(Photo Of Jennifer He submitted by subject; Singapore skyline by AdobeStock)

Jennifer He ’19 (MBA) wants international Tar Heels to be a part of the Carolina community.

By Kay Langley ’22, ’24 (M.A.)

Jennifer He ’19 (MBA) knows that even if it’s by the Marina Bay instead of the Old Well, connecting with fellow Tar Heels creates a special kind of community. Thanks to her efforts, the Carolina Club of Singapore is about to officially launch.

Her motivation is deeply personal. “I’m trying to build the kind of community I wish I’d had when I arrived in Singapore — a network that helps people get settled, make friends and feel at home. It’s not just about professional connections, although that’s important. It’s also about simple things, like where to find the right kind of cheese from home and knowing where to watch the UNC-Duke game,” she laughed.

Jennifer hopes other international alumni will see the value of getting involved. “Whether you’re relocating, transitioning between jobs, hiring or just passing through, a strong alumni network can be a lifeline,” she said. “And for more established alumni, it’s a chance to give back — just like I was once helped.”

Embracing the experience

When Jennifer arrived in Chapel Hill to start at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, she was looking for a change and found more than a degree. After a few commercial roles in engineering and consulting companies for almost a decade in Shanghai, she wanted to get a stronger academic understanding of the business skills she had been using in practice.

What she found at Carolina was more than just a degree, but a lifelong community.

Meeting with Carolina alumni in Shanghai drew her to UNC Kenan-Flagler over other business schools. “In comparison to some of the other schools, UNC alumni really struck me as smart, friendly and down to earth. That was a big drive for me when choosing where I wanted to go, and the community really was that way when I arrived.”

From day one, Jennifer embraced the experience wholeheartedly. Her first leadership moment came during orientation, when she organized a flash mob featuring international and domestic students — complete with choreography and music from around the world. It was a creative way to break the ice and to help international students gain confidence. “A few classmates wrote to me afterward thanking me for helping them step out of their shell,” she said. “That meant a lot.”

Throughout her two years at UNC Kenan-Flagler, Jennifer combined her passion for leadership with a drive to succeed.

She pursued consulting, choosing to spend the summer between her first and second years at McKinsey & Company in Atlanta. Inspired by the generosity of second-year students who mentored her during the first-year recruiting process, she became President of the MBA Consulting Club, making her the first international student to hold that role. “As a first-year, I was not expecting that level of time investment and effort from second-years. I learned a lot through them and they helped contribute to my success. I wanted to give back in the same way I had been helped,” she said. “It was one of the most meaningful things I did at school.”

Jennifer was also deeply involved in the MBA program’s social life. Whether leading cultural performances, cooking for international food festivals or dancing at Global Night, she not only participated but created opportunities for others. “To me, it was never just about having fun. I wanted to help international students integrate and feel more confident. That was really important.”

Her contributions were recognized with one of UNC Kenan-Flagler’s prestigious Core Values Awards for Leadership, a highlight of her time in the program.

Why not Carolina?

Today, Jennifer is leading teams and driving growth as the Southeast Asia GM for one of Henkel’s business units. But her commitment to UNC hasn’t faded. In fact, she’s taken on a new mission: building the Carolina alumni network in Singapore.

“When I first moved here, I barely knew anyone. I saw other universities had strong alumni networks and thought, ‘Why not UNC?’” she said.

Carolina has strong institutional ties to universities in Singapore and an impressive showing of alumni. Over 500 Tar Heels live in Singapore – punching above its weight with a small population.

Singapore is home to one of UNC-Chapel Hill’s four strategic partners – the National University of Singapore (NUS). Bilateral exchange is strong between the universities: more than 700 Carolina students have studied abroad at NUS, and more than 400 NUS students have studied abroad at Carolina. This fall, UNC Kenan-Flagler is launching a three-way partnership for a cohort of undergraduate business students from each participating university to study together at Carolina, Singapore Management University and Copenhagen Business School for a semester each.

With these ties, Jennifer was hoping to connect with Tar Heels in Singapore, but found dead end after dead end. She tried connecting with alumni through an inactive listserv with no response. She reached out to people individually on LinkedIn, connecting with alumni and offering to show Carolina exchange students around town. She recalled an alumni event in 2023 where a grand total of seven alumni showed up.

Then, after making a gift to Carolina, Jennifer left a comment urging more international alumni engagement — and to her surprise, the newly-formed Office of International Fundraising and Engagement responded. “It meant so much that the University listened.”

Ready to launch

From that point forward, Jennifer became a key connector. She reached out to fellow alumni in Singapore, offered to mentor exchange students and started working with UNC-Chapel Hill staff to lay the groundwork for an official Carolina Club in Singapore. She even consulted with other alumni leaders in the area to learn how to establish a registered nonprofit organization — a requirement for university clubs in the country.

William Shuey, Carolina’s executive director of international fundraising and engagement, shares Jennifer’s goal of connecting global Tar Heels. After joining the University’s new initiative to engage alumni worldwide in fall 2024, he quickly recognized Jennifer’s passion for building Carolina community and made it a priority to meet her during a business trip to Singapore.

“When I first met Jennifer, I was so impressed with the groundwork and benchmarking with other alumni groups she already did,” said Shuey. “We are incredibly thankful to Jennifer for stepping up. I am confident she will make the Carolina Club of Singapore a model that other alumni communities will seek to replicate.”

Now, with interest growing and volunteers stepping forward, the club is nearly ready to launch. “We still have some administrative work to do, but we’re getting there,” Jennifer said. “We’re already surveying members about the kinds of events they’d like and starting to plan.”

This spring, thanks in part to Jennifer’s outreach efforts, more than 100 Tar Heels attended a Carolina alumni event in Singapore – the biggest Carolina alumni event ever held in Asia. It’s a strong start toward strengthening the global Tar Heel network. The event will now be a routine occurrence each spring.

Her story has come full-circle: from connecting with local alumni before choosing Carolina to creating those alumni connections in a new country.

“I hope the next person doesn’t have to say, ‘I wish there was a UNC community here.’ I want it to already be there for them.”

Interested in connecting with global Tar Heels in your area? Send us an email at [email protected] or connect with the Tar Heels Global Network on LinkedIn.

The Office of International Fundraising and Engagement aims to engage Tar Heels outside of the United States; strengthen our network for the benefit of alumni, students and friends of the University; and advance UNC-Chapel Hill as a more global institution. We invite all Tar Heels to give their time, talents and treasure back to Carolina through volunteerism, mentorship and philanthropy. Additionally, we aim to connect Tar Heels with each other, around the world and across generations, to further strengthen the global Carolina network.