Meet Emory Goizueta’s MBA Class of 2020 - Poets&Quants

 

It’s easy to get lost in business school. There are the invitations and expectations, the push of clubs and peers and the pull of recruiters and faculty. Long on stimulation and short on time, opportunity becomes a burden for many. That’s where the small school experience comes into play.

There’s no hiding out at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. That’s exactly what brought the Class of 2020 to Atlanta. It is a place where everyone knows their classmates, expects them to be actively involved, and refuses to let them fall behind…let alone fail.

TALK IS CHEAP – GOIZUETA’S COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY ISN’T

That starts academically. Boasting a 5-to-1 faculty-to-student ratio – the lowest among any Top 20 MBA program – Goizueta’s pitch is simple: We’re going to invest heavily in you because every student matters. As much, Emory is a place where MBAs receive personal attention from deeply-connected industry experts who embrace their roles as mentors. That proposition resonated deeply with Tyrone Sampson, a portfolio manager who joins the incoming class from East Point Investments.

“Smaller MBA class size means students also develop closer relationships to professors to help facilitate the learning process,” he observes. “This was important to me because I will be returning to finance, so I’m seeking to obtain specific leadership and technical abilities to enhance my career.”

These “deeper level relationships” apply equally to the student body. 181 members strong, the 2020 Class repeatedly cited ‘community’ as the driving force behind enrolling at Goizueta. Take David Hinshillwood, a rainmaker in sales who studied history and literature at Harvard. During the recruiting process, he was struck by the sense that Goizueta was the place where he could “simultaneously feel challenged and supported.” It was this esprit de corps that differentiated Goizueta from the rest.

Emory MBA students talking outside the main building

“Every top business school boasts great professors, impressive networks, and hard data on success,” he argues, “but not every school can craft a narrative of care, compassion, and community that is so intertwined in Goizueta’s core values as an institution.”

AN “EFFERVESCENT” CLASS

A marketing ploy? Hardly, says Alex McNair, a 2018 grad who joined Deloitte Consulting after graduation. “The biggest myth is that everybody knows everybody – and it is 100% true. My class is 180 people, and I know everyone’s name and at least one thing about everyone. Goizueta brags about our small community, but it really isn’t just all talk. Having such a close-knit community is amazing, and I couldn’t imagine being at a business school where I didn’t know everyone in my graduating class.”

This same community spirit was imbued in the 2020 Class long before they even started their first year classes, adds Andrew Schirmer. “Though classes haven’t yet begun, 1st year students are actively engaged in the Goizueta community and are pursuing relationships with each other. Students constantly share information on helpful resources and events and often sacrifice time to find answers to their peers’ questions. I believe this genuine desire to grow one another and the community as a whole forms the foundation of Goizueta’s uniquely close-knit and supportive culture.”

Hinshillwood tosses out a few more terms to describe the incoming class. “My classmates are a mix of many things: ambitious and talented, hardworking and fun, but most of all, I’d have to say they’re effervescent. Effervescence goes far beyond describing a tart and satisfying sip of good champagne; it’s a bubbly, tingly, and even inspiring sensation that gives you a warmth in your gut and a smile on your face. From day one, the folks I’ve interacted with in Goizueta’s incoming class have given me nothing but these positive, intoxicating feelings.”

FIRST YEAR INCLUDES AN ARMY COMMANDER, TALK SHOW HOST AND A DRAG QUEEN

How different is this class? Start with Schirmer, a religious study major from Liberty University who spent summers teaching North Korean refugees and poverty-stricken students in India.  He’ll be joined by Jason Waidzulis, a Ranger Company Commander in the U.S. Army who was once part of a championship Division I wresting team. Nakaiya Turk hosts a YouTube talk show called Kandid Kaiya, where she “interview(s) millennial black women on their different pathways to success.” For Goizueta students looking to indulge in Atlanta’s legendary nightlife, don’t forget to bring Hinshillwood along. “I am an aspiring Drag Queen who goes by the name Miss Patti Archy (like “patriarchy,” which I hope to dismantle one lip-sync at a time!),” he says.

Speaking of dismantling, don’t toy with Caracus chemist Alexa Ceballos. She holds a black belt in Japanese traditional karate. That goes double for Oscar Mendez, Jr., an investment analysist who claimed two gold medals from the AAU Junior Olympics. Looking for the class Ironman? That’d be Tyrone Sampson, who runs 55 mile marathons…when he isn’t skydiving or scuba diving, that is. Sampson isn’t the only first year who thrives in the water, either. Despite being a “city girl,” Maggie Niehaus can also ride the rapids as a whitewater kayaker. Then there’s Bren Marschner, who co-holds the Alabama state record for three pointers made in a basketball playoff game.

Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business

It is only natural that such students would gravitate to a program like Goizueta. Their careers have been defined by making connections and building communiteis. In 2015, Taylor Richardson co-founded a thriving contemporary women’s fashion line called CROSBY by Mollie Burch, which doubles as a social enterprise fighting human trafficking. A year later, she notched her biggest accomplishment: she headed an ambulatory surgery center (ASC), a $15 million dollar operation with 30 staffers reporting to her. In the process, she achieved the seemingly impossible: implementing a change management initiative that worked. Her secret: servant leadership.

“A servant leader embraces the value of teamwork and focuses on influencing team members to be the best versions of themselves, ultimately empowering those around you to elevate the team altogether,” she  explains. “I empowered the staff to work together and seek solutions to problems instead of just escalate complaints. It was culture shift for the surgery center, but one I believe set the organization on the right path moving forward.”

APPLICATIONS UP OVER 17%

Impressed? Andrew Schirmer, for one, overhauled the methodology behind a “flawed and insufficient” data stream. The result: $6 million dollars in new sales – and another $20 million in opportunities in other sectors. At Hewlett Packard, Nakaiya Turk was tapped to author a briefing document for CEO Meg Whitman. Don’t tell Maggie Niehaus that you can’t teach an old ad agency new tricks. She helped turn Edelman’s paid media and digital advertising slice into an operation that could compete with any agency, winning a coveted Search Engine Land Award in the process.

By the numbers, it was a strong bounce year for Goizueta. During the 2017-2018 cycle, the school received 202 more applications than the previous year – or a 17.6% jump. At the same time, the class size rose by nine students, though the acceptance rate did rise from 32.2% to 37%. That said, the school didn’t see any drop off in academic quality. Average GMATs climbed three points to 685, though undergraduate GPAs did slip by .1 of a point.

Demographically, the Class of 2020 closely resembles its predecessor. Both classes attracted 30% women to its ranks, with the percentage of underrepresented minority students edging up a point to 13%. The same is true of international students, which account for 28% of the incoming class. Overall, the class boasts students from 21 countries, not to mention 11 U.S. military veterans.

GOIZUETA TURNS 100

Named after Roberto Goizueta, who served as Coca-Cola’s CEO for 17 years, the school also ranks among America’s oldest business programs. In fact, Goizueta will soon begin celebrating its 100 year anniversary, offering exclusive events and programming for students along the way, says Brian Mitchell, associate dean for the full-time program, in a statement to P&Q.

“Most people have no idea that Emory University has had a business school since 1919, and this is our opportunity to reaffirm our mission of preparing principled leaders who act in service to humanity. The centennial campaign is adding resources and depth to each of our eight “strategic themes” – analytics, social enterprise, real estate and private equity, healthcare, leadership, entrepreneurship, behavior and decision insights, and experiential learning. Incoming students will benefit from enriched curricular offerings and career connections more than ever before in each of those areas as a result of our push towards turning 100!”

Emory MBAs welcome you to campus with a Coca-Cola toast.

That isn’t the only new initiative that Goizueta is prepping in its pipeline. According to Mitchell, the school is also finalizing a Certificate of Advanced Leadership, which takes a “rigorous examination” of leadership from “academic, experiential, and reflection” vantage points.

“Students consistently rate leadership development as one of their main reasons for pursuing an MBA,” Mitchell shares. “For those who choose to go the extra mile in their leadership journey, Goizueta will offer this new certificate as a vehicle for getting there. It will require a heavy emphasis on coaching, mentorship and the formal study of leadership principles such as ethics and emotional intelligence.  Our long-standing Goizueta Advanced Leadership Academy (GALA), which culminates with a sailing challenge in the British Virgin Islands, will also be an option for students pursuing the Certificate of Advanced Leadership – so future students will benefit greatly if leadership development is a high priority.”

A DARLING OF RECRUITERS

Such programming is one reason why Emory Goizueta scores highly across a number of measures. In the Bloomberg Businessweek alumni survey, for example, the program earned the 5th-highest satisfaction rating of any American MBA program. By the same token, this year’s Financial Times survey found that 88% of Goizueta respondents answered that they had achieved their aims at the school – just two points behind the leading school in this category.

