International Alum Lands Job at Shanghai Disney

Written by Bailey Smith, Communications Intern, College of Business

As a former international student in the College of Business, Minru Zhao ‘17, considers herself to be lucky. After arriving from China, she felt welcomed and accepted at BGSU from day one and received a jumpstart to her career, resulting in an impressive finance position at Shanghai Disney Resorts. Zhao took advantage of opportunities offered by the College of Business.

Zhao recalls many helpful experiences that contributed to her success in the College of Business, but one of the most helpful experiences was visiting the Business Career Accelerator. Through the career office, she was able to complete her resume and obtained her first on-campus job. She also attended the Dean’s Guide to Practical Business Workshop which helped Zhao with job hunting, networking and interviewing.

While attending BGSU for finance, Zhao landed a marketing and sales internship at Walt Disney World in Orlando. “Interning at Walt Disney World was one of my best decisions. Other than the fully developed training programs and company organized networking events, the mentor program was so appreciated,” says Zhao. Her mentor, Susan Dodge, assisted her in landing a full-time position in financial planning and analysis at Shanghai Disney Resort after graduation.

Zhao was recently promoted at Shanghai Disney Resorts. When approached by the strategy department with an opportunity, Zhao naturally accepted. “Making plans for the future of a world leading brand in its merging market definitely excites me,” Zhao shares.

The BGSU graduate looks forward to the many opportunities to come within her career and attributes much of her success to the College of Business at her alma mater.