Ohio University Leader Lounge

A Journey of Growth and Opportunity: Kay's Story of Pursuing Education and Career Goals

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This episode features an interview with Kay, an MSM student graduating from Ohio University who shares their journey from Thailand to the United States and career at Amazon. Kay discusses overcoming language barriers, pursuing different education and career paths, and credits the MSM program for helping them gain new skills and a promotion to HR Partner. The hosts praise Kay's determination and proactive approach to learning. Kay emphasizes the importance of lifelong learning and obtaining complementary skill sets to succeed in one's career.


For more information about the Ohio University MSM Program, click this link!

Check out the Robert D. Walter Center for Strategic Leadership program here.

OnBrand Podcast Studios produced this episode. Special thanks to Audio Engineer Alex Winnenberg, Producer Nick Winnenberg, and Marketing Specialist Cori Stokes.

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UNKNOWN:

Bye.

SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to the Leader Lounge. We're happy to have you back with us. I'm here today with co-host Nick Winnenberg.

SPEAKER_00:

Hello, America.

SPEAKER_01:

MSM.

SPEAKER_00:

There we go. And you are? And

SPEAKER_01:

Kay. Hi, my name is Kay. I'm a MSM student, and I'm graduating in the summer. Beautiful. And could you say your full name for us? Kwanwale Kamtui.

SPEAKER_00:

Kwanwale Kamtui. I'm going to try that. I see why you went Kay. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_01:

I love that. We're so glad you're here with us today. and I'm excited to talk to you.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm

SPEAKER_01:

Dr. Amy Taylor Bianco and I'm the director of the MSM program and co-host with Nick.

SPEAKER_00:

Thanks, fantastic. You said doctor this time. I did, I

SPEAKER_01:

worked on it. He's

SPEAKER_00:

been working on it. But anyway, Kay, thank you so much for joining us today. I know that you've been an MSM student for how far into the program?

SPEAKER_01:

Almost two years. Yeah, because I did summer classes, so I'm graduating in two years.

SPEAKER_00:

And from my stalking, I mean research that I did before, I saw a little bit of operations, then HR, and kind of bouncing around. So what were the certificates that

SPEAKER_01:

you picked? Human resource and operation, supply chain management.

SPEAKER_00:

And how is that impacting where your career is and kind of seeing where you're

SPEAKER_01:

at? So before I started the program, I originally wanted to work toward becoming an area manager for Amazon. Oh, cool. at the time of enrollment, I was a process assistant for Amazon for three years. And I was looking for the way to progress in my career. And I figure maybe my undergrad was in psychology, so I thought maybe I need more of the business skill to You know, I need to sharpen or find those skills to help me to become a good area manager. Yeah, and then after I finished my human resource certificate, I got the opportunity to move up. I got a promotion to be an HR partner. We

SPEAKER_00:

hear that a lot for the SM program. We do. I started the program and magically I was promoted.

SPEAKER_01:

And you got a big promotion too, right? Yeah, it was a very good opportunity.

SPEAKER_00:

Nice, and still with Amazon.

SPEAKER_01:

Still with Amazon.

SPEAKER_00:

I've never heard of Amazon before. Who's One of

SPEAKER_01:

the greatest company. One of the things I remember about you the whole way through is you were always trying for the next step and you were saying, how can I, and you were putting yourself out there for interviews, which is hard to do and saying, okay, I want to move to this. I want to do that. And always like happily kind of testing yourself and working harder to see what you could do. Yeah. I'm like always like not confident person, like internally. So I feel like, um, the The more I know, the better prepared I am. So the best way is to go through school. Yeah, talk to like mentorship or, yeah. What

SPEAKER_00:

are some of those life lessons they've taken away from the MSM program going

SPEAKER_01:

into it? I feel more confident about my roles. I feel that opportunity is endless because at this point, after summer, I feel like I accomplished my goal. There are so many opportunities within Amazon or any other corporation world.

