Happy New Year 2013
The Business Finance Chapter joined forces with the Finance Association student group to celebrate another record setting year! Alumni, students, and faculty had a chance to catch up during this sold out banquet at the Anaheim Whitehouse in December. Awards were given to the most active/valuable members of each organization who went above and beyond the expectations of each organization.
3rd Semi Annual Softball Game
Participants arrived to the CSUF softball fields for a day of alumni/student mingling, catching up, and making new friends on Saturday, September 22. Sandwiches and refreshments were enjoyed by all as the softball game was underway. Alumni took to a quick 7-0 lead but the students had a spectacular inning closing the gap by two points 7-5. Students celebrated while the experienced alumni knew celebrations were best kept until the end of a ball game! Alumni took over and catapulted to the victory line making the game the 3rd championship won in a row! After the intense game was over more friendly softball games were ensued. Will the students ever break their losing curse? We’ll have to see at the 4th semiannual softball game!
“Thanks Finance Alumni & MBAA staff. Had fun today!” –Sherry Lin
“Thanks Alex, Ivan and everyone else who helped plan. The annual bonfire was awesome! Glad I attended.” –Don Villa ’06
“I had a great time and now I’m burnt to a crisp!” –Dorissa Martinez ’01
Summer BBQ in the Sequoias
The Business Finance Alumni Chapter hosted a BBQ under the shade of beautiful Sequoias on August 18. Members and guests had the opportunity to spend the night in a cabin making this a perfect end-of-summer getaway. Team building exercises, hikes, and conversations over the campfire allowed members to bond and get to know each other at a personal level. View photos.
3rd Annual Beach Bonfire
Attendees were greeted by the smell of delicious hotdogs and burgers barbequed on the grill and friendly faces all around on July 7th for the third annual Beach Bonfire hosted by the Business Finance Alumni Chapter in collaboration with the Master in Business Administration Association. More than fifty alumni, students and friends gathered in Huntington Beach for fun on the sand. This event provided an opportunity for members to interact in a more intimate setting while enjoying all that the beach has to offer. Some played beach games while others kicked back and socialized amongst their peers, new and old.
Have Wine, Will Travel to Santa Barbara
The Business Finance Alumni Chapter in collaboration with the College of Communications, College of Education, Hispanic-Latino, Nursing and Real Estate & Entrepreneur Chapters hosted their annual Wine Tasting Bus Trip. This year 33 Titans headed to two Santa Barbara stops, the Carr & Summerland Wineries.
The attendees arrived early to enjoy a light breakfast and refreshments before heading onto the bus in anticipation for the exciting day ahead. Along the journey to Santa Barbara co-MC's, Emily Fragoso and Thuan Lam, hosted fun trivia games with prizes for the winning teams. The event provided individuals an opportunity to get to know one another in a relaxed environment while enjoying the the beautiful scenery along the hills of the Santa Barbara coast.
"The wine tasting event was great! We all had a lot of laughs along the way. Looking forward to next year's event." - Jerry Lam ’04
"This was completely worth waking up for!" - Mel Brown ’08
"This was my first experience going wine tasting. With the games, socializing, and overall fun and exciting atmosphere, I would absolutely do it again. Thank you to everyone who organized such a great event." - Vanessa Alvarez ’02,’03
Speed Networking Event
The American Marketing Association "AMA" and Society of Advance Management "SAM" had the opportunity to host a Speed Networking Event for Business Madness with some of the Alumni Association Chapters on March 6. It was the first time the student clubs collaborated with the Alumni Association Chapters (Accounting, Business Finance, Business Titans, Los Maestros, Vietnamese MBA) to put on a professional event. The goal of the Speed Networking event was to provide the students with an opportunity to speak with as many alumni professionals in their respective field in an allotted amount of time.
There were approximately 40-50 alumni and students throughout the night. The questions provided for each interval helped initiate interesting conversations. Katrina Lee, Director of Social Events, American Marketing Association stated “This event was a great experience for me as a senior this year, it gave me the possibility to network with alumni and get their stories to help my development into my career after graduation." Dung Vu, President of the Business Finance Alumni Chapter commented "It was a great to see so many alumni from various professions come out to share their experiences with the students. Some of them even offered to come back to be guest speakers."
Softball Rematch
The Business Finance Alumni Chapter hosted a softball rematch against the Student Finance Association and Gamma Iota Sigma on Saturday, February 25. The afternoon consisted of softball, mingling, and a hearty lunch from Panda Express. With a flip of a coin the Students vs. Alumni softball rematch began and the perfect day soon turned into a perfect storm for the students as the Alumni pulled away with an 18 to 9 victory!