Increasingly, employers are showing their opinion of Goizueta grads through placement and pay. In the 2017 Class, 92.7% of grads landed jobs within three months of graduation. When combining base pay, bonus, and other compensation (i.e. stock options, etc.), these grads earned $164,223 in their first year – higher starting pay than grads from Duke Fuqua, UCLA Anderson, Texas McCombs, Cornell Johnson, and North Carolina Kenan-Flagler. Within 10-15 years of graduation, according to PayScale data, Emory MBAs are out-earning their peers at Virginia Darden, Yale SOM, Michigan Ross, and Carnegie Mellon Tepper too.

Associate Dean Brian Mitchell

These employment results may not surprise many. However, Mitchell notes that one area that gets overlooked is what he calls a “diversity of career opportunities” at Goizueta “Today’s high-achieving millennial MBAs come to us with a wide range of interests, many of which are outside of the traditional “Big 3” areas of consulting, finance and marketing,” he adds. “For example, we help many students pursue career opportunities in start-up companies in a wide range of industry sectors. Another example is that the resources that we allocate to entrepreneurship have increased to match the constant appetite of MBA students in this exciting area. As proud as we are of our overall employment success, I wish prospective students knew more about the wide range of non-traditional inputs that make up the overall result.”

A HANDS-ON, LEADERSHIP DRIVEN CURRICULUM

Mitchell’s list, however, doesn’t include healthcare, one of the program’s calling cards. Taylor Richardson, for one, lauds the “state-of-the-art resources” devoted to the healthcare business. Even more, she is looking forward to pairing her healthcare experience with the large business concepts taught in the core curriculum.

“Goizueta encourages you to blaze your own path and gives you the flexibility to dive deep into a subject area you are passionate about. With the Emory Hospital, Rollins School of Public Health, and incredibly invested professors, Goizueta expects me to take the reins and shape my experience into what I want it to be. I appreciated the structure of this program because it fosters creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit by allowing students to apply learnings from the core subjects of an MBA program.”

That includes leadership, an area that receives exhaustive attention at Goizueta. Exhibit A: the Goizueta Leadership Development Program, where select students enjoy workshops, executive coaching, and unforgettable experiences, such as practicing leadership at the U.S. Army’s Fort Benning Leader’s Reaction Course. In addition, MBA candidates must complete an Impact 360 course during their first year. Here, student teams sharpen their problem-solving skills by partnering with firms like General Electric or The Home Depot on real world projects. These hands-on learning opportunities, which range from international consulting projects to non-profit partnerships, offer another benefit as well, says Andrew Schirmer.

“As a career changer, I view the Impact project as both an opportunity to practice the new skills I learn in the core curriculum and an opportunity to translate my existing abilities to new environments – all before beginning my summer internship.”

ATLANTA MAINTAINS EXPLOSIVE GROWTH

For Schirmer, Impact 360 is just the start. He is also looking forward to the program’s mid-semester travel modules. “Every year during Spring break, Goizueta sends teams of students to various countries to study the intersection of business and culture. Students have traveled to China, Brazil, South Africa, Thailand, and many other countries. During the trips, the students meet with various corporate and public leaders within that country, many of whom are Goizueta alumni, and learn about the opportunities and challenges that the market faces. I’m confident that the travel module will be a great bonding experience with my classmates and a unique opportunity to learn about business in an international context.”

…and a big business context too. The Atlanta metro is home to 26 Fortune 1000 firms, third only to New York City and Houston. Even more, these firms – headlined by The Home Depot, Coca-Cola, UPS, and Delta Airlines – account for nearly $360 million in annual revenue according to the Metro Atlanta Chamber. How appealing is Hotlanta to MBAs? In 2018, Atlanta was also ranked #1 by WalletHub as the most affordable big city and the best city for internships. According to 2017 report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Atlanta region ranked second in economic growth, with GDP rising by $11 billion in one year alone. That doesn’t factor in Hartsfield-Jackson’s standing as America’s busiest airport – one where MBAs can go anywhere, anytime…with a minimum of fuss.

A Goizueta outdoor meet-and-greet

That’s not to say that Goizueta is a feeder to Atlanta business royalty. In fact, just 56% of 2017 grads decided to work there. “The biggest myth I hear from prospective students during their application to Goizueta is they think they will be limited to Atlanta or the Southeast after graduation, explains Mike Galanis, a 2018 grad who started at Bain & Company after graduation. “I have classmates going across the country and around the globe to a myriad of jobs and functions. It’s incredible how broad the opportunities are.”

