David Choi

The Business of Preparing Summer Students for Success

2017 pre-college entrepreneurship students pose for a group photo on the last day of class.

To participate in Professor David Choi’s Intro to Entrepreneurship pre-college summer class is to find oneself in a world flush with potential for academic and professional growth. Since arriving on the bluff in 2003, Choi has been setting the bar high for students and faculty alike, leaving lasting impressions wherever he heads on his quest to lead the brightest business leaders of tomorrow.

“My job is to prepare students for the real world,” Choi said. “I set a high standard and push students to meet and exceed it. I want my students to be proud and surprised of what they can achieve when they put in the effort."

Recently ranked as one of the top Entrepreneurship programs in the nation by The Princeton Review, Choi says LMU specializes in the science and art of developing entrepreneurial leaders and that at any one time there are 20-30 start-ups being developed by students in various stages. He brings the same amount of enthusiasm and expectation to his two-week pre-college entrepreneurial workshop for high school students. 

“This summer, students will get a taste of what a top-ranked university's course in Entrepreneurship is like," Choi explained. "In week one, we jump right in, and by the second week, we're working in teams to see if we can launch a business. It's a fun and challenging way for students to experience the major, meet our faculty and see if this is something that ignites their passion."

Born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in Germany, Choi received his Ph.D. in Management from the University of California, Los Angeles and taught at a number of prestigious institutions prior to LMU, including Peking University, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Korea University.

In 2011, he was the recipient of the Innovative Pedagogy for Entrepreneurship Education award from the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship for a collaborative course he piloted for students from LMU and the nearby Otis College of Art and Design. Most recently, he became a proud member of the Jesuit Honor Society, Alpha Sigma Nu.

Looking to the future, Choi says entrepreneurial competencies will be critical moving forward, citing advances in artificial intelligence/automation and the need for people who can not only problem-solve, but create their own jobs.

As for what advice he has for his summer students considering a future as an LMU Lion?

“Our Entrepreneurship program offers so many ways for students to get involved, meet fellow entrepreneurs and sharpen their entrepreneurial skills,” Choi said. “If you want to be an agent of change in a large organization or your community, entrepreneurship is an ideal field of study.”