SPEAKER_00:

There's a ton out there. It's very exciting. I know that you have a couple of points too from like the soft skill side or the hard skill. What are some of those lessons that you think cross just a career path or what's made you a better leader?

SPEAKER_01:

So when I'm thinking about my first manager at Amazon, his name was Tyler Smith. He was the one that made made me wanted to stay with Amazon. Yeah, he was very encouraging, he was very respectful, so he is my role model.

SPEAKER_00:

Is he from Cincinnati, by any chance?

SPEAKER_01:

No, he's from Columbus area.

SPEAKER_00:

I was going to say, I knew Tyler Stewart from Cincinnati, he's a pretty cool guy, but I guess

SPEAKER_01:

it's a pretty common. That's pretty neat. So what about your early life? It seems like maybe you didn't have formal business experience, but you've had business experience throughout your life? I was born and grew up in Bangkok, Thailand. When I was 14, my mom married my stepdad and we moved to Florida. Florida? Okay,

SPEAKER_00:

cool. That's a change.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I was excited though. I did not speak English at all.

SPEAKER_00:

Really?

SPEAKER_01:

No, I just say hi and thank you. And

SPEAKER_00:

then you moved to Ohio. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01:

I love Ohio. How much later did you move to Ohio? So we moved around a lot and my My parents opened a restaurant in West Virginia, in the Huntington area, and I started at Marshall University, but I ended up finishing my degree at OSU in psychology. That makes sense. And you worked a bit in the family business, right? Because I think that there's got to be business experience there. There's ups and downs, and yeah,

SPEAKER_00:

it's

SPEAKER_01:

not easy.

SPEAKER_00:

What's the family business?

SPEAKER_01:

A Thai restaurant.

SPEAKER_00:

That's awesome. So what's your favorite dish to cook?

SPEAKER_01:

Pad Thai.

SPEAKER_00:

What's your least favorite dish to cook?

SPEAKER_01:

Ooh, I'm trying to think. Maybe like fry stuff.

SPEAKER_00:

Really? Yeah. Yeah, same. Deep fryers freak me out personally.

SPEAKER_01:

So tell us the restaurant name. We might want to have it. Thai House Restaurant. Thai House Restaurant. Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

And it's still in Columbus?

SPEAKER_01:

It's not. Oh. Yeah, because like after my stepdad passed away, we kind of separate. Yeah. Yeah. So I was focusing on my career goal. Okay. Yeah, get my schooling done and started working at Amazon. Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I love that. You're just moving all around the world. You're a world traveler going from Thailand to Florida to Ohio. What's been some of the major changes? Culture shock or culturally going into it?

SPEAKER_01:

A little culture shock, language, communication. Sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, you speak a fantastic English for sure. So was it a bigger shift going from Thailand to Florida or Florida to Ohio?

SPEAKER_01:

After Florida, I went to San Diego, actually. Okay. So my life is not a straight line. It's great. up and down, go around the hill, and yeah. So after high school, I was in the Navy for four years. You were? Oh, wow. Thank you for the service. Thank you. What did you do in the Navy? Personnel specialist, paperwork, human resource

SPEAKER_00:

in the Navy. You had some HR in there then. Okay. So you were stationed there?

SPEAKER_01:

I stationed there.

SPEAKER_00:

Gotcha. And then you were there in Ohio.

SPEAKER_01:

And then West Virginia first.

SPEAKER_00:

Of course, because why not? Do you even So I

SPEAKER_01:

feel like I'm set. I'm settled in Ohio. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Gotcha. So where's been the biggest culture shock from Jumps then? Was it the original language barrier? Or I mean, going from Florida West Coast is a little bit different.

SPEAKER_01:

It's not so much of a culture shock. It's just like sometimes you want to get, like you want to talk to people. And like... we don't know if it's too friendly or not too friendly, too much, or you know.

