WHY DID I CHOOSE THIS STORY?
Ingrid and I were born and raised about 15 minutes from each other in New Jersey but did not officially meet until we were suite mates freshman year. Because of this, I was already familiar with her vocational high school but wanted to learn more about it specifically from someone who experienced it. I wanted to learn about the unique opportunities she had, how it got her to where she is today and if she would recommend it to others. Enjoy!
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LIVING UP TO THE VOCATION
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WHO IS INGRID CHAU?
Ingrid is a third-year student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she is double majoring in Business Administration at the Kenan-Flagler Business School and Economics. However, unlike most college students, Ingrid was focused on her business aspirations since she was 13 years old and attended a vocational high school.
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A MAJOR IN HIGH SCHOOL?
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“Taking specialized classes in high school really showed me that I actually like what different business fields consisted of and that I can see myself doing it in college“
-Ingrid Chau
In the eighth grade, Ingrid decided to apply to Bergen County Institute of Technology, a vocational high school. As a vocational high school, they require all applicants to choose a “major” they would like to specialize in throughout their high school career. Ingrid then decided, at the young age of 13, that the business world was something she wanted to pursue.
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At her high school, she took courses within the different specialties of business and had teachers that were professional in their perspective fields to guide her. Through her years at Bergen Tech, these teachers acted as networking tools and gave advice she could apply to her potential career in finance. With these helpful resources and hard work, Ingrid finished her high school career at the top of her class, with college credit and a multitude of admission offers from schools such as Georgetown University, Northeastern University and UNC Chapel Hill. With the goal of being a student at Kenan-Flagler, she accepted her offer to UNC.
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TRANSITION TO CAROLINA
When Ingrid arrived at Carolina, she had a “narrowed pathway in mind” which set her apart from her peers. She successfully finished her freshman year with a competitive GPA and was involved in clubs such as Carolina Women in Business, Relay for Life, HYPE, etc. She spent the summer working on her application to Kenan-Flagler Business School and showing them her unique experience in attending a vocational school that has prepared her for this moment. In October 2019, Ingrid was finally able to declare her Business Administration major. Since then, she has been working towards her degree, continuing her community involvement and on the hunt for a summer 2021 internship.
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FUTURE PLANS
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“My ideal job would be doing corporate finance in some kind of fashion company or work for a corporation that I incorporate into my life everyday”
-Ingrid Chau
With a year and a half left in her undergrad, Ingrid is working towards finishing her majors and hopes to secure a position in the finance world. She is currently interested in the intersection between business and fashion and is looking for opportunities that allow her to explore these two interests.
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SEE INGRID’S STORY
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Special thanks to my good friend Ingrid Chau for taking the time to participate in this digital story project.
Infographic information found at https://bcts.bergen.org/