Student Profiles

Ryutaro (Ryu) Takatsu

Hometown: Queens, NY
Anticipated graduation year: 2024
Degree: BS in business: marketing track

Why did you choose the University of Rochester?

Upon entering college, my goal for fostering positive change involved disseminating and promoting Japanese pop (J-pop) culture, aiming to enhance cross-cultural understanding and appreciation. This aspiration required an understanding of numerous disciplines. The open curriculum at the University of Rochester allowed me the flexibility to tailor my academic path to suit my needs.

Why did you choose to major or minor in business?

Being someone with many unique interests, I often faced challenges in discovering pursuits that perfectly brought all of my distinctive passions together. Consequently, I took the initiative to establish environments tailored to my interests. This required honing skills such as team organization, networking, promotion, effective communication, and conducting myself professionally. Throughout my high school years and into college, I consistently evaluated and developed my fundamental business skills. Pursuing a major in business has given me the opportunity to delve deeper into these skills and implement practices on a larger scale.

What has been your favorite undergraduate business course and why?

ECON 214 / STR 203: Economic Theory of Organizations has been my favorite class thus far. Initially, as the founder of a small marketing agency, I foundways to assign smaller tasks to AI tools, allowing me to concentrate on marketing strategy and creative direction. However, this course has opened my eyes to recruitment, highlighting the efficiency that can be gained by collaborating with fellow academics. I am now incredibly committed to advancing my managerial skills as I continue to make strides with my agency.

What are your activities outside of class?

I am an active member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, with numerous leadership positions. I was also the previous Vice President of Recruitment for the Interfraternity Council (IFC).

Have you completed any internships?

I am currently doing an intern at Hubspot for their AI and Marketing program. My past internships during college include AFLAC (sales and marketing), a modeling agency in Tokyo (Research), and the Broadway Podcast Network (Publicity and Media).

What are your career goals?

My short-term goal is to pursue a career in fashion styling and modeling for a few years. Following this, I aspire to transition into strategy and management consulting, with a specific focus on the fashion industry. Ultimately, my long-term goal is to establish my own fashion brand or modeling agency.

What is your favorite spot on campus? Humanities Center

Favorite Rochester restaurant: Blu Wolf Bistro

What is one piece of advice you would tell your past self the summer before starting at UR?

Explore the careers and aspirations of a wide range of individuals, even if they don't directly align with your own personal narrative.

Feel free to share anything else that you would like to highlight about yourself.

Among my internship experiences, I would like to spotlight a marketing agency that I started in the summer of 2023. At the core of our operations was providing marketing services to facilitate the growth of social media presence for fashion brands, leveraging advertisements, content creation, and the integration of data analytics and A.I. I successfully managed relationships with a diverse portfolio of 5 clients. As the agency evolved, I transitioned thefocus to strategic consulting, tailoring the services to meet the specific needs of clients. This shift reflects my commitment to delivering targeted and impactful solutions in the ever-changing landscape of the industry.