{"id":28703,"date":"2026-01-16T11:07:24","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T16:07:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/?p=28703"},"modified":"2026-01-16T15:54:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T20:54:54","slug":"david-yi-connections-that-run-deep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/2026\/01\/16\/david-yi-connections-that-run-deep\/","title":{"rendered":"Connections that run deep"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lauren Eckenroth | January 2026<\/em><\/p>\n

When David Yi<\/a> (Questrom\u201920) moved to Los Angeles shortly after graduating from Boston University, he didn\u2019t know anyone in the area beyond the friends he had moved with. In a city as vast as LA, even the Orange County, California, native found it challenging to connect with new people.<\/p>\n

So when he came across an invitation to a Welcome to Your Network event hosted by the BU Alumni Association\u2019s LA Network<\/a>, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to meet people and make new friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cConnecting with others who share that BU experience gives you an instant starting point,\u201d Yi says. \u201cWhen you meet new people, you usually have to search for common ground, but with the alumni group, that first step is already taken and it really helps break the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yi\u2019s connection to BU runs deep. His aunt attended in the 1990s, and he grew up hearing stories about her time in Boston. So when he got the opportunity to join a high school program at Boston College, he jumped at the chance to explore the city he had heard so much about.<\/p>\n

He remembers riding into the city on the B Line with the friends he made in the program and marveling at how much closer BU was to the city. That experience helped him set his sights on a different college in Boston. \u201cI really fell in love with Boston,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was a big leap from where I grew up to where I wanted to go, but I knew I wanted that collegiate environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yi knew he wanted to study business when he got to BU, but he wasn\u2019t sure what his exact path would be. He entered Questrom School of Business and began working his way through the core classes. It was a class with Professor Cornelia Newell, master lecturer in finance, that \u201claid the foundation for me to understand the math and reasoning behind finance. It clicked for me and made me want to pursue that track,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"davidWith his goals solidified, Yi was working toward graduation when the COVID-19 pandemic closed universities across the country. After finishing the second half of his senior year from home, he graduated into a challenging job market. He began to leverage his alumni network as he searched for a full-time role. \u201cA lot of alumni were really receptive to it,\u201d he says. \u201cThey gave me feedback and insight into what they do. It gave me a lot of clarity in what I was looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now a wealth advisor, Yi understands more than ever the importance of building strong, lasting relationships. He and his team work alongside business owners, families, and retirees to help them plan for the future, manage their assets, and guide them through important financial decisions. \u201cWe\u2019re entrusted with an incredibly personal and important aspect of our clients\u2019 lives. Building trust and genuine connection is the foundation of everything we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe job is very people-focused, and that\u2019s something I\u2019ve really come to enjoy,\u201d he says. \u201cJoining this industry felt like a natural fit, and it\u2019s given me the chance to meet so many great people. It\u2019s also made me appreciate how important relationships are, whether in business, with friends and family, or within a community.\u201d<\/p>\n

That realization, Yi says, led him back to BU.<\/p>\n

Showing up at that first LA Welcome to your Network event, Yi anticipated maybe 20 people, but was pleasantly surprised when he found 80 or 90 alums gathered. At a holiday party a few months later, Yi was similarly impressed. He met Jesse Saucedo<\/a> (CAS\u201900), then cochair of the LA Network, and asked how he could help.<\/p>\n

\u201cEver since college ended, I wanted to be a part of something bigger,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd what better way to do that than joining the alumni group of a college that I had such an amazing time at. Especially because my senior year ended short because I did not have a proper end to four years at BU. So I thought this was a great way for me to get involved again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DavidNow a cochair of the Los Angeles Alumni Network himself, Yi works with his fellow cochairs\u2014Christopher Payne<\/a> (CAS\u201904) and Michelle Ortega<\/a> (CGS\u201907, COM\u201909), as well as Korey McIsaac, senior associate director of alumni networks\u2014to plan events that will engage and grow the alumni community in the LA area.<\/p>\n

Previous events include a panel with LA Rams Chief Marketing Officer Jennifer Prince, in which she brought a Super Bowl ring to show the attendees, and a Q&A followed by a game-day experience with Larry Freedman<\/a> (Questrom\u201985), copresident of the MLS Los Angeles Football Club, which Yi helped organize.<\/p>\n

This winter and spring, Yi and the other Network cochairs are working on Beanpot tournament watch parties, volunteer opportunities during Global Days of Service<\/a> in April, and other events to bring the LA alumni community together.<\/p>\n

His work with the LA Alumni Network has been so rewarding, that Yi has since joined the inaugural Young Questrom Alumni Council<\/a> to help strengthen the connection between Questrom students and the alumni community.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on his volunteer work with BU, even Yi is a bit surprised at the direction it has taken. \u201cI never really saw myself as someone that would be this involved in the alumni space,\u201d he says, \u201cbut sometimes things find you, and I think that\u2019s the case for me. It\u2019s been an absolute pleasure being able to serve our LA Terrier community, and I\u2019m excited to see how we continue to strengthen and grow in the years ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Regional Networks provide many opportunities to stay connected with the BU alumni community through online channels and in-person activities. See how you can get involved!<\/p>\n

Join an alumni network on BU Connects <\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"LA<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/scribe-shadow><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BU has always been part of David Yi\u2019s life. Now, he helps alumni connect with the LA Alumni Network.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25491,"featured_media":28729,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13,5],"tags":[164,1012,882],"featured_img":"\/alumni\/files\/2026\/01\/David-Yi-Blog-Thumbnail.jpeg","agg_excerpt":"BU has always been part of David Yi\u2019s life. Now, he helps alumni connect with the LA Alumni Network.","agg_title":"Connections that run deep","media_icon":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28703"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25491"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28703"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28744,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28703\/revisions\/28744"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}