Two years ago, Chinese native Zhiming “Allen” Tan was a tour guide in Shanghai and serviced an MBA cohort for Hamline University’s School of Business on an International Seminar; fast-forward two years later, and Tan is entering his fourth module while pursuing his Master in Business Administration (MBA) at Hamline this fall.

“I feel so proud and so lucky that I got this study experience here,” Tan said.

Tan grew up in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, a province in China, and received his degree in Tourism Management at Suzhou University. He later became an employee of Shanghai AirLines Tour International, a tour company in Shanghai that helps VIP groups and special business schools. Through his work there, he was acquainted with Hamline School of Business (HSB).

In the fall of 2012, Tan was the tour guide for HSB on an International Seminar to China. HSB traveled to two cities in China as part of their seminar, first Beijing and then Shanghai.

When Tan guided the MBA cohort through Shanghai, one of the students he connected with was Rory McCabe (MBA 2013). Tan said McCabe gave him a “good impression” of Hamline University.

“Very progressive, smart … good at networking,” Tan said of McCabe. “He make [sic] me feel more confident about my transition here.”

Tan was surprised to learn they would be visiting and networking with high end companies. They were getting access to important people Tan wouldn’t ordinarily meet as a citizen in Shanghai.

McCabe found Tan friendly and engaging with a special interest in business, so he, HSB Dean Anne McCarthy and Jenny Keil, professor and department chair of HSB, invited Tan to tag along with the cohort as they met various companies through the seminar.

“We…felt like he was an equal participant,” McCabe said. “Then we started talking about how good of a match he would be for Hamline University’s MBA program and just our brand in general.”

Tan said McCarthy and Keil both helped him realize the importance of an MBA and how it would benefit his career.

“They gave me very good guidance about business school, applying to business school and how it helps,” Tan said.

Keil explained she and McCarthy “recruited him heavily” because they were impressed with his communication skills as well as his desire to learn business.

Tan revealed he had a plan before he met HSB to travel to the US to study business.

“I didn’t go into it blindly. I went into it with [a] lot of research,” Tan said.

In China, professors and fellow students of Tan praised the US for its business schools, which sparked Tan to begin researching. Through his research, he discovered the US offered a high quality education in the business field.

Minnesota business schools held a particular interests with Tan because he was aware of the positive reputation Minnesota had in China when it came to business. In the summer of 2012, Minnesota’s Governor Mark Dayton opened Minnesota Center China in Shanghai. Tan interpreted the transaction as China valuing Minnesota as a business state.

His combined research and experience with the members he met from HSB made Tan confident he found the right place.

“Through conversations and Allen’s enthusiasm in what we were doing, it…came out that Allen was looking towards using Hamline as his next catalyst for his own career,” McCabe said.

Tan arrived to campus in the fall of 2013 and said he was coming into this experience with one goal in mind.

“I wanted to learn courage to do business on my own and become [a] professional business manager,” Tan said.

Although he has only completed three modules, Tan said he feels confident in the progress he is making. He said the learning environment in the classrooms of Hamline and China are very different.

He explained college is more intense at Hamline — exams and a heavier load of homework — compared to China. He also said professors at Hamline monitor the students participation through case studies and class engagement, which is something he did not think happened in China. All in all, Tan said the education system in the US is more effective than China.

“When I have a child, I will send him here to get an education,” Tan said.

Along with Tan’s education, he has gained field experience as a Project Manager intern at Ecolab the past summer. His duties were to research and study projects to help the company save money and seek opportunities to help the company find better supplies. He called it a “precious, very valuable learning experience.”

Tan credited Keil for connecting him with the internship opportunity. Keil had introduced Tan to her husband, Dave Keil, who is the Vice President of Enterprise Excellence at Ecolab Inc. She realized they were looking for an intern to handle a data analysis project and felt Tan would be a good addition.

“Every time I see him, he’s full of energy…he’s got perseverance, for sure, and willingness to try new things,” Keil said. “Allen has a really strong desire to learn.”

In addition to education, Tan is very appreciative of the people he has met. Prior to enrolling to HSB, Keil explained to Tan how the MBA program at Hamline had a cohort system where students would essentially be with the same group throughout all six modules. She felt it would help make Tan’s transition smoother.

Tan said he joins his cohort for MBA social activities and even enjoys playing a basketball pickup game with a few of his classmates in his spare time.

Tan also complemented the HSB staff, describing them as “very friendly, easy going and helpful.”

“I really enjoy my graduate assistantship with [HSB staff members] Jamie [McClary], Erin [McCoy], Shawn [Skoog], and even Nadine [Sunderland] the assistant to dean of school of business,” Tan said. “They’re very efficient and helpful people.”

Keil said she’s happy Tan decided to pursue his MBA at Hamline and every time she sees Tan “he’s full of energy.”

“I’m really glad he’s here,” Keil said. “I think he’s doing really well and has a bright future.”

Tan is now entering his fourth module out of the six required to complete his MBA at Hamline.

“I feel so proud and so lucky that I got this study experience here. At first, two years felt so long, but now it feels super-fast. I will take my time and try the best I can,” Tan said. “I have better understanding of [sic] business world…now I’m more open to have better possibilities to my business career.”