Carl Liu
Class of 2020
Hometown: Shenzhen, Guagdong, China
Undergraduate University: Hebei University of Technology
Class Year: 2011
Major/Minor: English Language and Literature/Letters
Specialization: Consulting
Internships: Eternal Asia; SiriusXM
Carl Liu channels challenging situations into fruitful adventures. For example, in response to managing an intense project for an offshore oil and gas company, the Shenzhen native cycled to the Tibeton Plateau from the province city, making the 1,300-mile journey over ten mountain passes with elevations of 13,000 feet in less than 30 days. And then he did it a second time.
So when it came time for Carl to apply to graduate school, he sought out a challenge and an adventure.
"The U.S. and China are the world's number one and number two economic powers. It's very reasonable to think I could learn something from the first one, so that's why I came to the U.S.," he says. "I experienced something unprecedented and be fully devoted to a full-time program."
Carl had an opportunity to network and speak with several business school alumni prior to making his decision, something he encourages every prospective student to do. The full-time program came highly recommended, and after learning more details about the academics, the unique Executive Partner program, and the way of life in Williamsburg, Carl applied to William & Mary and received a scholarship upon acceptance. It was at this point he realized that it was a mutually beneficial fit.
Since he arrived on campus, he has surrounded himself with his fellow cohort members who also seek out challenge and adventure.
"I'm not very confident to speak out in public, so I will challenge myself during class to try to raise my hand first whenever the professor or a classmate asks a question. By doing that, I'm forcing myself to accept the challenge and make improvements. I developed a plan with several of my classmates, and we decided to keep monitoring each other and ensure that one of us will select a challenge every single day," he says. "We call it 'Adventure by Choice,' so from daily classroom activities, we can expand this experience."
Carl has pushed himself professionally as well, securing a strategy and planning internship over his first-year winter break in the Supply Chain Finance and New Business Market Entry departments with Eternal Asia Supply Chain, the largest supply chain company in China. This experience afforded him the opportunity to diversify his industry background, be exposed to new concepts and trends, and increase his professional network. He spent the summer between his first and second years in the full-time program working as a Finance Intern at SiriusXM's New York City office.
"I believe that life is about continuous improvement, and when I rest, I rust. So, during winter break, I was also self-learning some data-analysis software to better differentiate myself," he says.
Carl plans to leverage this experience and passing his Charter Financial Analyst (CFA) Level 2 exam—he's passed Level 1 already—with the network he's cultivated through his mentors in the Executive Partner program as he begins his job search. He's enthusiastic about the field of consulting and plans to specialize in it.
"Every single day, it has new challenges," he says. "I'm really passionate about helping organizations and businesses to develop insightful solutions. When we work as a team, I am honored to be a part of it and a part of the solution. This is not just two years of learning. I want to build this experience into my future and learn and improve continuously. By having the willingness to do this, I can really change my life."