SPEAKER_00:

It's

SPEAKER_01:

trying to find a balance.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. You came to the Midwest and everyone's just full friendly.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

You just can't be too friendly for the

SPEAKER_01:

Midwest. And I met my boyfriend in Ohio. And yeah, his family is great. Oh, that's great.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so now you're one of us. Now you're officially a Midwesterner. So do you say ope when you run into people inside the grocery store? Nope. You've learned that? No. I didn't learn that. I didn't learn that either. So when Midwesterners, you're from the Midwest, right? Yeah. So when you bump into someone in the grocery store, like, oh, sorry, right? So we had a friend that came over from Austria, and she was living with us for a couple weeks, going yards, and she walked in the grocery store, and she bumped into somebody, and then the person said, oh, and then she's like, I don't know what to say to that. Like, it's not her native language. She's never heard this word, oh, before, right? So she came back there, and she's like, what does that mean? Someone said, oh. I'm like, oh, it's just like an oh, excuse me, like, oh, sorry. Like,

SPEAKER_01:

oh. Like, I'm buying

SPEAKER_00:

you? Yeah. Yeah. It's just something that we say.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, that's great. I learned something.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, you're welcome. That's the Leader Lounge podcast. Brought to you by Ohio University. So with that, she tried to start doing it. And just because it's like, oh, sorry. She was like, oh, sorry. I'm like, no, that's not how that works. So it's different. You have the

SPEAKER_01:

links to say it out.

SPEAKER_00:

So we'll just work on you saying, oh, and then after that. I'll try that. Yeah,

SPEAKER_01:

I'm excited. I'm going to hear about your, I do want to hear about, but I want I want to hear about your unique skill sets, because it takes a lot to do operations or analytics and HR. It's a great combination, or and sales, to use different parts of the brain to develop different skills. Did you know you were going to do that? No. No, because, well, I like the MSM program that you can pick two certificate to work on, and I think I don't know much in the HR side. I know operations, but why not, you know? Okay, so you just said why not China. Yeah, yeah. And it turned out, I took Mr. Tim Reynolds' class, and he said the best HR is the HR that understands the business. So with two certificates, it kind of helped out. I understand the operations side, and I can help with the area manager, operations manager, and the associate in the building. Because I know what the business need is, and personal needs. needs for the associates. What are any ways that you lead differently or because of the program or you think partially because of what you've learned? I feel that like again, like we took class in how to avoid biases. Yeah. That's a good one. Yeah, I love that. And so I am no longer using just my intuition, you know, to make a decision. I you can critically thinking. You have all the knowledge that we learned throughout the program to help you make a decision. Yeah, this is tied to this theory. It is tied to this concept. This is, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

That's beautiful. I catch, so anchoring bias was one of the things I learned in that course too. I catch myself in that all the time, right? Someone's like, hey, it was$7.99, but now it's$5.99. You're like, wow, that's amazing. That's a lot of water, right? Like that's not, there's just the small things you pick up in that course is amazing.

SPEAKER_01:

And like collaboration and sometimes mental load is too much.

SPEAKER_00:

Did you have Tim's course after that at that point?

SPEAKER_01:

I'm about to have my last class with him in strategic communication. Because you did the, you had Steve Messler's class already? No. No, okay. Yeah. Good. They're all amazing. Yeah, they're all amazing.

SPEAKER_00:

It always cracks me up how different they are too because even going from Dr. Beach, Mellie, you're like, okay, they're different but close and then you have different professors, you're like, that's a couple of you. Yeah, but that's

SPEAKER_01:

one of me is the best. Yeah. They're all good, though. They're all good. And we try for all really different people that have different points of view, right, to try to model. Like, you know, we happily intellectually argue with each other all the time about things. And I think that's important because to have that dialogue where we have different points of view. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

100%. What would you tell another student that is either going to the MSM program for the first time, following a similar background, or they are a traditional student that's coming straight out of college or coming out of the workforce? What advice do you have for new students?

