Hilary Corna ’07 told everyone in the room to stand up, and asked for a student to come forward.
Then she and the student gave the audience a series of dares including telling interesting facts, performing jumping jacks and doing the hokey pokey.
Corna, an speaker and author, preached the importance of going out on a limb to achieve goals to Elon University students Wednesday evening at LaRose Digital Theater in a speech sponsored by the Love School of Business and the International Business Club. It was the daring attitude she had when she started studying Japanese and when she bought a one-way ticket to Singapore after graduation.
“Most often, both in personal and professional life, it is always ourselves that keep us from being our best,” Corna said. “Give yourself permission instead of waiting for someone else to do it.
Corna, the author of “One White Face,” a story about her journey to Asia to immerse herself in the business industry, became interested in Asia from her mother and grandmother, who both lived in Japan for a period of time. She wanted to study Japanese at Elon, and ended up earning a 106 percent in the class.
She studied abroad in Japan during her sophomore year but subsequently turned down an internship — thanks to a boyfriend she had back home. To this day, that still haunts her.
“Relationships affect the people around you. I didn’t want to lose him — he was the first love of my life,” Corna said. “I gave (the internship) up and never let it go.”
She had a chance to make up for that after graduation.
Instead of taking the traditional route, Corna spent most of her senior year researching and decided to buy a one-way ticket to Singapore, set a budget of $2,000 and a time limit of two months to find a job. If not, she’d come back.
One day, just when Corna had to begin to convince herself she was making the right choice, she met someone at the pool who happened to be one of the most successful Toyota dealership owners in Tokyo.
He had one position open in his department.
Corna spent three years as the senior executive officer for Toyota Motor Asia Pacific in Singapore, the only White employee there.
“Everyone was telling me, ‘Just come home. Accept reality. At least you tried,’” Corna said. “And I said no. … I’m trying to let go, I’m trying to remind myself that I got all the way here. I have enough evidence this is going to work. It’s just about pushing through.
“That’s when I realized, you can’t just talk about ideas. You can’t just write about ideas. You can’t just think about ideas. You have to take full decisive action. You actually have to chew on them and taste them.”
At one point, Corna was told that she was the one white face of the company.
“I was frightened,” Corna said. “I had to stop myself in that moment and not react. He wasn’t telling me I couldn’t do it, he was putting forth that I had a huge challenge in front of me and have to prove myself.”
Corna advised the students to make sure the job they take after graduation is a meaningful one, comparing it to entering a relationship. She referred back to her days at Elon multiple times during her speech, calling out professors and specific classes while retelling the story of how she arrived at Elon.
She made everyone write one thing they’ve always aspired to do on an index card. She then made everyone turn to the person next to them and share their dare.
Sophomore Mike Rossi, who introduced Corna and is the president of the International Business Club, said he felt Corna’s speech was very relatable and was pleased with the attendance.
“She was very real with everyone,” Rossi said. “She’s very real about all of her experiences, even the things that maybe aren’t so presentable. I think there’s some major takeaways. We’re at a point in all of our lives where there’s so many uncertainties. She definitely helps us put it into perspective.”