From business to law, ASU student leads with purpose

For Kailani Horiuchi, choosing a university wasn’t just about academics; it was about discovering a place where opportunity, community and curiosity could come together.

Now a second-year student based on Arizona State University's West Valley campus, Horiuchi has turned that mindset into leadership roles, mentorship opportunities, and a commitment to helping others find their path.

Originally from Santa Monica, California, and raised in the nearby coastal city of Camarillo, Kailani's journey to ASU began in high school when she met a W. P. Carey School of Business admissions coordinator at a DECA conference.

“He made me realize that attending university is more than just education,” Horiuchi says. “It’s about building your own unique path of opportunities for your future, and I could achieve that however I wanted at ASU.” 

That moment stuck with her — quite literally — in the form of a W. P. Carey magnet Horiuchi brought home from the event. That magnet still sticks to her family's kitchen vent hood today.

During high school, Horiuchi participated in the ETHOS Entrepreneurship Academy, where she learned the fundamentals of starting and operating a business. While entrepreneurship itself wasn’t the career path Horiuchi envisioned for herself, the experience sparked an interest in the operational and administrative side of the business world.

Once at ASU, Horiuchi began exploring business in earnest. And while she began her academic journey as a business administration student, a new passion emerged during her first semester. 

“While learning about contract internships, I started becoming interested in law,” Horiuchi says. “I came across W. P. Carey's business law degree and seriously considered changing my major for about four months before finally deciding to go for it.”

The decision proved to be pivotal for Horiuchi, as the program allowed her to explore legal concepts while pursuing her new goal of attending law school after graduation. 

While academics helped shape her path, Horiuchi says the West Valley campus itself played an important role in her ASU experience. 

“When I talk to prospective students about what makes the West Valley campus special, I usually draw on my own experience when I first visited,” she says. “It has the small-school feel of interconnection and general peace I was looking for.”

The campus offers students the resources of a large research university while maintaining smaller class sizes and close-knit communities, something Horiuchi believes helps students quickly find their place. 

“Getting involved is highly encouraged at ASU, and one opportunity opens five new doors."

Horiuchi’s commitment to community extends beyond the university walls through her work as vice president of Business Ambassadors, a student-run organization dedicated to fostering positive relationships between ASU business students and the community, parents, faculty, staff and prospective students. One of Horiuchi's most cherished initiatives is the Read Across America event at Sweetwater Elementary School in Glendale, Arizona. 

After planning the inaugural event last year, Horiuchi pushed to make it a recurring Business Ambassadors event. 

“It will definitely become a staple of ours just because of how fun it is,” she shares.

The planning involves close coordination with the principals of Sweetwater and Sunburst elementary schools to ensure ASU student volunteers can visit classrooms to share their passion for reading with the students. For Horiuchi, the impact is two-fold: It provides a break from the usual routine for the children and allows volunteers to see the world through a more curious and energetic lens. 

“The most meaningful part is just seeing the joy from the students themselves,” she says. “They remind you to stay curious, ask questions, and always support the interests of those around you."

In the below Q&A, Horiuchi shares more about the leadership roles that have shaped her, the people who inspire her, and her advice for the next generation of Sun Devils. 

Question: Read Across America celebrates fostering a lifelong love of reading in kids. Was there someone in your life growing up who fostered your love of reading? 

Answer: My parents emphasized the importance of reading from a very young age. They would read longer books to my sister and me every night before we went to sleep. While they read quite a few, the one I remember the most was "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson. My grandparents also encouraged reading whenever possible, and I’m thankful to all of them for pushing me to read from a very young age. It helped me get ahead when I entered school.

Q: What student leadership positions do you hold, and what do those roles entail? 

A: In addition to my role as vice president at the West Valley chapter of Business Ambassadors, I serve as a member of the Business School Council at West Valley. Previously, I was a WPC 101 facilitator. 

My main responsibility in Business Ambassadors is outreach, which includes connecting our members to the community through volunteering, recruitment and opportunities for involvement. As a Business School Council at West Valley member, I act as a liaison between all business clubs and help facilitate collaboration on events between those clubs.

As a WPC 101 facilitator, I gave a presentation every Monday to my own class of 18 first-year students on resources, academics, finances and class registration. Essentially, anything they needed to be successful during their time at ASU.

Q: How did you originally get involved with those groups, and what have you learned from being part of them? 

A: As a WPC 101 student, one of my assignments was attending an event called Involvement Week (i-Week), where business clubs present about their missions, goals and events. That was how I first learned about Business Ambassadors.

After I became a member, it opened up so many more doors, and it's how I became a WPC 101 facilitator. These experiences have taught me so much about the importance of being involved in community, the amazing opportunities W. P. Carey has to offer, and what it means to lead and encourage others to take on new challenges. 

Q: What advice do you have for incoming students on adjusting to university life and getting involved on campus? 

A: Take any opportunity you can to learn about and get comfortable with who you are. If you never lose sight of who you are as a person or your long-term goals, you’ll find that everything falls into place around you.

When it comes to getting involved, take any opportunity that even slightly piques your interest. You never know what doors may open simply because you took one step forward instead of standing still and watching that opportunity pass you by.