The Class of 2020 hopes to capitalize on every single one of these opportunities! What happens after the Emory experience? Taylor Richardson plans to return to Bain & Company to build her mastery of managing teams. Marnie Harris, who helped launch a certificate at Georgia Tech for students with intellectual challenges, is eying ways to “create workforces inclusive of people with disabilities.” At the same time, David Hinshillwood is already plotting out his startup along the lines of AirBnb, Uber, and Lyft.

“It synthesizes a lot of my interests: strong company culture and brand identity, hospitality services, and a people-helping-people approach where folks are sharing a part of themselves (whether it be their car’s backseat or their spare bedroom) to form transient but still impactful connections.”

In the meantime, Hinshillwood can experience this magnanimous mindset with the Class of 2020, a special group that Taylor Richardson confers the ultimate MBA compliment: Team players.

“My classmates at Goizueta are eager to learn together. There is healthy competition here that encourages students to work together. The diversity of opinions and experiences makes it an incredibly rich learning environment.”

What led these professionals to enter business schools? Which programs did they also consider? What strategies did they use to choose their MBA program? What was the major event that defined them? Find the answers to these questions and many more in the in-depth profiles of these incoming MBA candidates. 

DON’T MISS: MEET EMORY GOIZUETA’s MBA CLASS OF 2019

MEET THE MBA CLASS OF 2020: PROFILES IN COURAGE

Student	Hometown	Alma Mater	Employer
Alexa Ceballos	Caracas, Venezuela	University of Miami	Janssen Pharmaceuticals
Nidah Goheer	Snellville, GA	Georgia Tech University	Triage Consulting Group
Marnie Harris	Roswell, GA	Georgia Tech University	Excel at Georgia Tech
David R. Hinshillwood	Cherry Hill, NJ	Harvard University	PrepScholar, Inc
Bren Marschner	Decatur, AL	Birmingham-Southern College	GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group)
Oscar Mendez, Jr.	Mandeville, LA	Tulane University	Ariel Investments
Maggie Niehaus	Atlanta, GA	Wake Forest University	Edelman
Taylor Richardson	Tampa, FL	University of Virginia	Peachtree Orthopedics
Tyrone Sampson	Atlanta, GA	University of North Carolina	East Point Investments
Andrew Schirmer	Columbia, SC	Liberty University	Service Source International
Nakaiya Turk	Knoxville, TN	Spelman College	Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Jason Waidzulis	Forest Lake, MN	University of Minnesota	U.S. Army

Alexa Ceballos

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

 “I am a high energy, determined woman with a passion for business and science.”

Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am a black belt in Japanese traditional karate.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Miami, BS in Chemistry

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Janssen Pharmaceuticals – Cardiovascular Specialty Representative

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Winning President’s Circle (top 10% of sales growth in the nation) twice in my first three years in the pharmaceutical industry!

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Everyone I’ve met is incredibly PASSIONATE about different things, which makes me excited to start school with a diverse group, each an expert in their own way.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The nurturing environment at Emory is what let me to this program. From heavily involved and helpful admissions counselors, to the beautiful campus and small class sizes, I felt welcomed throughout the whole application process.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am very excited to participate in intermural sports and the Hispanic Business Association.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I want to pivot from sales into a more strategic marketing role. I also want to learn to harness my passion for leadership to be more impactful in the business world.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I studied the opportunities that are created with a masters degree in the work force, and realized the time difference between having a degree or not in accessing that potential.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? NYU, UCLA, USC, UC Berkeley and University of Michigan

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I looked for schools that had concentrations and classes in fields I wanted to explore, along with being in cities that I felt had great exposure to large companies and growing economies. The employment profile was a great resource in making my decision, because I wanted to find a school that had individuals pursuing a similar direction to mine. I was also interested in a program that had a student population with a diverse industry background and not hyper focused on one specialization. I reached out to students from each of the schools to hear about their experiences and what sort of activities they took advantage of on campus to get a feel for each student culture.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? My defining moment was deciding to step away from pursuing my PhD in Chemistry and going into the pharmaceutical industry. This changed my perspective on life to be more holistic, and include factors such as income potential, work-life balance, and culture within an industry in making a decision, instead of simply following a passion. It shaped my choices and helped me create a career that includes my love for science as well as the type of life I want to live.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? My plan is to return to industry with the lessons from my MBA and become a strategic partner in a healthcare or science corporation. I am looking to continue my career in an impactful industry, specifically in a large company.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I see myself living in a different city, potentially in a different country, gaining as much experience as possible to build a long lasting career in my field. I am hoping to begin to start a family at that time as well.