SPEAKER_01:

I'm going to use the Amazon leadership principle, learn and curious. Learning is a lifetime thing. like sometimes I used online platform, like online school, like MSM online school to help you accomplish your goal because I don't think I would be able to finish my master without going through the online program because I wanted to keep my current role. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And they got a promotion out of it too. Yeah. So

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, humble brag, but good job. Thank you. Exactly. My mom's very proud. Oh, I wish she did. That's so great. So what would you tell people if they're not sure about paying for the program? Because I think it's a hard choice, right, to make, to invest in yourself in that way. School is an investment. And, yeah, definitely. And sometimes you can get scholarship. And you can, well, if you look at the job requirement for some job, there will list, like, we prefer someone who has a master degree or someone who has 10 years of experience. And you kind of, like, check that list. That, yes, I have that. I'm prepared. Yeah. So that's one way. to help you land a job. And sometimes some company will offer you sign-on bonuses. Yeah, and that can help toward, you know, pay toward your school.

SPEAKER_00:

The financing side of it, too. Yeah. And it's a big lift, but like what you said, it's an investment at the end of the day, right? I mean, you personally saw that promotion earlier. Yeah. I think the record's still out right now. It's promoted four times in the program, three times in the program. So, I mean, that's the outcomes you kind of see, right? Yeah. Yes, it's an investment, yes. upfront costs, but virtually everyone is paying for it pretty early

SPEAKER_01:

on, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Other questions

SPEAKER_01:

you got? And how has the community part worked for you? Like, I see you talking to people and so forth. Like, how has that helped you? How have you contributed, you know, to the MSM community? I spread the word about OU a lot because I love the school so much.

SPEAKER_02:

Good. We'll pay you later.

SPEAKER_01:

And Amazon is actually partnership with OU right now. So Amazon has a program called Career Choice that they pay$5,250 a year. And the OU online is listed on there.

SPEAKER_00:

So this is a shout to every other Amazon. Please come here. We have an opportunity for you.

SPEAKER_01:

You won't be disappointed. And I met my classmates that does also work for Amazon. We have the operation manager, transportation associate in the So who did you meet? Like who? I forgot the name. But I was like many, like at least four. Yeah, okay. I'm so sorry. Yeah, I'm just so curious. That's really interesting. And you always reached out to other people. You were always like, okay, you know, you'd come from one. You'd show up at all the extras, which I think matters. And then you'd talk to different people and say, okay, can you go and talk to so-and-so? Or, you know, and you would do it. So you took every opportunity. Yeah. And that's, I think, also makes you very successful. Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity. No

SPEAKER_00:

worries. Do you have any closing thoughts or anything?

SPEAKER_01:

Just keep learning, keep curious. And one last thing. I came up with this recently. I feel that the ingredients to be successful is people should have at least two skills.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I feel like this is a whole different thing. Okay, what do

SPEAKER_01:

you think about that? So my experience with a restaurant, Mom and Pop, We go ups and downs and sometimes we lose money because we don't have the knowledge in accounting or operations. So I wish that I had that knowledge so I can better manage my mom's restaurant back then. I had a degree in psychology. So psychology alone, it's just understanding people. When you combine it to human resource, you understand people. and you can help the business. Yeah, or even if you're a doctor, you can treat a patient, but if you know you have the MBA side, you can manage your own practice. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So what you're saying is have that technical skill set at the same time have that business IQ and that business skill set and watch them combine to actually form that career path for you.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

I love that. Yeah. What's my skill set? What great advice. You're a radio

SPEAKER_01:

broadcast

SPEAKER_00:

and management, so it's important. I should be the next Conan O'Brien. I have the hair for it already. I feel like I should just lean into it at this point. What's your two skill sets there?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, great question. Probably data and the... more in the understanding, having worked a lot with data, and then the people side, the org change, like the humanistic side of org change.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, you're a very well-published person. Yeah, we're a part of it. So I was hoping you'd say that as well.

SPEAKER_01:

Throw that

SPEAKER_00:

in there. Just a small little, how many publications is it? That's fine. But no, that's fantastic. I think it's a great message for everybody at home. So is there any other closing thoughts or any other ideas for lessons you picked up along the way?

SPEAKER_01:

That's it. Just two things. Master it. skill sets and utilize the online study platform.