A Conversation with Minerva Incoming Graduate Student Chen-En Tsaur

This is part of a series of profiles introducing students from Minerva’s incoming Fall 2023 graduate class. If you would like to learn more about our programs, please visit our website.

Born and raised in Taiwan, Chen-en Tsaur moved to the United States at the age of 16, where, after finishing high school, she continued her educational journey at Carnegie Mellon University to pursue an undergraduate degree in Finance and Political Science. Surrounded by many hard-working and competitive students, Chen-en gained a lot of meaningful connections and got a sense of the power and impact she could have in the finance field.

“Since childhood, my biggest dream was to work on Wall Street. After graduation, I made that dream a reality.”

After her time at Carnegie Mellon, Chen-en joined Deutsche Bank's New York office as a Financial Analyst, then later on, she transitioned to their London office, where she took on the role of an Electronic Sales Trader.

Five years after completing her undergraduate degree, Chen-en decided to take her education to the next level and enrolled in an MBA at INSEAD Business School. With programs based in both Paris and Singapore, she was able to appreciate the value of an international community and its capacity for bringing together people with different backgrounds and experiences from all around the world.

After her MBA Chen-en worked in London for 3 years before returning to Asia where she continued to specialize in the financial service sector, utilizing her expertise in sales, business development, and financial analytics to provide banking, trading platforms, and hedge fund asset management with research and data-driven insights. At a certain point, Chen-en realized the need for further education.

“In this ever-changing world, some things stop being applicable over time. Therefore, I think every degree, after 10 years or so, should be renewed.”

Given the increasingly complex nature of the 21st century, it is essential for working professionals to be able to identify problems, understand their core, and then be able to come up with effective solutions. This thought led Chen-en to the desire to acquire skills and tools necessary to understand the world around her.

“Especially given the rise of AI, there is so much data involved in every big problem. I have never felt the urge to learn data analysis skills, such as statistics, programming, data filtering. But if I want to understand the world, I feel it is impossible to continue ignoring them.”

According to Chen-en, being able to analyze data and identify its underlying biases is crucial to make rational decisions. The role of AI is important as it can take communication to the next level, advancing globalization, and requiring even more complex decision-making.

“Especially at the executive level, it is crucial to not only make the best decision based on provided information, but to also identify the point where one first needs to uncover new information.”

Thanks to the Minerva alumni network in Taiwan, Chen-en heard about Minerva’s Master in Decision Analysis (MDA) program. Learning about the MDA’s emphasis on providing students with the analytical skills needed to succeed in today’s data-oriented world, Minerva stood out to her as an institution that was clear on the amount of work, commitment, and effort needing to be put forward, in order to achieve the desired results.

“I had a very clear objective—I wanted to make sense of the world around me. More so, I knew I was missing some of the tools to do so. If there was a program that told me that they were going to provide me with such a skill set, though it was going to be a difficult and demanding journey, it felt right. Minerva was unapologetically clear on what they expect from students and that was much more reliable than most of the other part-time programs I was looking at.”

After completing an undergraduate degree in the US, and her MBA in Europe, the prospect of learning among a diverse international community further encouraged Chen-en to apply to Minerva. What helped her make a final decision was the active learning methodology of the program. In her opinion, “no one else is doing it as well as Minerva.”

Chen-en is looking forward to meeting new people, acquiring new skills, and being open to various opportunities, while being challenged in the classroom. She is excited to combine her past experiences to find another career path she would be passionate about, especially in the business or education field.

“I am sure there is plenty I can learn, not only through the active learning method, but also directly from my peers.”

Chen-en highlights three elements that need to be fulfilled in order for her to thrive in the future—requirements she has for her career.

“First, I want to do what I am passionate about. Second, I want to help others, whether on an individual, societal, or business level. Third, I want to be in the best possible mental and physical state to thrive in what I’m doing.”

“Minerva is known for totally shaking up remote learning, creating cross-disciplinary curricula, and bringing in a diverse student body. But if I'm being totally honest, I don't know what being a Minervan will be like. What I do know is that I'll learn some helpful new skills to take on an increasingly uncertain world. I like to think of myself as a learner and a super curious person. Maybe, at age 43, I can add courage to that list and commit to a good thing without knowing everything it'll bring.”