonne Nyguen and Andrew Belder have developed their educational careers in leaps and bounds. Each is a determined, focused and confident young adult finding their niche at the Fox School.
There have been new majors selected, extracurricular activities added, and risks taken with a few cooking choices. Check out these and other moments that are shaping the Class of 2025.
Andrew Belder
Has your major/minor changed?
A joke with some of my friends is that they ask, “What’s Belder’s major this week?” But I think that I have finally gotten to a place where I’m excited about it. Right now, my majors are finance and math and computer science.
What is your favorite class you have taken during your time at Temple?
I really enjoyed my Calculus III class.
I also love being a part of the Owl Fund (The William C. Dunkelberg Owl Fund is a ~$850,000 long-only equity student-managed investment fund); getting in was my biggest accomplishment at Temple so far. It’s a class, but it’s so much more than that. It has been a lot of sleepless nights, but really the work that we deliver, the amount of learning and just self-improvement that I’ve gained, has just been tremendous. I can confidently say that my life would not be the same without it.
What student professional organizations or clubs are you a part of?
I am a part of Owl Fund, Temple Finance Association, Business Honors Student Association, Temple Consulting Club and the TU Blockchain.
Can you talk about a moment that changed your professional or educational life over the last year?
I think the one fundamental moment that really helped me professionally in my development was attending Douglas Maine Wall Street Day. (The event connects past and present generations of Temple Owls through a panel discussion and Q&A-style forum, aimed at offering wisdom and advice to current Fox students from experienced professionals.) It was inspiring and an incredible experience because I was able to have intellectual conversations with top executives and ask them questions that they found interesting.
Have your career goals changed since freshman year?
I think, for me, they’re always changing. I’m always looking to try to figure out what it is I really want to do. I think that once I can identify what success looks like, I will be able to map an idea of a career path that will help me take the most direct steps toward that.
I think that it’s still early for me to make those decisions. Where I might go depends on recruitment and internships, but I’m very open to what comes next.
What are your hobbies? What television, music or other media are you into right now?
I’m trying to focus on being productive. But I love the shows “House” and “Suits.” Other than that, I’ve been passionate about trying to get back into reading. I was a big reader growing up, and as things get busier it is hard to keep up, but this semester in particular I’ve committed to be more focused on reading. I’ve been reading some interesting philosophical books. I think my favorite book that I read recently was a gift my best friend gave me called “Tuesdays with Morrie.”
Yvonne Nyguen
Photo by Ahmed Alghamdi
Has your major/minor changed?
Yes, it has. I think when we spoke last, I was a business management major. But I’ve changed to real estate.
Coming into freshman year, business management was the broadest option I could find. I wanted to specify my major to my interests and wanted to dive more into real estate after getting involved with the Temple Real Estate Organization (TREO).
What is your favorite class you have taken during your time at Temple?
Right now, my favorite classes I’m taking are intellectual heritage classes, because classes are focused around free-flowing conversation. (The Intellectual Heritage curriculum comprises two complementary classes taken by all Temple University undergraduates as part of their GenEd coursework).
In my class, we talk a lot about philosophy and modern-day issues as well. The conversation is always open-ended. The professors are always receptive to any perspective, so I really enjoy that aspect of it.
What student professional organizations or clubs are you a part of?
I’m continuing to be part of TREO and I just joined the Entrepreneurial Student Association. I am also part of Girl Gains, a female weightlifting and fitness club on campus.
Can you talk about a moment that changed your professional or educational life over the last year?
When I was trying to obtain my real estate license, I kept failing. I had trouble with the testing system–it felt hard to use and was fully remote. There was just a bunch of stuff that got in the way of trying and so much was up in the air. But the moment I passed, I cried happy tears. I kept believing in myself and did not allow failure to get to me. It was truly one of the bumps in the road that moved me forward. Failures are a testament to how hard you can work to accomplish something.
Have your career goals changed since freshman year?