Joint Fundraiser
On Sunday, February 19 the Hispanic-Latino and Business Finance Alumni Chapters held a joint fundraiser at Round Table Pizza in Fullerton. The event raised money for future chapter outreach and events. While the event was all-day, 20 Titans arrived in the early evening to watch the Lakers/Suns basketball game together. Hispanic-Latino Chapter President Dorissa Martinez ’01 commented, “Round Table has been a staple within the Titan community for years, so hosting a fundraiser there is a natural fit; that, coupled with the support of our loyal alumni chapter members is the recipe for a successful event!” In addition, all attendees were entered into an opportunity drawing; winners were: Alfonzo Herrera ’11, Mel Brown ’08 and Debbie Regius ’98.
New Year's Celebration
Chapter members welcomed the New Year with a celebration at the Alumni House on Saturday, January 14. "It is great to start off the new year in the right direction, and what better way than to collaborate amongst the Business Finance, Business Titans, College of Communication, Hispanic-Latino, and the Nursing Alumni Chapter. It was awesome to see new faces, reconnect with old friends, and most of all, have a great time. There was plenty of food, drinks, and opportunity drawings available for those in attendance. The event also provided a few of us the opportunity to say farewell to a Mr. Argus Tong, former Assistant Director of Program & Events for the Alumni Association. He will truly be missed." ~ Cristina Vazquez '07, Public Relations Chair, Hispanic-Latino Alumni Chapter.
Business Alumni Earn Softball Bragging Rights
The Business Finance Alumni Chapter co-hosted an alumni vs. student softball game with the student organization, Finance Association. The stakes were high with pride and, bragging rights on the line. The losing team captain had a lot at stake as he/she would be pelted by water balloons if their team was defeated.
Ultimately experience triumphed over youth as the Alumni team emerged victorious. All attendees enjoyed a great game, all you can eat tacos and watching the team captain of the Finance Association, Stephanie Chavez, getting cooled off by a bucket of balloons! View photos.
Branding Yourself as a Business of One
Jeff Beals, the award-winning author of "Self Marketing Power" shared with attendees the art of self marketing and building one's personal brand on September 14 at a Joint Chapters Mixer at the O’Brien Room in Mihaylo College. Beals shared that the art of self marketing is difficult for a lot of people and provided tips to help build personal brand while striking a balance between healthy self promotion and egotistical boasting.
In attendance was current student, Conrad Hawk, who won a coaching session donated by Life Coach and alumna, Mina Watkins '01.
This event was co-hosted by the Accounting, Business Finance, Business Titans, College of Communications, Hispanic/Latino, Real Estate & Entrepreneur and Vietnamese-American MBA Chapters. View photos.
Titans and Broncos Unite at First Co-hosted Chapters Event with Cal Poly Pomona
The Cal State Fullerton Business Finance and Hispanic/Latino Chapters celebrated the summer festivities by hosting the first ever co-hosted event with the Cal Poly Pomona Latino Professional Alumni Chapter at Covina Park on July 23. Titans and Broncos alike enjoyed grilled carne asada tacos, fun, games, prizes, and new networking opportunities! President of the Cal State Fullerton Business Finance Chapter Thuan Lam ’06 remarked, "The Titan-Bronco BBQ was a huge success but should only be viewed as the humble beginnings of a growing CSU alumni network! It was refreshing to see motivated individuals all working together for the common goal to build one big CSU family! I’m excited to see what the future brings and talks have already begun with other CSU campuses." Cal Poly Pomona Latino Professional Chapter member Yanet Garcia added, "It was definitely a pleasure to team up with CSUF’s Hispanic/Latino Alumni and Business Finance Chapter. I believe this is the beginning of many great things to come. We are primarily aiming to create additional networking opportunities for our CSU graduates and hope to continue establishing a sense of community within the CSU System." View photos.
Mid-Summer Night's Mingle - Networking Mixer at Phans55
The Business Finance, Hispanic/Latino and VAMBA (Vietnamese-American MBA) Chapters hosted a networking mixer at Phans55, a Vietnamese Bistro, on June 2. More than 50 alumni, students and guests attended to mingle and network at the cozy lounge and outdoor patio. Due to the popularity of this event, future joint mixers are in the works for the future. View photos.
Alumni & Students Gain Tips to Market Themselves at the GradExpo
More than 100 Titan alumni and students came out to the Mihaylo College of Business & Economics on April 21 for the 1st Annual GradExpo hosted by the Alumni Association Business Chapters (Accounting, Business Finance, Business Titans, Real Estate & Entrepreneur and the Vietnamese-American MBA Chapters). It was the first collaborative event of its kind and attendees had the opportunity to take professional headshots, have their resumes critiqued, learn the benefits of the Career Center, hear a social media etiquettes and tips presentation by Joseph Aldrich, Principal Consultant of The Cypress Group
Members, friends and family of the Business Finance & Hispanic/Latino Chapter in collaboration with the College of Education, Nursing, Real Estate & Entrepreneur and Vietnamese American MBA Chapters enjoyed a networking brunch on March 13 at the Super Mex Restaurant in Fullerton. Everyone had a superb time and had the opportunity to mingle and reconnect with fellow Titans, make new friends and share laughs while feasting on tasty cuisine. The excellent turnout can be attributed to the great collaboration among all six chapters. 