Nidah Goheer

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

“Atlanta native passionate about food, travel and stand-up comedy.”

Hometown: Snellville, GA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I visited 15 cities in Europe this summer solo in England, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Undergraduate School and Major: Georgia Tech, Economics & International Affairs

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Triage Consulting Group, Senior Consultant

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I felt accomplished developing close relationships with my clients at several different hospital billing offices around the Midwest and Southeast. It felt fulfilling to recover money that will eventually improve a hospital’s bottom line.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Ambitious.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? A city like Atlanta that is both affordable and vibrant.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Women’s Association

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I wanted to pivot out of healthcare.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I researched the starting salaries of most MBA’s and compared to the Cost of Attendance along with scholarships.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? None.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I went to Forte Forum last Summer and spoke with the relevant campus representatives that gave me a sense of recruiting at each school. Poets & Quants was a helpful resource in determining happiness and culture at specific schools.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I traveled solo in Europe this summer for six weeks. After navigating cities via trains, planes, and cars, I have increased confidence as a woman, as well as a new perspective on different cultures and people.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I would like to work in management consulting at a large firm.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Currently deciding.

Marnie Harris

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

“I am an innovative engineer focused on advancing progressive workplaces inclusive of people with disabilities.”

Hometown: Roswell, GA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I skipped first grade.

Undergraduate School and Major: Georgia Institute of Technology, Biomedical Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Excel at Georgia Tech; Mentor Program Coordinator

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I was on the founding team to launch Excel at Georgia Tech, a four year Certificate program for college students with intellectual disabilities. Excel is a landmark program that provides opportunities for young adults with intellectual disabilities to have a college experience that equips students for meaningful careers, allows them to expand their social network, and empowers graduates to live independently. In my time with Excel, the program grew from 8 to 28 students and will graduate its first cohort in May 2018.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? I’ve been surprised with how many of my Goizueta classmates have been in pursuit of nontraditional paths, whether that is using business skills in education systems, to run social enterprises, or to found their own companies.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? As a student with a nontraditional path both into school and hopefully after the MBA, I wanted a program that had the resources to invest in me to develop my path rather than fit me to an already prescribed one. Throughout the application and decision process, Emory students, faculty, and staff overtly demonstrated their investment in my goals. They showed me not only how I would be personally and professionally developed, but also how my unique fit would add to my cohort and to the school itself.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school?Social Enterprise @ Goizueta. SE@G is doing some awesome work related to empowering small business owners. I am very excited to learn from and contribute to their initiatives.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I would like to create workforces inclusive of people with disabilities. I had an engineering background and then worked in the higher education sector. I thought if I wanted to be on the workforce/workplace development side, I needed a better understanding of business and to expand my network of people who were making business decisions. Both of those were aspects I could develop through an MBA.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I thought that for the impact I hope to have, an MBA from a top school, a supportive network, and a strong understanding of business was crucial. I wanted to accelerate my growth in order to jump into the work that I wanted to do, and an MBA seemed like an appropriate path to that.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? University of North Carolina, Harvard, Stanford, MIT, University of Virginia, Duke

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I made it a goal to talk to at least three students, three alumni, faculty faculty and two staff for every school that I was considering. The different perspectives were extremely insightful in determining school culture, opportunities graduates pursued, the level of investment I would receive from faculty/staff, and the ways that I could contribute to the schools. I knew that I wanted a school that had a pathway or focus on social/sustainable enterprise and considered more than just environmental factors in determining a sustainable enterprise.

Financial aid opportunities were also a huge factor. When I was making my decision between schools, I made a list of my priorities (Location, culture fit, opportunities related to my specific goals, etc.), ranked them high/medium/low, and then ranked each school on priorities. Emory scored the highest on my ranking system, which helped confirm it was the right school for me and my family.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are?

My dad always told me “Remember who you and who(m) you represent”. I have used this piece of advice to evaluate most decisions I make, including pursuing an MBA and which school would be the best fit. Following my dad’s advice helped me take the leap of faith to jump into a role in higher education after graduation instead of using my engineering degree in a lucrative field. It has helped me evaluate my path to an MBA. Much of my motivation to pursue an MBA is rooted in who I believe that I am and the skills I hope to develop to best serve the people I will to represent.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I want to create workforces inclusive of people with disabilities.

