Katie Hoang
Texas Christian University, Neeley School of Business
“First-generation Vietnamese American investing in businesses, people, bold possibilities, and boarding passes.”
Fun Fact: My elementary career peaked when I was cast on the Food Network Kid’s Baking Championship.
Hometown: Keller, Texas
High School: Nolan Catholic High School
Major: Finance
Favorite Business Course: William C. Conner Educational Investment Fund
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:
Leadership Roles:
Neeley Professional Development Center Coach
TCU Catholic | Service Committee Chair
WCCF Educational Investment Fund | Chief Operating Officer, Equity Analyst (June 2025 – December 2025)
TCU Frog Camp Facilitator
TCU Panhellenic Rho Gamma (May 2024 – August 2024)
Neeley Mentorship Program (January 2024 – May 2024)
Zeta Tau Alpha Gamma Psi Chapter | Director of Sisterhood
TCU Student Government Association (SGA) | Marketing & Communications Chair, Neeley School of Business Representative, Class of 2026 Representative (September 2022 – May 2024)
Frog Aides | Cohort Member, Assistant Director of SGA Connections (May 2022 – May 2024)
Katie Hoang Photography | Founder
Federal Aviation Administration Student Pilot
Community Work:
Taste Project | Volunteer (2026)
Adera Foundation | Community Advocacy Coordinator (September 2024 – August 2025)
Go Beyond Grades | Student Consultant (August 2025 – December 2025)
Streetside Salon (pop-up salon in partnership with The Human Impact) | Founder
Honors/Awards:
TCU Chancellor’s Scholar
TCU Clark Society Scholar
TCU Outstanding Senior Finalist
John V. Roach Honors College
Where have you interned during your college career?
Company: JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Role: Summer Analyst, Global Private Bank
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Date: June 2025 – August 2025
Company: Satori Capital
Role: Private Equity Intern
Location: Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas
Date: June 2024 – July 2024
Company: City of Fort Worth, Chief of Innovation’s Office
Role: Strategy, Innovation, and Global Affairs Intern
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Date: January 2024 – June 2024
Where will you be working after graduation?
Company: Alpine Investors (Austin)
Role: Private Equity Analyst
Who is your favorite business professor? My favorite business professor is Professor Julie Miller because she fundamentally shaped how I understand the purpose of business and my own path.
I met Professor Miller during my junior year in Global Business with an Ethical Lens. On the first day of class, she shared stories from her work as Executive Director of the Adera Foundation regarding children receiving education for the first time, families relocated from a massive landfill, and women rebuilding their lives after. I left that class overwhelmed, unsure if I was prepared to wrestle with issues that heavy. She encouraged me to stay.
That encouragement changed my trajectory. Professor Miller challenges students to consider not just profitability, but dignity, sustainability, and long-term impact. Through her leadership, I traveled to Ethiopia with a student team to examine how nonprofits partner with local businesses to restore economic stability. That experience reshaped how I think about relief, rehabilitation, and development work and ultimately led me to help develop an Adera Foundation internship program so more students could engage with Adera’s work.
What makes her exceptional is not just her experience, but her example. After raising and homeschooling six children, she returned to school to earn her master’s degree and exemplifies true life-long learning and leadership. She is constantly reading and learning, connecting students to leaders in Fort Worth and internationally, always encouraging each of us to deepen our strengths while expanding our skills. She radically cares about every person she encounters.
Because of Professor Miller, I don’t just want to build strong businesses, I want to invest in people and steward capital that outlast me.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? Business school can feel competitive and comparison-driven. It’s easy to believe there is one “right” path to success. Over time, I learned that my greatest advantage wasn’t blending in, it was leaning into who I already am – a finance student who cares deeply about philanthropy, a nonprofit founder who values community more than capital, and a servant leader shaped by both resilience and ambition.
The moments I felt most uncertain were while studying abroad in Rome for a semester, running for Student Body President, and stepping into the Education Investment Fund. These were also the moments that defined who I am becoming. Business school taught me be bold and do everything to discern and to walk with purpose. I believe you differentiate yourself when you can embrace failure and discomfort.
What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? A textbook can teach you what the financial crisis is, but it won’t teach you the most important part of business: the people. Go to the panel even if you feel underqualified. Introduce yourself to the speaker. Intern for people who inspire you, not just companies with big names. Volunteer for nonprofits that tug at your heart; understanding social impact will make you a better operator and investor.
Some of my most formative business lessons came outside traditional settings, such as learning about global markets from a café in Italy, understanding sustainable enterprise from a fair-trade business in Ethiopia, and listening to founders share failures more candidly than successes. Travel if you can. Ask thoughtful questions everywhere. Business is lived before it’s analyzed.
The students who grow the most are the ones who treat every room, city, and conversation as part of their education.
Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? I don’t regret how I navigated business school, but if I could add one thing, it would be more global immersion and more entrepreneurial risk. In high school, I launched a business and a 501(c)(3), while I spent more of college pursuing structured leadership and internship opportunities. Looking back, I would have started another venture while still surrounded by the mentorship, funding, and support that college uniquely provides. The downside of risk in college is low; the upside is formative.
What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What is one insight you gained from using AI? One meaningful way the Neeley School of Business has integrated AI into my programming is through the recent launch of Neeley AI Forward, an initiative designed to give students hands-on, applied AI experience. Rather than treating AI as a theoretical topic, the program includes practical workshops, student-led AI projects, expanded coursework integration, and an industry advisory board that connects students directly to professionals using AI in real business settings. It positions AI as a core business competency, not an elective skill.
