Thursday, May 9, 2013
Dominic Chua Ouano ’13, who values building relationships, will begin a career as a social media director shortly after Commencement.
by Susan Cousins Breen
Marketing major Dominic Chua Ouano ’13, who arrived in the United States from the Philippines at the age of 2, has hit the jackpot with his first job out of college. He has been named social media director for Percepture, a marketing and consulting firm in New York City. “They wanted someone young,” he said.
The Hillsborough, N.J., resident, who plans to have his own marketing/branding firm one day, likes to surround himself with successful people so he can feed off their energy. He also enjoys teaching people things, which he did as a manager of a sales office in one summer job.
“It can be difficult while the learning is taking place but after they succeed it’s such a good feeling; it’s about more than the money,” Ouano explained.
For Ouano, it’s all about helping other people. His long-range goal—to help his Philippine cousins adapt when they arrive in the United States—drives him to succeed. Currently, he is an international student mentor helping fellow students make the transition into American culture. “Now I feel ready to do the same for my cousins when they arrive,” he said.
In his junior year, Ouano did a marketing internship with the Rider Department of Athletics. As a senior in a work-study position, he oversaw the College of Business Administration’s social media initiative, including the Facebook page, which he launched. He recently completed a job with New Jersey Entrepreneurial Network in Princeton—a position he was offered through his College of Business connections.
As director of philanthropy for MASA, the Marketing and Advertising Student Association, Ouano chose Relay for Life as an opportunity for the organization to give back to the community. In addition, he has participated in the Minding Our Business program in which two student mentors work with a team of disadvantaged elementary school children, teaching them how to run a business for a day. Ouano, who is an only child, says, “The takeaway for me was learning how to work with kids.”
Ouano leaves Rider with a feeling of accomplishment and a sense of being a well-rounded professional who can tackle marketing challenges from all angles.