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Meet JSOM Student Anthony Chu
Anthony Chu is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Accounting at the Naveen Jindal School of Management and he is expected to graduate in Dec. 2026.
Chu has been involved with the Freshman Mentor Program, Future Business Leaders of America, and is an Academic Excellence Scholar.
Coming to UT Dallas
When looking at colleges, Chu felt attracted to the proximity and prestige of The University of Texas at Dallas.
“When I toured the school finally, my senior year, I got a better grasp of what it was like and the quality of the education in the business program specifically,” he said. “And they had Chick-fil-A on campus.”
Life on Campus at JSOM
Chu is up for trying out fun events on campus, even some that fall outside his primary comfort zone. Some of the social activities he has attended on campus include a barbecue hosted by Baptist Student Ministry and a Halloween bash with the Freshman Mentor Program.
“I poorly decorated a pumpkin, but it was fun meeting other freshman that are my year and other mentors as well,” he said. “It was a really good socializing event in that it got me closer to other members of the student body that I otherwise wouldn’t have met.”
On the more academic side, Chu has excelled in business competitions.
“For Future Business Leaders of America, I was a competitor in two competitions for Foundations of Accounting and Business Presentation,” he said. “I took first in both competitions at the state level for my individual and then as a team, with my partner. At the national level I took fourth for Accounting and then third as a team.”
This upcoming semester, Chu will be balancing his classes with a part-time job at Goldman Sachs as a state and local tax compliance worker.
“I’m going to class early in the morning and then for Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I’ll be leaving to go work part time in downtown Dallas,” he said.
Overcoming Obstacles and Finding Success
Before coming to UT Dallas, Chu considered himself a more timid sort of personality.
“I’m very much the type of person that lets my work speak for itself,” he said. “Going into my first year in college, I realized that I can’t do that. I need to better develop a way to advocate for myself in a conversation, otherwise a lot of these different opportunities will slip away.”
With time and practice, Chu has been able to gain more confidence speaking for himself, whether that is with recruiters or potential employers.
In addition, Chu has found success in research and problem-solving.
“During the spring semester I did an undergraduate research program,” he said. “Originally, I had a research topic that I thought was going to work very well, but it turns out that the question didn’t really make sense. I had to rework my problem much later in the semester than everyone else. I had limited time and my question was more unorthodox. Others were analytics-based or machine-learning-focused. Mine had to deal with movie production.”
Chu reached out to the research help desk at the library and consulted with a couple different professors. In the end, he was able to map out what he should focus on and ace his research paper. While getting the top grade was great, Chu was most proud of his diligence in digging deep to learn about a topic he had not understood before.
Mentorship Along the Way
Chu feels grateful for the support and guidance of Dr. Patricia Totusek, an assistant professor of instruction in the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology, who taught his Survey of Oral and Technology-based Communication (COMM1311) course.
“That class was one of the very first times I reached out to my professor and went to her office hours to ask for her advice,” he said. “She gave me a solid foundation that I used for the rest of my freshman year that helped me be more active in the classroom and translated to better communication skills both inside and outside the classroom.”
Advice for Fellow Students
Chu wants his fellow students to understand that everyone’s story will be different.
“Don’t try to compare yourself to other people,” he said. “There are so many different factors that have brought someone or you to the position you now hold. Everyone runs their own race in life. Don’t care about who’s in the lane right next to you. You set the pace, you have your own aspirations in mind. You can do so much more if you just think and focus on yourself.”
Looking to the Future
Now entering his sophomore year, Chu is open to a variety of possibilities.
“I’ve considered potentially getting a minor,” he said. “I’ve always liked tech and I took my first programming class during the spring semester. I didn’t expect much, but I really liked it and excelled at it even though it was something I was very wary of touching my whole life.”
Chu looks forward to his next semester working his part-time job and exploring the academic opportunities that surround him.
