With each year that passes there are more and more BIC graduates doing great work all over the world. Each spring we publish brief “Alumni Updates” where our alumni can tell us some about their post-BIC lives. In addition to these annual updates, we post interviews with our alumni. Today we are excited to post an interview with Ruddy Tchao (’16). We hope you enjoy, and if you are interested in being interviewed for a future blog post, email us at BIC@baylor.edu.
What year did you graduate from Baylor? What did you study?
I graduated in 2016. While at Baylor, I majored in International Studies and minored in Business Administration.
What has been your journey since graduating from Baylor? What are you doing currently for work/career?
Upon graduating, I accepted a full time offer with JPMorgan Chase Bank. I started in 2016 as a Compliance Analyst working with a team that specializes in anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing. In 2017, I transferred to a new team and am now a Vice President- Onboarding Specialist assisting new government and not-for-profit clients with complex product implementations. The sales team wins the client’s business and passes the client over to me to help them transition their business to Chase. As painful as that can be, my job is to make that process easier for clients.
In 2018, I also got married to Mete Moomaw, a fellow Bic’er, and we welcomed a daughter, Zoey in January 2019. We currently live in Plano, TX.
What do you enjoy most about your work–or what is something you are currently excited about in your work?
I most enjoy bringing people together for a common cause. As the Onboarding Specialist, I act as the Project Manager during the onboarding process and I partner with sales, training, and the back office to ensure a smooth and successful transition. The projects that I work on can take anywhere from 3-12 months, so I get the opportunity to build deep and lasting relationships with both my internal partners and my clients.
I am most excited about new tech initiatives that are being implemented. In an effort to make the banking process easier for clients, the Bank is rolling out technology that will automate the account opening process for our business clients. This will shorten the onboarding process and minimize human error.
How has your BIC education influenced your life and/or work since leaving Baylor?
My BIC education has allowed me to approach my job in a more holistic manner. The BIC’s emphasis on complete formation has given me the tools I need to understand and approach common problems from a new perspective. I actually attribute some of my success so far to the BIC. Two of my hiring managers have asked me extensively about my BIC experience and explained how they were seeking candidates with a diverse background who would bring new perspectives and insights.
Do you have a favorite memory from your time in BIC?
My favorite memory would have to be meeting my now-wife. We met because I needed to borrow a book that she had used the previous semester and one of the BIC professors got us in contact with one another. From there, I sat next to her in Word Cultures II and annoyed her enough times that she agreed to give me a chance. Learning about the meaning of the word “myth” from Dr. Tatum is a close second. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you will find out soon enough.
Is there something you learned in BIC that still sticks with you today?
One of the best lessons that I learned from the BIC is that there is a way to disagree with someone and remain civil. I often run into disagreements at work when people believe that an initiative or project should be executed in different ways. As I watched the BIC professors do so effortlessly, I try to find commonality between the disagreeing points of view, ask follow up questions, and guide the working group to a common solution.
What are your goals for the future?
I’d like to be an expat- representing a corporation in another country. In the longer term, I’d like to work in the public sector, as a diplomat or an ambassador. I am fascinated by the conversation that occurs when two countries meet and I would like to take part in that conversation.
Do you have any advice for current BIC students?
While I was interviewing for internships and full time positions, I often thought that my course of study, which was in the humanities sector, was a hindrance. I fell into the trap of thinking that I needed to be a business major in order to work for a large corporation. I’ve since learned about how wrong that line of thinking was. Even among more senior leaders within the Company, I find literature, history, and fine art majors. I learned early on in my career that companies look for personality traits and critical thinking and writing skills more than a specific major. One of my managers even confirmed that the Company has training to assist with the job-specific knowledge, but that the aforementioned skills are priceless and cannot be learned in training. Instead of thinking about my course of study as a hindrance, I now think of it as cross training. As I was reading and discussing topics in the BIC, I was inadvertently being trained on leadership, integrity, and accountability- among other things.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
I would implore current BIC’ers to cherish the time they have now. In the BIC, we have the luxury of having highly skilled professors lead us in conversation with open-minded peers about topics that are very sensitive. It is hard to replicate such an environment outside of the BIC and I have yet to find one.
