Fred Choi ‘92

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Fred Choi ’92 was about as far away from Ashland and Southern Oregon State College (SOSC) as one could get. But an acquaintance at home, who had attended SOSC, told him about the place and how special it was. At age 18, Fred took the plunge an ocean away and made the long journey to Ashland. It literally changed his life.

Fred’s last year in high school in Hong Kong was essentially like one’s freshman year in college and he came to SOSC with thirty-three credits. He dove into academic challenges, pursuing his degree in computer science and mathematics. He earned the ICSP – International Cultural Service Program scholarship, which was a huge boost to his education. He also helped his education by working 20-30 hours per week at the Cascade Cafeteria, eventually becoming a student manager. “Working at Cascade was a really good experience for me. It taught me how to balance my academic studies and my work life, which benefitted me forever,” he said. With his prior credits and multiple summer terms and some excellent classroom experiences and learning from professors like Ken Larson and Lee Hill, he was able to graduate in just two and one-half years.

During the summer break in 1991, Fred stopped over in Tokyo, Japan, for a week on his way to Hong Kong and attended a career fair. He found a company that needed programming skills, even though he didn’t speak Japanese. So, after commencement in 1992, Fred flew back to Hong Kong, got his Japanese work visa, and started his new job with Abacus in early 1993 in Tokyo. Fortunately, the company president sent him to a Japanese language school, which really stretched him mentally and physically along with work, but with an ultra-positive attitude, Fred believed “that’s when you can really grow!”

Fred moved on to a new position after four years in Tokyo to Irvine, California, where he became the chief technical engineer for an organization of Sony Global Solutions. With the internet boom of the early 2000s, came other opportunities for Fred in high tech startups and later, the insurance sector. In 2006, he pursued another job back to Japan, working in financial technology with Hartford Life Insurance as director of E-Business there.

Having lived in both the US and Japan, Fred and his wife Akiko decided that living in the US was best for them so they settled in Connecticut, staying with Hartford Life Insurance until 2016 and later, Travelers Insurance until 2018. In 2018, he applied his experience and entrepreneurial skills to begin a new career, one built on what he had learned over two decades of work and experience since graduating from SOSC. He started Authentic Leadership Solutions with a business partner and they are certified John C. Maxwell leadership coaches, trainers and speakers who emphasize helping people to fine tune their lives so that they can improve themselves and their organizations. That ultra-positive attitude is still working!

Learn more: Authentic Leadership Solutions, LLC