Tserennyam "Tseegy" Sukhbaatar, a 2012 graduate of Brigham Young University–Hawaii, has come full circle in his academic journey. Sukhbaatar built a successful career as a marketing director in his home country of Mongolia before coming to BYU–Hawaii as an assistant professor in business management. Now in his fourth year of teaching, he blends industry expertise with academic insight to prepare students to enter and navigate the dynamic business world in Asia and the Pacific.
Guiding and Giving Back
As an assistant professor in business management, Sukhbaatar strives to make marketing classes engaging and practical. He also dedicates his time to mentoring and supporting students academically and professionally. “My job is to teach marketing well—that’s my primary role,” Sukhbaatar emphasized. “I want my classes to be exciting so students can understand marketing. I also help students participate in business plan competitions, and they often come to me for advice. I’m always willing to share and guide them.” His involvement as an advisor and judge for the Empower Your Dreams competition further allows him to mentor students in developing business ideas and career paths.
Additionally, Sukhbaatar plays a key role in student support programs. “I’m a scholarship committee director, so I take care of the program scholarships,” he explained. His commitment to students extends to cultural and professional networking. “I’m the academic advisor for the Mongolian Club and the BYU Management Society,” he noted. Through his collaboration with the Mongolian Human Resources Association, Sukhbaatar organized an online career expo, connecting Mongolian students with companies and job opportunities.
Expanding Career Horizons
One of Sukhbaatar’s most impactful initiatives is the annual online career expo he hosts, connecting Mongolian students with top employers. “Every year, about 20 to 25 Mongolian companies join,” Sukhbaatar explained. The event, held on Zoom, is a two-hour session featuring one-on-one interviews between students and human resources managers from leading Mongolian companies. Each company is assigned a virtual room where students rotate in five-to-ten-minute interviews. "It's an amazing experience because students learn about the companies, gain interview experience, and even receive job offers—full-time, part-time, internships, remote jobs—all kinds of opportunities."
In the most recent expo, 38 students participated, with 50% receiving some kind of job offer. The remaining students did not secure any job offers at the expo but were encouraged to contact the companies when they returned to Mongolia. "One student graduating next year already received a locked-in job offer," he shared. "The company told her, ‘If you come next year after graduation, we have a job for you.’ She already has a job waiting a year before graduating!"
Bilguun Batbayar, who is majoring in business management, said the experience opened doors that would have been difficult to access otherwise. “The online career fair allowed us to network with representatives of Mongolian companies,” he said. “It was unique because we got interviewed by recruiters and received real-time feedback and job offers. Back in Mongolia, it would have taken us days or even weeks just to get interviews with some of these companies.”
Sukhbaatar has expanded the expo to include TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) students. "This time, we had a Filipino TESOL student join. We extended the invitation to non-Mongolian students and invited schools in Mongolia to participate," he said. "Three schools—a boarding school, a university, and a language institute—joined the event, and that student received multiple job offers."
Sukhbaatar’s connections with the Mongolian HR Association ensure a steady stream of companies participating in the career expo. "I work with Mongolia’s largest HR Association, and most major companies are members of this organization," he said. "The association sends invitations to its members; every year, about 25 companies sign up to participate."
These companies span a wide range of industries, including:
- Education: Mongolian Medical University, private high schools, middle schools, and universities seeking TESOL graduates.
- Business: Mongolia’s largest banks, Coca-Cola Mongolia, Pepsi Mongolia, BSB Electronics, major construction and mining companies, and retail giants.
Moreover, Sukhbaatar facilitates international internships for BYU–Hawaii students in Mongolia. "This summer, we're sending six students to Mongolia for two-month internships at a tour camp," he explained. "Four are American students, one student from Tonga, and another one from the Philippines. They’ll work in marketing, finance, social media, and product development." In addition, two TESOL students, one Mongolian and one Samoan, will also be serving as interns in Mongolia this summer.
Last year, he personally connected four students—two Americans, one Taiwanese, and one from Hong Kong—to Mongolia to teach English at private schools, a university, and in the countryside. "They did a wonderful job, and now we’re expanding internship opportunities beyond TESOL to include business students," he said.
Sukhbaatar hopes to expand on-campus internships and facilitate more job placements. While managing international partnerships comes with challenges, Sukhbaatar remains optimistic. "I don’t see any challenges right now—I’m just enjoying it," he said. Through his efforts, Sukhbaatar continues to create global career pathways for BYU–Hawaii students, ensuring they graduate with meaningful professional opportunities.
BYU–Hawaii Asia-Pacific Career Conference 2025 (APCC)
Sukhbaatar recognized the growing impact of the Asia-Pacific Career Conference (APCC) in building career pathways for students. “Last December, the largest bank in Mongolia—Khan Bank—signed a memorandum of understanding with BYU–Hawaii,” he noted. As a result of the partnership, Khan Bank sent three HR employees, including a talent acquisition manager, to attend the APCC 2025. “Khan Bank is now offering five paid internships this summer and has hired one student as a full-time employee in a data analysis-related position.”
Santis, one of the largest English language centers in Mongolia, specifically attended to connect with TESOL students. “They met with over 50 students during the APCC 2025 and offered two internships for this summer,” Sukhbaatar said. “They directly extended these opportunities to five qualified international students.”
Notably, the HR Association of Mongolia represented five group companies during the event. Sukhbaatar shared, “They collectively offered over 120 job and internship opportunities. . . [and] extended offers to about 15 Mongolian students and nearly 10 more to qualified international students.” MCS Holding, another major company, also made meaningful connections at the conference. “They met with more than 30 students, presented five open positions, and extended those opportunities to a total of 20 international and Mongolian students,” Sukhbaatar shared.
A Calling to Inspire and Lead
For Tserennyam "Tseegy" Sukhbaatar, teaching is more than just a profession. "This is my responsibility and duty as a professor. I want to help my students find a job faster," he said. Despite his many roles as husband, father, professor, and bishop of the Laie married student 3rd ward, Sukhbaatar finds strength through faith. "I pray all the time. I always ask for guidance to do this," he shared, emphasizing the importance of divine direction in his work.
Reflecting on the vision of David O. McKay, he now sees its profound significance. "I didn’t realize it when I was a student, but when I returned as a professor, I thought—President McKay saw this. He saw our generation 100 years ago and understood that the world would need people of integrity," Sukhbaatar explained. "The school is preparing leaders who can take responsibility, who will stand for honesty, and who will change their nations, their industries, and the world."
His goal as an educator is to inspire students to become proactive leaders. "I want to encourage my students to change the world. Do something different. Make this world a better place," he urged. "It doesn’t matter where they go—they must be leaders. I want them to be proactive, not passive."
Sukhbaatar also believes that BYU–Hawaii provides students with two major advantages: a foundation of integrity and a global network. "Honesty is one of the biggest things in the business world. If you want to start a business, you need a trustworthy partner," he said. "Second, this is the place where you can meet people from over 70 nationalities. This network is powerful—after graduation, students can find business partners, job opportunities, and lifelong connections in any country."
Ultimately, he sees his work as a small contribution to a greater vision, where BYUH students go on to uplift their communities and make meaningful changes in the world.