July 22, 2008
David and Steven Yang
Born in Taiwan, twins Steven and David Yang were nine when their mother brought them to New York to join their father. "We hadn't done particularly well in grade school," says Steven. "Our parents thought we might fare better in the U.S."
Her optimism proved justified, and when the brothers graduated from high school, both went on to college. Ultimately, both dropped out.
But the story doesn't end there.
Coming Home
"Like most college freshmen, I expected to graduate in four years," says Steven. "I majored in business at the University of Pittsburgh, and hoped to work on Wall Street some day. But I wasn't prepared for the coursework and, after three years, swallowed my pride, came back to New York and got a job -- not on Wall Street, though."
After putting in a year at SUNY-Fredonia, David transferred to Temple University, where he majored in computer science. He too wound up leaving before completing his degree work and returned to New York.
Steven spent four years in the retail sector, and later worked at a series of office temp jobs. In 1994, he decided it was time to resume his education, and enrolled at BMCC.
"The school opened doors for me that I thought had been closed," he says. In time, Steven graduated from BMCC and went on to earn a Bachelor's degree in business administration from Baruch College. He subsequently spent three years as a financial analyst in Deutsche Bank's global corporate finance division, later parlaying his skills into a successful consulting career.
"BMCC isn't just another community college," Steven says. "It's a place that gives students who are unsure of their future the opportunity to succeed as long as they're willing to try."
First Things First
After leaving Temple, David found it difficult to come home to New York. "I had no degree and really didn’t know where to begin," he recalls. "My first priority was to get a job. But I knew the only way to advance in my career was to go back to college."
While his earlier college grades had been below average, David says, "BMCC saw something in me and welcomed me as a student." Following in his brother's footsteps, he graduated and continued his education at Baruch, where he is currently pursuing a degree in business administration.
"When you start college, there's never a guarantee that you'll graduate," David says. "My brother and I both struggled, but BMCC gave us the edge we needed to complete our studies."
