Kenneth Josh Fernandez Malubag
Displaying my personal work and experiences through a professional lens
Since beginning my journey in this field, my dedication to work and motivation to grow have led me to numerous projects and experiences. I’m grateful to pursue a profession in an industry I’m passionate about, and am proud to share examples of my progress. Take a moment to check out my portfolio, and feel free to reach out to me with any questions.
About Me
A Business Professional Hungry for Knowledge & Eager for Experience
I am a University of California Irvine graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics and a Minor in Management. I graduated back in 2020, but straight after attaining my undergraduate degree, I went straight to pursuing my Master's in Business Administration at the University of California Davis, with a concentration on Finance/Accounting. Fresh out of undergrad, I was eager to push forward in my academia to achieve something that seemingly should be done later in life. I graduated with my MBA in June of 2023.
During my time at UC Davis' Graduate School of Management, I worked as an Intern at a West-Coast leading financial services provider, Global Capital Markets Inc. From 2019 to 2023, I worked diligently to promote from Intern to Analyst to Senior Analyst, where I decided to start my job search again with heightened credentials, professionally and academically.
With this, I hope the doors of opportunity can open even wider. I believe that having a graduate level education in my early 20s will show a resiliency and uniqueness to myself as a business-driven individual with a lot to offer, undeterred by paucity of experience. Having the academic level of a graduate student and the experience from various settings, I believe I am an ideal candidate that can mold to fit any position or business environment. My ultimate aspiration is to work in the investment banking industry or as an analyst of some sort, in securities, finance, or business in general.
Furthering Education
Always moving forward
I realize that the education system can only provide so much information & opportunities to learn. Being as driven as I am to enter my dream industry and my dream role, some of that learning comes from outside resources.
One of the ways I continue to progress in my career development is my personal portfolio, created through TD Ameritrade. To date, I've made slow and steady progress with this account, growing by over 25% over the past year. Being able to invest and trade in the markets in real time has given me a ton of experience and new lessons. I have explored the worlds of fundamental and technical analysis, as well as many approaches to trading. While there are always aspects I can learn and improve upon, I've acquired the knowledge to utilize the Thinkorswim's platform by graphing SMA's, EMA's, various trendlines, and markers to make wiser decisions in my choice of investments.
In addition to experience, education requires learning from other's pasts and experiences. To grasp a sense of what professionals in the field have gone through, reading and listening allows me to process how they felt and how they think in all types of situations. My hope is if I encounter a similar scenario, I'll be able to recall what I absorbed and use it as a basis for determining my actions.
BOOKS:
Principles by Ray Dalio
The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
Market Wizards by Jack D. Schwager
The Science of Self-Discipline by Peter Hollins
The Art of People by Dave Kerpen
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Financial Planning & Analysis and Performance Management by Jack Alexander
Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins
Learn the Science, Lose the Weight - The Noom Mindset
The Tao of Trading by Simon Ree
PODCASTS:
Masters in Business - Bloomberg Opinion
The Mindset Mentor with Rob Dial
Planet Money - NPR
TED Talks Daily
Listen Money Matters
a16z Podcast
The Joe Rogan Experience
Hobbies
A List of Personal Pastimes
Being able to express myself freely is an important aspect to my life that allows me to let out my creative energy and exercise my capabilities as I explore myself as a human being. It not only broadens my mind but has helped me to approach difficult situations in different lights. Each hobby has its own rich history and lessons. Without these hobbies, I would not be the ambitious man I am today.
Saxophone
Music
Growing up playing various instruments from the clarinet to the saxophone, I've been surrounded by music since an early age. Although many aspects of music appealed to me, saxophone was my main instrument throughout my high school and college career.
This hobby came to fruition at the early age of 9, starting with clarinet and ultimately transitioning to the saxophone. I played in all the top classical and jazz bands at my high school, lead player for my senior year. I was selected for the 2016 Contra Costa County Honor Jazz Band and was awarded an Outstanding Jazz Soloist award and the John Philip Sousa award, all in the same year. I was also my high school marching band's Drum Major. I believe being the leader for the marching band built the foundation for my leadership career, which would extend into my undergraduate years.
Not only was I fully active in the music community at my school, but I looked for other ways to present my playing and utilize it to enhance my environment and surrounding neighborhood. I played for my church every year since middle school, specifically during a 9-day celebration near Christmas called Simbang Gabi. With the church, I have been fortunate to perform at the Simbang Gabi, as well as its Crab Feed, Adobo Feed, and one of its own concerts. All these opportunities have allowed me to increase my comfortability while performing.
Adding on to this long list of activity in my saxophone history, my college career has been filled with memories from UCI's Jazz Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. The two most memorable moments are my performances at my freshman year Talent Show called PAIR (Performing Arts In Residence), which I got First Place in, and being selected as the only exhibition act for UCI's Premier Talent Competition called Soulstice.
Although it is a hobby, when it came to the sax, I always gave it my 100% and it became a reliable and healthy way to release emotions and escape the daily obstacles I had to face. I've become very well-known in the area due to my performances and have seen my musical influence take form in the new generation, as many upcoming high schoolers and young members of the church community are picking up saxophone and showcasing their skills. I look back at my history with my sax and I smile. Although the journey still continues, I am so happy I found something I was very good at and was able to create and share something new. I am grateful to have had such an impact on my community and to have all these young musicians look up to me, and I look forward to seeing them continue the musical journey I once walked down alone, side-by-side.
Chess / Auto Chess
Strategy
This hobby came around in 2020 and I believe its introduction in my life came at the optimal time. With COVID keeping everyone sheltered indoors, the time I had to explore other hobbies increased.
This all began when my best friend introduced me to Teamfight Tactics (TFT), an auto chess game made by the creators of the well-known game League of Legends. Although I had no clue what I was doing in my first game, I managed to get second place out of eight players. I spent more time trying to understand the game through watching various streamers who played it, watching numerous Youtube videos, and reading forums on the game's mechanics and strategy. With resiliency and dedication, I managed to surpass my friend in the rankings within a week. I got hooked. I've played the game consistently ever since, as I came to notice that TFT would also develop my decision making ability and comprehension of various situations. Just as in business, TFT has helped me to understand that we must work with the situation we are given and not try to always force our ways. I peaked in my TFT journey towards the beginning of 2021, ranking #3857 out of the active 1.5 million players.
Through that experience, I came across an interest in chess. One of my favorite TFT streamers was included in a chess tournament, and even got lessons from Japanese-American chess Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, who peaked at rank no. 2 in the world in classical chess. I was intrigued while watching Hikaru, who explained various opening strategies and ways to influence the opponent's moves. I was genuinely fascinated by how he could show each decision the opponent could make, and explained how to counter that. From there, my curiosity took over and I've studied various openings from Youtube, chess.com, and other chess websites. I view this as another strategy lesson, which is that I should learn to see from another's perspective since it will help me to not only understand what they think, but how I can respond to it. With these games, there is always more to understand, just is life.