Welcome to all of our new students and readers and welcome back all returning students! I hope that everyone’s first week back was eventful and that you all are getting back in the swing of things. I would like to take some time to introduce myself and my new Das Tor team for this Spring trimester.

My name is Michael Reardon and I will be serving you as Editor-in-Chief. I am looking very forward to a great trimester bringing you the Thunderbird news. I have a lot of changes planned for Das Tor this semester so get ready! We hope to create a new and improved Das Tor experience for all of you. Should you need anything from us, don’t hesitate to contact us. We love hearing from you as that is what we are here for–you. And now, the rest of the team!

Sneha Gayatri ’14, Features Editor: Sneha is a 2nd Tri traditional MBA candidate at Thunderbird. Her responsibility at Das Tor includes bringing creativity and innovation to the newspaper. She has previous experience in publishing and working for her undergraduate school’s magazine. Sneha spent her formative years in Bombay, India, and speaks 5 languages (or attempts to!), the most recent one being Spanish. She has 4 years of professional experience across varied industries and organizational structures, from Accenture to a small market strategy firm and then to her own self-publishing business with her family. Sneha loves traveling, reading biographies and corporate stories, and practicing yoga.

Ying (Sharon) Qiao ’13, News Editor: Ying will graduate from Thunderbird in May 2013 with a Master of Science. Originally from Canton, one of the leading economic zones in China, Ying has finished her Bachelor of Science Degree in Bioscience. During her study, she decided to combine the knowledge from life science with business and management skills to further promote her career in biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. After completing her Master of Science, Ying plans to work in corporate finance and operation management, more precisely biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.

Mahmood Hussain ’14, IT Developer: Mahmood is in his second trimester at Thunderbird, working on a Traditional MBA. He graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s in Business and Communications. He has worked in website development for the last 3 years at Godaddy.com and the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Arizona.

Spencer Davison ’13, Staff Writer: Spencer is a Master of Science candidate who hopes to bring his diverse background into the strategic consulting industry. He graduated Trinity University with a B.A. in political science and international affairs and a minor in English.  Most recently, he worked for a nonprofit consulting organization based in San Antonio, Texas.  The organization, the Center for Nonprofit Support, reached over 1,500 organizations to develop their outreach capabilities and functional sustainability.

Nicole Johnson ’13, Staff Writer: Nicole is an MA ’13 student at Thunderbird. Nicole is a Phoenix native and a graduate of Arizona State University. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, Nicole interned with the International Rescue Committee and studied abroad in Turkey, Greece and Cyprus. Nicole is a self proclaimed fitness junkie, and enjoys splitting her time between Pure Barre and spin classes. Nicole is also training for her first half marathon in Vancouver in August, and enjoys spending time with her friends in between workouts.

Kelly Swanson ODXI, On Demand Correspondent: Kelly currently resides in Fairfield, CA with his wife, daughter, and dog. He has several books in the works. He co-authored a book with his wife on psychology and immigrants. He loves computers. He has worked in the computer and finance industry now for 16 years. Now as a Thunderbird student, he is looking for a bigger fishpond to play in. He really hopes that everyone will enjoy my contribution to Das Tor. His On Demand class represents an even more unique, and dynamic perspective than the on campus representatives, and that is what he hopes to bring to everyone.