Students

Grades plus service: An outstanding student leaves his mark

Ethan Owen already had a bachelor's degree when he decided to pursue the Computer Information Systems program. In fact, he also had several years of interesting job experience, including a stint at Pixar Studios, where he worked on "Monsters, Inc." and "Finding Nemo." But this non-traditional student wanted to master math, so he doubled back to the Department of Information System's undergraduate program. He did nail his math classes -- and all the rest, finishing with a 4.24 GPA. But along the way he also made the school better, by teaching and by helping found two student groups. knowIT salutes this stand out student!

2010-06-08

Ethan Owen's path to the Department of Information Systems was a bit little longer, and more varied, than the other undergraduates in his class. You could say it started at Tulane University, where in 1997 he was awarded a B.A. magna cum laude in English with a minor in Economics. After that he taught for a couple years, then he landed a job at Pixar Studios, where he worked in production and as a project manager on "Monsters, Inc." and "Finding Nemo." Next, he was a producer for a company that makes interactive educational products, then on to walmart.com where he was a resource manager, then to San Francisco, where he launched a digital branding department at Landor Associates. Around that time, Ethan says, his seven-year-old daughter asked him some thought-provoking questions about what he did for work. That's when he decided he wanted to go back to school and study information systems. But why another bachelor's degree? "Because I felt it would be fraudulent (to start a master's program) if I didn't address my deficiencies in math." When faced with calculus, Ethan said, "I always ran." Talking to advisors at the W. P. Carey School, he realized that after taking the math classes he wanted he was close to fulfilling the requirements for a second degree. "It seemed smart" to pursue it, he said, and he completed it with a GPA of 4.24. A stand out student That kind of honesty and a drive for personal excellence is what made Ethan the Department of Information System's nominee for the W. P. Carey School's Outstanding Graduating Senior award. In his nomination letter, information systems department Chairman said "lifelong learning is the fabric of (Ethan's) personal life map." "Pursuing one's dreams with intellect, dedication and persistence is Ethan's hallmark, and no matter whom you talk to who knows Ethan, they'll quickly tell you that he dreams big and works hard to make his dreams a reality," Goul wrote. Ethan's father was a law professor and his mother has two masters degrees, and the high school he attended in the San Francisco area was taught by Ph.D.s — clearly the family values education. It's no wonder he wanted to conquer math. And in fact, he discovered that he was thriving in his math classes — so much so that he was part of the College Algebra Redesign program at ASU. High aptitude math students with an interest in teaching were asked to teach a 100-level college algebra class, which Ethan did — as the lead teacher, not a teaching assistant. Getting students more involved Ethan was part of a sub-set of the Barrett Honors College: students who are a little older than the average undergrad — with a few years between themselves and their last classroom experience. They were an "energetic, focused, smart group of people," he said. "It was fun to be around people the same age as me." Encouraged by Barrett staff, Ethan helped found and lead a new group called BHCANS, pronounced "beacons," short for Barrett Honors College Association of Non-Traditional Students. As a former project manager, Ethan likes things that are well defined, so the group decided to raise money for scholarships, utilizing an unusual gift to do so. Former student Andrea Garfinkel-Castro had been running a balloon bouquet business for 10 years and was giving it up. She gave BHCANS her equipment and trained the members to use it. Then Ethan threw out an idea: make and sell exam survival kits consisting of a balloon attached to a package of healthy snacks. As a result, BHCANS markets the kits to Barrett parents. For the past couple semesters the group has sold and delivered 30-40 kits. At each delivery they take a photo of the student with his gift and send it to his or her folks. Ethan said their goal was $500 per year, but they raised twice that, and he hopes they can bring the total up to $1,000 per year this fall. All proceeds will go to a scholarship, beginning Fall 2010. Another group Ethan helped to establish is ASU's student branch of ACFE — the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Together with a fellow student, accounting major Darek Kochman, Ethan helped bring together accountancy, criminal justice and computer information systems students to learn more about the professionals who ferret out fraud and cheating in business. "I grew up in the 'greed is good' decade," Ethan explained, and he had decided he would not be interested in a conventional career in business if it involved dishonesty. In its first year, ACFE has brought top flight speakers to campus, and in fact Ethan hopes to become a Certified Fraud Examiner in the future. What's next? At writing, Ethan was getting ready to move back onto the career path. He hopes someday to get a Ph.D., but for the next 10 or 12 years he'll be in industry, "working on the kids' college funds." His family leads a life as interesting as Ethan's days at ASU, but busier, according to Dad. His wife, April, is a Clinical Research Associate (CRA) who travels a lot for a job she loves. The family splits their time between Gilbert and Pasadena, CA, where daughters Zellie, 9 and Reese, 7, are enrolled in a French immersion school and keep busy with children's choir and water polo. Yes, water polo! Quipped Ethan: "I didn't even know there was water polo for kids!"

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