In my own classes, I’ve found AI is best used alongside idea generation, not in place of it. It has become a catalyst for creativity when used correctly. I often start with my own framework or thesis, then use AI to pressure-test assumptions, or bring concepts to life through image generation and content creation. The biggest insight I’ve gained is that AI amplifies originality when you bring clarity and intention to it, but it quickly becomes a crutch if you outsource your thinking. The value isn’t in letting AI decide; it’s in directing it well.
Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? Winning Miss Teen International 2021 as Miss Teen Texas placed a heavy crown on my head at a young age. As a sexual assault advocate and nonprofit director, I quickly learned the power of an individual’s stories and used that platform to advocate to at-risk women and children. A platform is only meaningful if it is used to amplify voices beyond your own. That season taught me how to carry both confidence and compassion, and how to speak about difficult realities with courage.
Throughout college, I intentionally sought opportunities to serve in similar capacities. I mentored incoming TCU women navigating recruitment and coached students through the Neeley Professional Development Center. When I encountered the Adera Foundation in my Global Business course, I felt that same pull, this time being able to use my business education as a vehicle for restoration for vulnerable women. Traveling to Ethiopia and later helping develop an internship program for students was a continuation of that commitment. I wanted to build more than awareness; I wanted to build a system where women’s stories were honored while students developed meaningful skills.
What I am most proud of is learning how to choose vulnerability as a connector rather than a weakness and allowing conviction to evolve into action. Pageantry, global immersion, and business education may seem unrelated, but for me they reflect the same belief: platforms are meant to be opportunities to be advocates, and courage should create something lasting.
Which classmate do you most admire? The classmate I most admire is Katie Siddons. From walking across Liechtenstein together to navigating college life side by side, I have watched her approach both adventure and adversity with her arms wide open.
As an IRONMAN World Championship competitor, Neeley Fellow, and future Tax Analyst at Deloitte, Katie embodies excellence without ever losing her humility. During our time studying abroad, I saw her navigate unexpected challenges with grace and enthusiasm. She moved through more than fourteen countries as a cultural chameleon being curious, respectful, and deeply invested in understanding the people around her. She is brilliant, but it is her emotional intelligence and ability to form genuine connections in any environment that truly set her apart.
Of all her qualities, I most admire her discipline. Whether training relentlessly for marathons and the IRONMAN or preparing for a case presentation, Katie operates with a quiet consistency that is rare. She knows her limits are often self-defined and she chooses to expand them. More importantly, she lifts those around her to do the same.
If I were building a team, navigating uncertainty, or even entering the Hunger Games, Katie Siddons would be my first pick. She is resilient, faithful, and unwavering- the kind of person who makes everyone around her better.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? Behind my success is an army of family members, friends, mentors, and professors who have poured into my growth and lifted me at every stage. My grandparents sought refuge in the United States in pursuit of opportunity and stability. Their courage laid the foundation for my family’s opportunities.
Most of all, I am grateful for my dad. He has taken every opportunity to build his business for our family. He is my siblings’ and my greatest supporter. My dad prioritized my education and faith development, while teaching by example how to serve and sacrifice quietly. Any success I have achieved stands on the shoulders of the risks they took long before I ever had to.
What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? Growing up, my dad would tell us that “education is the great equalizer.” That conviction became foundational for me, shaping my belief that learning is not a phase of life, but a lifelong responsibility.
First, I hope to pursue graduate study whether through an MBA, or in fields like law or public policy, to continue refining my strategic thinking and leadership at scale.
Second, I plan to earn my commercial pilot’s license. My grandma used to take me to a park by Dallas Fort Worth Airport where we would watch planes land and take off. Flying has been an escape of mine throughout college while I work towards my private pilot’s license. Aviation demands precision, preparation, and calm decision-making – qualities that have made me a more confident and competent business professional. For me, becoming a pilot represents the possibilities that unlock when you combine perspective and discipline.
What made Katie such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026?
“Katie Hoang has made her mark at TCU through her academic rigor, deep service ethic, and impressive professional drive. Before coming to TCU, Katie was awarded our competitive Chancellor’s Scholarship, signaling her high potential for contributing to the campus community. By her senior year, she was recognized by TCU faculty and staff as a Clark Scholar, representing the university with the highest degree of character, leadership, and sense of service. As chief operating officer of the Educational Investment Fund, she played a central role in managing a $2.2 million portfolio that benefits two charities, working alongside fellow finance students to make thoughtful, mission-driven investment decisions. Katie’s commitment to serving community went far beyond TCU through an internship with the Adera Foundation, where she contributed to programs supporting 757 families in Ethiopia through food security, education, and sustainable employment initiatives. She also helped expand Adera’s reach by engaging high school and college students in meaningful service.
Katie strengthened her professional skills through internships with JPMorgan Chase, Satori Capital, and the City of Fort Worth, where she contributed to projects at the intersection of finance, innovation, and public policy. Now serving as a professional development coach, she enriches the Neeley community by helping peers refine their communication, interviewing, and presentation skills. Katie’s belief that small acts—like showing up fully for others or writing a simple thank you note—captures exactly how she moves through the world. Working alongside Katie is a pleasure; she is an incredible colleague, and upon graduation she will join Alpine Investors full-time in Austin.”
Elisabeth Apperson
Associate Director, Professional Development Center
TCU Neeley School of Business
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