Angela Tsuei is a fifth-year honors student at Northeastern University graduating May 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and a master’s degree in engineering management.
Angela began her studies at Northeastern in bioengineering with a concentration in biomedical devices as she was interested in working in the healthcare industry due to her passion for helping people and wanting to make an impact on the lives of patients. She learned quickly however that she was not quite interested in lab work, and while she still wanted to work in the healthcare industry, she knew that bioengineering was not for her.
Fortunately, Angela attended the industrial engineering freshman forum run by Professor Beverly Kris Jaeger-Helton, who was then Galante Engineering Business Program Director. Industrial engineering was the perfect fit for Angela, because unlike other engineering programs which have a high technical focus, industrial engineering develops engineering skills along with nontechnical and social skills. The intersection of business and engineering intrigued her, and the wide applications meant that she could make an impact on the healthcare industry outside of a laboratory setting.
During the summer of 2019, Angela decided to participate in Northeastern’s Dialogue of Civilizations, a specialized set of study abroad programs. The dialogue she participated in was in Taiwan, where she learned about systems thinking for advanced delivery systems. In Taiwan Angela had the opportunity to take a simulations course and collaborate with universities and hospitals. She also had the opportunity to work with other industrial engineering students in the dialogue, some of whom were in the Galante Program. As she was already interested in applying for the Engineering Management combined master’s program, living closely with these students was influential in deciding to join the Galante program as well.
Angela officially joined Galante in February 2020, although she had attended events in 2019 as a prospective student. Since joining Galante, Angela gained critical leadership and communication skills that made her more comfortable with networking and public speaking. The Galante program gave her exposure to potential career paths and opportunities and served as a preparatory program for management.
Angela is an active member of the Galante program with her role as Mentorship Program Coordinator. Galante’s mentorship program is a fundamental piece that supports the culture and vision. Angela is responsible for pairing Galante mentees with experienced Galante fellows. Angela uses background information gathered from both mentors and mentees to make the most effective pairings that would be beneficial to both parties. Throughout the semester, Angela checks in with the pairings to monitor progress and program development. As a mentor herself, she contacts her mentees regularly, having become close friends with them. Angela recently expanded the mentorship program to include prospective Galante fellows. This expansion promotes early involvement in the Galante program, further enriching its depth.
In addition to participating in the Galante program, Angela has completed three co-op rotations. Her first co-op was with Wayfair as an inventory planning analyst, which gave her crucial professional experience and technical knowledge. Her second co-op was at Boston Children’s Hospital as a continuous improvement consultant, and her third co-op was with Brigham and Women’s hospital as a process improvement consultant. It was at her final two co-ops where she not only had the opportunity to work in the medical field, but also in a career path that she was interested in. Consulting – more specifically continuous improvement consulting – allowed Angela to work on projects that engaged front-line staff and employees to optimize internal functions. Internal consulting was more attractive to her than other consulting jobs because it was intimately involved with the organization’s growth, allowing her to develop relationships with the employees within it. Additionally, because she would be consulting within the organization of the company, any connections that she made or changes that she implemented would have an impact on her future projects.
In her free time, Angela enjoys photography and cooking. Inspired by sentimental family photos, she has also been reflecting on her heritage through cooking. Angela enjoys cooking foods from different cultures and comparing their flavors and ingredients, but one cuisine that she has put particular focus on is Chinese cuisine. Angela has been learning new family recipes to connect with her grandparents and extended family in China and immerse herself in her family’s culture.
Angela is currently working part-time with Straumann Group dental manufacturing company as a business excellence consultant. In summer 2022 she plans to travel to Europe and explore new and unique cultures as well as the rich history. After graduation Angela aims to find a career in continuous improvement consulting in the healthcare industry.
