James graduated in 2022 with minors in Finance and Spanish.
He currently works for Boeing as the Global Compliance Integrator for Engineering, Testing, and Tech activities world-wide.
The International Business Major
The IB major frequently placed me in situations where I interacted with new students every few weeks, which was beneficial. The curriculum was particularly useful in teaching me cross-cultural communication, global trade, economics, supply chain, and problem-solving through various business cases. These were all subjects I am currently exposed to at The Boeing Company. The International Business major equipped me to work effectively in a multi-national business environment.
Why Boeing
During my Junior year, working for Boeing became my primary goal. I liked Boeing because of their impressive portfolio of products. Their mission to “connect, protect, and inspire through aerospace innovation” called to me early on. I wanted to learn how to sell their products.
James’ Current Role and his Experience at Boeing
My first entrance into Boeing began with my Junior year internship in Global Trade Controls. After working the internship, I completed a rotational program with 5 jobs across Supply Chain, Finance, Audit, and Strategy. Currently, I work as the Regional Defense Integrator of Compliance for the Asia Pacific and the Global Integrator for Engineering, Testing, and Tech activities world-wide. Integrators ensure Boeing programs are complying with foreign policy regarding international sales, travel, trade, and services overseas, while mitigating corporate tax costs as best we can. This position empowered me to be a leader since I am responsible for interacting with numerous subject matter experts and safeguarding Boeing programs from liability and cost. It’s a cross-functional effort to document, present, review, and deliver guidance for international activity.
James on his newsletter, The Pivotal Shift
This newsletter reflects my purpose to inspire people, as I believe feeling inspired and understanding your purpose are crucial. It serves as my way of supporting others, particularly by encouraging others to persevere in their personal development journeys. My hope is to inspire my audience to find purpose, vitality and clarity.
Advice for Students
Don’t look at what other people are doing; look within to see what you want from your education. Once you decide on that, look for internships as soon as you can so that you can interact with real-world professionals who have experience in the field. Additionally, keep working on things that inspire and empower you. That’s my wish for everyone.
James on Industry Skills
Soft Skills: Have the eagerness to learn and be able to learn quickly. Especially when you join a new team, you need to be able to inherit responsibility and do your tasks correctly. Knowing how to ask the right questions and being responsible enough to produce high quality work is very important.
Hard Skills: Financial modeling is important in Corporate Finance. I’ve used this skills in numerous capacities, one of which is when I worked in financial planning and analysis. I forecasted costs into the next quarter and facilitated budgetary decision making. I was responsible for forecasting costs in the next quarter to assist in budgetary decision-making for the 787 aircraft. Other relevant skills include leading group calls with various stakeholders, internal auditing, documentation, presentation, industry research, estimating, and procurement.