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Community connection has always been important to Pacific Life Strategy Consultant Germaine Chen MBA ’16.  

After receiving her undergraduate degree in business from Cal State Long Beach, Chen took finance positions at local technology companies– Broadcom and Western Digital– to remain close to home. 

 “I was in corporate finance, and every month was the same and every quarter was the same. I just knew that I wanted to make a switch,” she said.

The UCI Paul Merage School of Business drew Chen due to its reputation and proximity to Orange County. 

“Merage had a good reputation, presence and alumni network in Orange County,” Chen explained. “I was looking for a program that was suited for where I wanted to be at that point in my life.” 

Small class sizes and professional relationship development are features of the Merage School that appealed to Chen. 

She said, “I was looking for a high-quality program and interactions within small class sizes. And the networking here in Orange County was really important because I wanted to stay.”

Chen was very active at the Merage School. She served as student ambassador, teaching assistant and president of the Merage Business and Technology Association. 

Chen also made the most of her time by obtaining an internship with her current employer, Pacific Life, during her first year at the Merage School. She was able to advance from the position of innovations intern into a full-time position as innovation consultant while still attending UCI. Now she is a business strategy consultant in the life insurance division at Pacific Life.

“I lead the strategic planning process, connecting our strategy to execution,” explained Chen. “Pacific Life has been around for a very long time, we have a very sound business strategy, so the question is how do we continue to stay relevant and win in our ever-changing environment. And in support of that, how might we have a strong strategy narrative we can communicate upwards and outwards to our board, executives and employees?”

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pacific Life has expanded their digital capabilities.  

Chen said: “Due to COVID-19, the pace of change is accelerated in our current environment. We are seeing that digital capabilities are winning now more than ever. So, we look at how we can accelerate the digital capabilities that not only keep pace with the industry, but also win in our chosen markets.”   

The most valuable lesson Chen learned while attending the Merage School was the ability to connect with others across different social and cultural backgrounds:

“A big part of my job is actually connecting teams and work across the division and even enterprise. Today I work with a lot of different people across different functions who have different working styles” she explained. “I have learned over time that communication and empathy are two key ways to connect and engage with people and the start of learning that was at the Merage School.”