Where do you see yourself in five years? On the leadership team for an initiative or a small business that delivers a useful product or service and employs people with disabilities working in a range of positions with opportunities for growth.

David R. Hinshillwood

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

“Bumbling, beardy, boisterous, and kind-hearted oaf passionate about social justice, company culture, and trash television.”

Hometown: Cherry Hill, NJ

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am an aspiring Drag Queen who goes by the name Miss Patti Archy (like “patriarchy,” which I hope to dismantle one lip-sync at a time!).

Undergraduate School and Major: Harvard University, B.A. in History and Literature & the Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: PrepScholar, Inc. / Sales and Support Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My most recent company, PrepScholar, is an education technology program that seeks to improve educational access at scale, and that’s exactly what I sought to do in my Sales Management role: improve our processes at scale in a way that was both lucrative to the company and helpful to our customers. Thus, my biggest accomplishment at PrepScholar was the creation, design, implementation, and maintenance of an upsell experiment that revolutionized the way we were interacting with current customers to encourage them to upsell to our tutoring packages.

By understanding PrepScholar’s “buyer’s journey” where our sales messaging stopped at purchase, I saw a huge gap where we weren’t trying to upsell our stellar tutoring packages to families who were enrolled in our smaller package (an online-only adaptive software). Singlehandedly, I was able to create a personalized email messaging that married qualitative data (like their dream college) with quantitative points (hours in the program, test scores, etc.) to point out the gap between their current scores and the necessary scores for admission to introduce and sell the benefit of our tutoring packages.

Even in its MVP stage, the upsell experiment increased company-wide sales numbers nearly 30 percent, and it’s something PrepScholar has since integrated into its core sales practices! As a self-proclaimed “scared of numbers” guy, I was not only really proud of the lasting impact my project had on the company but also the metrics-driven quantitative success of the sales.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? My classmates are a mix of many things: ambitious and talented, hardworking and fun, but most of all, I’d have to say they’re effervescent. Effervescence goes far beyond describing a tart and satisfying sip of good champagne (which I’ve learned many in the class have a penchant for!); it’s a bubbly, tingly, and even inspiring sensation that gives you a warmth in your gut and a smile on your face. From day one, the folks I’ve interacted with in Goizueta’s incoming class have given me nothing but these positive, intoxicating feelings.

However, unlike the nasty hangovers and bad decisions that can come from the effervescence of champagne, the effervescence of the Goizueta Class of 2020 has left me feeling great and thirsty for more. Besides the few folks I got to meet at the whirlwind of a Welcome Weekend, we’re all on a GroupMe where we all chat daily as an incoming class. In just one day, we could talk about the best way to politely but firmly give your notice to your employer, the World Cup, climbing mountains, and grabbing a beer. The Goizueta class of 2020 is one with diverse passions and backgrounds, but they all have some important commonalities: an enthusiastic love of business, a vivacious and alluring sense of self, and a willingness to imbibe the experience of our MBA program in a way that will last far beyond our two years together.

We have students with spouses and children, wildly successful career switchers, and international students with a zeal and excitement for business that goes unparalleled. I’m lucky to be one of the bubbles in the glass of Goizueta 2020.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? There are a lot of phenomenal things I could say about Goizueta, many of which were contributing factors in my decision to join the class of 2020. Paramount to all else was the overwhelming sense of community I felt throughout the application process, whether it was at Welcome Weekend or after formally accepting my offer to join the incoming class. Every top Business School boasts great professors, impressive networks, and hard data on success, but not every school can craft a narrative of care, compassion, and community that is so intertwined in Goizueta’s core values as an institution.

As someone who doesn’t have a traditional MBA background (liberal arts humanities undergraduate, shorter than average work experience, startup experience and young to boot), I needed a place where I would feel supported by my peers, my professors, and the administration as a whole. From my very first interview with Heather Holland where we talked about Atlanta’s drag scene and the bond she has with her daughter from watching RuPaul’s Drag Race, to the friends I made at welcome weekend with whom I bonded over the daunting and delicious cheese plate and Atlanta heat, to today where I’m still receiving invites to grab drinks (and buy microwaves) from my peers, I could tell that even in the hyper-competitive business school arena that Goizueta is going to be a place where I can simultaneously feel challenged and supported. Without community, success can feel shallow and unfounded. Thankfully, I am confident that in Goizueta I have found an institution that promotes growth through community impact (within Goizueta itself, Atlanta at large, and on an even more international scale).

