April Alumni Hour: 2003 Scholar Alex Lau, M.F.A.
4-5 p.m., Tuesday, April 21 (Arizona time)
Location: Zoom
How do you build a career that thrives on disruption instead of just trying to survive it?
Join us for our upcoming Alumni Hour with Sara Zervos Knutson (’87) speaking with Alex Lau (‘03), as they discuss what a modern career looks like and his winding path from studying science to an unconventional line of work in video production.
His professional life has covered filming reality shows, high profile presidential campaigns, a news startup gone very wrong, an Emmy-winning talk show, and now a controversial tech titan.
They will explore how the variety in his work can be a guidepost for choosing jobs in the age of artificial intelligence, how to balance art and economics, and lessons learned from trying to merge personal values with work.
Note: The Q&A portion of this session will only be available to those attending live.
Missed last month’s Alumni Hour? Previous sessions are available on our YouTube channel or listen to the podcast on Apple/Spotify.
Alumni Voices
Nikhil Dave – Class of 2018
Will you share a little about your current role and what excites you most about your work?
I currently work at Population Health Partners—a biotech NewCo creation firm in New York City—where I focus on NewCo creation and business and corporate development. I love this place for several reasons, but by far the most important is the people. I’m extremely fortunate to be surrounded by a small team of world-class leaders and operators whom I get to work with and learn from every day. They’re exceptional role models—professionally and personally.
How did being a Flinn Scholar shape your academic and/or career path?
Being a Flinn Scholar and studying at Arizona State University taught me that the most important attribute in one’s personal and professional life is a desire to learn. No job title, salary, or prestigious award comes close to the value of approaching everything around you with an excitement for learning. I’ve consistently found that the people who are not only the most successful, but also the most fulfilled, are those who are always seeking to learn.
Is there a project, achievement, or experience you’re especially proud of?
Late last year, I got to play a meaningful role in Pfizer’s $10 billion acquisition of Metsera, where I served as director of business and corporate development. Developing drugs and working in biotech has been my life’s dream since I was 14 (see photo attached), so getting to be part of such a unique story in biotech over a decade later was, in many ways, a dream come true. I look back very fondly on the many sleepless nights leading up to that deal, largely because of the incredibly thoughtful colleagues I shared them with and the close friends and family who supported us all along the way.
What impact do you hope to make in your field or community in the coming years?
As I look back at my time in college, it’s impossible to count the number of people who selflessly took time out of their day to teach me something new or advise me on a decision I was trying to make. Over the next many decades, I hope to do the same for many others in my field and community.
What’s one unexpected skill you picked up during college that you still use today?
Scuba diving! Lake Pleasant is a great place to learn (because it’s only up from there!)
What’s the most surprising way your Flinn experience has popped up in your life post-college?
My roommate! When I first became a Flinn, I had no idea I’d end up living in multiple states with another Flinn — let alone a U of A alum — for four years (and counting!) Shout out to Anthony Rusk.
Flagstaff Gathering
Flinn Scholar alumni in the Flagstaff area are invited to happy hour from 5–7 p.m., on Thursday, April 9 at Mother Road Brewery. This will be an informal gathering with no expectation to stay the full two hours—feel free to arrive later if needed or head out early. The goal is simply to reconnect with fellow alumni you already know or meet others in the area.
Please indicate your interest (yes, maybe, or no) by March 26:
Opportunity from Melissa Sevigny (‘05)
Writing the Wild (with author Melissa L. Sevigny)
Green River (starting in Vernal, Utah), June 22-26
On this specialty Green River rafting trip, science journalist Melissa L. Sevigny (award-winning author of Brave the Wild River) will lead nature writing workshops designed to help you tap into your creative side and connect more deeply with wild places. Open to writers of all levels and genres, we’ll explore the power of storytelling together as we delve into the area’s extraordinary beauty. We’ll take a playful approach to writing while honing our observation skills. Every morning, Melissa will offer a new writing prompt to help you tap into your “wild mind.” Every evening the group will have a chance to write, read, and reflect together on the joys and challenges of the day. You’ll come away inspired, and with a handy toolbox (or ammo tin) full of practical writing tips. We’ll close the five-day trip with a celebratory sharing of poems, stories, and essays. Bring a notebook and a sense of adventure! No prior writing experience required.
Details about the trip here.
About Melissa:
Melissa L. Sevigny grew up in Tucson, where she fell in love with the Sonoran Desert’s ecology, geology, and dark desert skies. Her lyrical nonfiction and poetry explore the intersections of science, nature, and history, with a focus on the American West. She has bylines in the New York Times, High Country News, Sierra Magazine, and elsewhere. Her third book, Brave the Wild River, tells the story of two botanists who rafted the Grand Canyon in 1938. It won a Reading the West Award and a National Outdoor Book Award. Melissa has degrees in creative writing and environmental science, and has an asteroid named after her.