Staff Spotlight | Joina Hsiao
Joina Hsiao is the Associate Director of Career Services for the Master of Professional Accountancy program. She joined the Merage School in 2016 to provide individual career coaching to MPAc students to help them develop and refine professional business writing skills, effective interviewing capabilities, and targeted job-search strategies. Prior to joining the Merage School, Joina worked as a Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) for the Ethnic Studies Department at UC Berkeley for five years. As a GSI, Joina focused her discussion sections on helping students develop strong critical thinking, analytical, and written communications skills. In addition, she has helped her former students navigate through various post-graduation application processes. Joina has also worked with a third-party logistics company as a safety program administrator that championed efficient safety practices and ensured company compliance to OSHA regulations. Joina holds a Master of Arts in Ethnic Studies from UC Berkeley, a Master of Arts in History from UC Irvine, and a Bachelor of Arts in History and Asian American Studies from UC Irvine.
Tell us a little about yourself and your background. I’ve been passionate about higher education ever since I was an undergraduate student at UC Irvine. My UCI professors inspired me to pursue a career in academia and prior to joining Merage, I was a PhD student at UC Berkeley and worked with undergraduate students for 5 years as a Graduate Student Instructor. At Berkeley, I realized that I enjoyed working with students much more than research and pivoted my career into a role that would give me the opportunity to interact with students on a daily basis.
What is your role at MPAc? I am the Associate Director for MPAc Career Services program and manage the in-house career management education program for MPAc students at the Merage School Career Center. I partner with MPAc students to create personalized career development plans and guide them through successful school-to-work transitions.
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would you choose? Noodles
Is there anything you would like our students to know about you? I genuinely enjoy working with students and will be your biggest advocate. The job search process might seem overwhelming at first but I am here to support and guide you through it all so please don’t be a stranger!
What would we most likely find you doing on the weekend (i.e hobbies/interests)? Prior to COVID and having a daughter, I would likely be spending my weekend traveling, attending live music events/concerts, and trying new restaurants. Nowadays, I have a two-year-old daughter that keeps me quite busy on the weekends.
You can connect with Joina on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joinahsiao/
