Guthrie Angeles ’12

What kept each of you inspired and motiviated to keep going?

A lot of it was just a “Let’s just go for it” attitude. At one point in the competition, in October of last year, we were so close to giving up and dropping out altogether. But I guess it was just that “Why not? Let’s just go for it” attitude that kept us going. Because at that point, we were like, “Let’s just turn in the best we’ve got and see what happens.” In Hong Kong, we kept pushing forward by constantly reminding ourselves that we had already come so far and that we just needed to do our best while we were there.

What was it like working with the mentors?

Robert Dawson gave us an amazing amount of encouragement and help during the competition. Leighton Ige ’01 was another amazing mentor, giving us advice in terms of numbers, financial data, and even presentation style. Doc Inouye? What a trooper! Not only did he survive a stressful and busy trip; he constantly showed his unending support, gave us invaluable insight, and provided us with the confidence boosts we needed to do our best.

What do gave your team the winning edge?

I think our concise, understandable presentation; our composure throughout the question and answer sessions; and our complete confidence in our product, and in ourselves, are what gave us the winning edge in the competition.

How did you all get along with each other?

I had met Mark briefly when I was in the eighth grade and Zalman in seventh. Zalman and I were pretty good friends, but with time we eventually drifted. However, the competition brought us together pretty well. Generally, we haven’t really hung out despite becoming really close over the course of the competition, especially because we live so far from each other, (Mark in Waialae Iki, Zalman in Kaneohe, and me in Waipahu). We got along pretty well, with a lot of playful amd friendly horseplay and pranking to spare.

Describe the most memorable part of the whole journey?

Other than the announcement of our win at the competition, my favorite memories were those of Mark, Zalman, Doc, and Kandise (our student ambassador from Hong Kong Polytechnic University) hanging out, eating or exploring the city.

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