Bangkok: wet, wetter and monsoon. Singapore: amazing. Hong Kong: concrete jungle.
SMU senior and finance major Jamie Kopp has lived in all of these places and has a story about each one. Kopp is of Punjabi and German descent.
“Personally, I enjoy going and trying new places,” said Kopp. “I knew I wanted to stay in the States for college and I wanted to try something else.”
When it came time for college, Kopp primarily looked at southern schools and ones on the west coast. After touring at a few colleges in California, he decided that he didn’t have a west coast mentality. Kopp flew down to SMU over the summer, and decided that the school was a perfect fit for him.
“I haven’t experienced anything surprising in the states,” said Kopp. “I do get made fun of by my friends for my use of British terminology though.”
SMU senior and finance major Daisuke Takeda said that the only way he could tell that Kopp wasn’t from the U.S. was that he seemed more cosmopolitan in his perspective.
“Despite what his blue Patagonia might imply, he’s a huge nerd,” said Takeda. “He plays League of Legends and watches League of Legends on Twitch, but he’s a cool, smart dude.”
Takeda noted that Kopp’s unique perspective materializes when they work on their finance classwork together, Kopp brings knowledge of the Hong Kong financial market and how it differs from the American market. Takeda said that Kopp has a distinctive outlook compared to the average SMU student, and does not take things for granted because of the poverty he has seen in Southeast Asia.
“When we go to a Thai restaurant, he speaks Thai when he orders,” said Takeda. “One would never suspect this kid would be able to speak conversational Thai.”
Kopp described Bangkok as a pretty cool place that is hot year-round. Singapore, he said, is an amazing city that is remarkably clean.
He said that while Hong Kong is a vibrant city, it is one of the most densely populated places that he has been to. He likened it to New York City, as cars cost almost twice as much in Japan and real estate is the most expensive in the world.
One thing that people take for granted in the U.S., said Kopp, is the food. He explained that while you can find food from anywhere in the world in the U.S., it is much more difficult to find diverse food outside of the states. He said that it’s impossible, for instance, to find a decent burger anywhere in Hong Kong.
Otherwise, “growing up there is much like growing up in New York City,” said Kopp. “People spend high school partying in clubs. Nobody has a driver’s license and maids and drivers are the norm.”
As for Kopp’s post-graduate plans?
“I’m heading to Chicago to work at a high frequency trading firm as a market maker,” said Kopp. “No plans beyond of that as of yet.”