I think it changed so significantly because, instead of waiting for something to happen to me, waiting for a miracle to happen or for something to be handed to me, now I’m taking more initiative in my own life, in my career and every day. It’s just been about me trying to just be better in every aspect of my life, and I think that is the biggest change that I’ve experienced.
What are your hobbies? What television, music or other media are you into right now?
I love going to the gym; I go every day. It’s one of my outlets. I’m also into spirituality and meditation, and drawing. And I love to cook.
Also, I love Drake, he’s one of my favorite artists. I have been listening to Rihanna recently. For TV, my roommates and I have been binging “Love Island.”
Jennifer Zheng
Has your major/minor changed?Photo by Ahmed Alghamdi
Yes, I started out as an international business major with a concentration in sales and development. Now, I am a management information systems and marketing double major.
What is your favorite class you have taken during your time at Temple?
Marketing management with Professor Eric Eisenstein, because it actively engaged people. We had a case study every one to two weeks, so we worked with a group of three or four other students. We looked through cases and analyzed the company, the challenges they’re facing and the different choices that they have. We were able to use financial data and consumer data, really looking at every aspect of the business.
It pushed me to learn about a new career path in consulting. It’s so versatile and allows you to work in so many different industries and levels within an organization. You can also explore new interests, like technology, implementation, healthcare, equity, education and arts.
What student professional organizations or clubs are you a part of?
Last year, I joined the Temple Consulting Club. I started as a consultant and this semester I am acting as partner. It’s been a great experience. I’ve been able to work with nonprofits, such as a health clinic. I also researched and provided solutions for new marketing strategies to increase sales and brand recognition for a local, family-owned hot sauce business in the city.
My friends and I also founded the Chinese Student Association Club because we saw that there are a lot of Chinese students at Temple, but there’s not a lot of space for Chinese students to be able to learn about their culture, appreciate their culture and immerse into the traditions that come with Chinese culture.
I also served as a content communications intern for Bloomberg Philanthropies. I spent my summer in New York, building communications and design skills. Now, I am their alumni network chair, where I recruit and encourage engagement of “Bloomberg Arts Internship” alumni through direct outreach and creative events
Right now, I am also doing Girls Who Invest, which is education and training for women in finance.
Can you talk about a moment that changed your professional or educational life over the last year?
My internship with Bloomberg Philanthropies last summer really shifted my thinking about what working in the corporate world should be like. I have always been encouraged by my family to always excel and come out on the top.
But my internship taught me that I do not need to sacrifice my well-being and personal time to land a job, get a promotion or feel like I deserve a particular role. Throughout working there, there were these moments where my managers would be checking in with me, telling me “Hey, you are working too much.” It transformed my way of thinking. I do not need to be doing that to land a job I want.
It also pushed me to be pickier about different companies. I want to adjust to having a good work-life balance and focus on taking care of myself so that I can take care of others in the process.
Have your career goals changed since freshman year?
As a freshman, I had a linear idea of what I wanted to do. I was intimidated, thinking that many people at the Fox School knew what they wanted to do. People in the Owl Fund wanted to go into investment banking. International business students knew they wanted to work in policy. So, I picked one thing, thinking that is what I wanted to do. But my college experience really opened my eyes to the idea that I don’t need to know yet. I don’t need to work in one specific discipline or industry. If a company or an environment isn’t providing me with the growth that I know I’m capable of and what I want to achieve, I can’t fear leaving that situation and putting myself in a place where I can grow and challenge myself.
What are your hobbies?
I love the outdoors and hiking. Last summer, I tried paddleboarding for the first time and really enjoyed it.
I am still into cooking and baking and trying different recipes. I’ve really broken out of my shell and I’m willing to experiment with more exotic things. For example, my family and I casually snack on insects—it’s a really good source of protein. I have come to terms with sharing that with other people and being open with my cultural identity.
I have also been very into pool and billiards recently!
Read more from the 2023 Moments Issue of Fox Focus.