Intrigued by what he read, Huang tracked down DiCesare’s contact information and reached out, wondering if a move to Raleigh and NC State might be the path for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe encouraged me,\u201d Huang recalls. \u201cHe said, \u2018go for it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fast forward a few years, and it appears the move paid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A role in product creation at Hoka<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Today, more than two years after graduating from the Wilson College, Huang lives in Southern California, where he works with just about every team involved in producing a shoe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI get to see every product, every day. It\u2019s amazing,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A material developer at running shoe and performance wear company Hoka, Huang sits under the company\u2019s product development arm, collaborating with several teams to deliver the highest quality footwear possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you imagine footwear, there\u2019s a lot of materials that go into it,\u201d he explains. \u201cI communicate with the product development team, the design team and the marketing team, as well as with suppliers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of his favorite parts of the job? The chance to have a front-row seat to developing some of the more innovative footwear on the market today. And it\u2019s a role he feels his time at the Wilson College uniquely prepared him for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Huang arrived at the Wilson College with a wealth of knowledge related to the chemistry side of textiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a student in the M.S. Textile Engineering program<\/a>, though, he was instantly impressed with the program\u2019s far-reaching areas of focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI could choose very technical engineering courses, or product development-related courses, as well as marketing management,\u201d he says. \u201cIt really helped me to understand more about, not just the textile side, but also the business side of the textile industry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it wasn\u2019t just the coursework that made his graduate experience worthwhile, Huang feels. On top of deepening his research work in the Ormond Research Group<\/a>, Huang says the diverse professional background of the college\u2019s faculty and<\/strong> student body gave him easy access to a wide range of expertise \u2014\u00a0which in turn, helped him grow his own skillset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPeople from every industry: fashion, tech companies, textile industry,\u201d he says. \u201cYou can always reach out and talk to them. You\u2019ll learn a lot, not just from the courses, but from the people around you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Expanding his realm of expertise has served him well in his role at Hoka, where Huang has his hands in many facets of product development \u2013 whether he\u2019s weighing in on projects with his own teammates or speaking with suppliers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe program elevated me to a different level so I could speak the same language as the suppliers and contribute to the conversation,\u201d he says. \u201cNot many schools offer this kind of program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh\u2026and about that NBA shoe collection\u2026are we correct to assume that it\u2019s grown?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have more than two pairs now,\u201d he says, laughing. \u201cIt is countless, now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Hoka shoes, of course).<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s safe to say that sneaker-obsessed teenager would be amazed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cComing from Taiwan, to NC State, and now realizing my goal of working at a footwear brand,\u201d he says, \u201c\u592a\u795e\u5566 \u8212\u670d (It’s unbelievable and feeling awesome).”\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n Yi-Hung (Frankie) Huang grew up thousands of miles away from the U.S. But as a child and teenager, he was closely attuned to the NBA. Specifically, he felt drawn to the signature shoes branded for the game\u2019s biggest stars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wanted them so bad, but I couldn\u2019t afford it,\u201d Huang explains. \u201cMy mom wouldn\u2019t let me buy too many.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just one pair, in fact: the Lebron Soldier 3, the then-Cleveland Cavaliers star donned during the 2009 NBA playoffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI immediately fell in love with that shoe,\u201d Huang explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it wasn\u2019t just a connection to Lebron James or the chance to show the footwear off to his friends. In many ways, it was a launching point for a career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was amazed at the technology on it,\u201d he says. \u201cBasketball shoes really inspired me to get into the footwear industry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That path first saw Huang study material science and chemical engineering as an undergraduate student in Taiwan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He gained additional experience working with yarns and other textile materials during an internship at a chemical company. There, Huang realized an expanded textile background might make him an appealing candidate for major footwear brands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As he began to consider graduate schools in the U.S., he came across a Wilson College of Textiles<\/a> article featuring alumnus Joe DiCesare, at the time a footwear developer at Nike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Intrigued by what he read, Huang tracked down DiCesare's contact information and reached out, wondering if a move to Raleigh and NC State might be the path for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe encouraged me,\u201d Huang recalls. \u201cHe said, \u2018go for it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fast forward a few years, and it appears the move paid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, more than two years after graduating from the Wilson College, Huang lives in Southern California, where he works with just about every team involved in producing a shoe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI get to see every product, every day. It\u2019s amazing,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A material developer at running shoe and performance wear company Hoka, Huang sits under the company\u2019s product development arm, collaborating with several teams to deliver the highest quality footwear possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you imagine footwear, there\u2019s a lot of materials that go into it,\u201d he explains. \u201cI communicate with the product development team, the design team and the marketing team, as well as with suppliers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of his favorite parts of the job? The chance to have a front-row seat to developing some of the more innovative footwear on the market today. And it\u2019s a role he feels his time at the Wilson College uniquely prepared him for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Huang arrived at the Wilson College with a wealth of knowledge related to the chemistry side of textiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Yi-Hun](\"https:\/\/tex-cloud-cdn.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/textiles-ncsu\/20231108095921\/image_50433025-1-1024x576.jpg\")
M.S. Textile Engineering program provided well-rounded education<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Yi-Hung](\"https:\/\/tex-cloud-cdn.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/textiles-ncsu\/20231108095920\/image_67234561-1-1024x576.jpg\")
A role in product creation at Hoka<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
M.S. Textile Engineering program provided well-rounded education<\/h3>\n\n\n\n