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I’m really excited to join Emory’s Entrepreneurship Club (EVCC). I’ve always had an interest in startups – especially their conception, funding, and development – and so seeing that first hand will be extremely invaluable and enlightening as I begin the recruitment process.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? My grandfather – or “Poppo” as I call him (since I wanted him to be related to Elmo when I was little) – was not only a huge influence in my life but also a major professional aspiration for me growing up. One of life’s most bittersweet ironies is watching a man who was the COO of a cancer research hospital battle cancer, and his journey showed me that there’s no time like the present to better yourself, pursue your passions, and make a difference. Sometimes, we don’t get a “tomorrow” or a “next time” and I want my grandfather to see my impact. So, business school, here we are!

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? There’s nothing quite like holding a $200,00 piece of paper that reads, “David Hinshillwood, Bachelor of Arts in Unemployment from Harvard University” to give you a swift kick in the butt. I value my experience at Harvard for many reasons, but most important of all, it helped show me that a liberal arts education gives you a well-defined sense of your passion and a strong voice with a much less defined career path.

My academic focus in the performances of race and gender in throughout American social and political history helped me explore my interest in people relations and the importance of contributions individuals make to shape society as a whole, but I wasn’t quite sure whether that would springboard into a role in operations, HR, or marketing. It also helped me understand my own privilege and the hierarchies I myself am intertwined in, but that still didn’t lead me to a dream career.

I’m confident that an MBA will help ground my general interests in a way that is much more focused and targeted, where I can marry my own personal core ideas and interests to a concrete career path.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I applied to schools in the top 20 that had a strong brand identity and inclusive community located in or near major cities. Among those programs were the likes of Haas, Stern and Anderson.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? There were a couple of key factors I considered as I was finalizing my list of schools to apply to. Among the top factors were quality of instruction, average aid, class size, student-rated satisfaction, and opportunities for employment outside of traditional MBA work placements (like Wall Street, Consulting, etc.).

To assess the fit for each of these factors, I used a mix of school-specific and national resources. I began by enrolling in the ROMBA (Reaching Out MBA) email list and ruled out any school that didn’t have a ROMBA affiliation. From there, I spent time on the websites of each school to which I was interested in applying to look at their course offerings, read up on professors, and scanned their list of clubs and activities to see where I thought I could find my community and make the biggest impact. I then began reaching out to school networks based on my interests (LGBTQ activism, rugby, marketing, hospitality and startups) to discuss any present opportunities and what it was that made them love their school. I chose this specific route because these students were the ones actively involved but could also speak candidly about their experience. Thankfully, each school also has extensive records of where students are placed by company, industry and role, so I could see which schools sent MBAs to work in tech or startups and begin finalizing my list from there.

After I gleaned all the information I possibly could from school websites, I began using outside sources: US News and World Report Rankings, Poets&Quants, and Clear Admit to start understanding where each school fell in the Top 20; what students loved about their school; and how long it took for them to pay back their MBA. I knew I wanted to go to a prestigious university but I wasn’t going to spend upwards of $200,000 to enroll at a school with a great name that wasn’t the right fit for me.

Lastly, and this is probably my biggest recommendation: interview your interviewer. If you make it to the interview stage of the application, you should be determining fit as much as the interviewer is: ask what’s hard about living in that city, what a day-to-day is like, and what makes them unique. The interviewer will likely have crafted answers, but it’s illuminating to see what a school representative decides to highlight.

Ultimately, it was schools with a strong sense of activism, community orientation, and small class size that made the cut.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? Wow, talk about a Jerry Springer moment! The biggest defining moment in my life so far has been coming out of the closet and living my truth as an out and proud gay man. Though society is making huge inclusive strides to protect the rights of LGBTQ-identified Americans, I’ve experienced first-hand the hate, fear and body-shaming that gay folk face, and so coupling that with a somewhat conservative-minded family, I was nervous to live my truth.

Like the aspiring businessperson I was, I wrote an email addressed to my entire family so no one would be mad they weren’t told first, and also so that I could more eloquently put into words feelings that had been dormant since I was a pre-teen.

Common themes throughout my life are to live with authenticity, challenge the status quo, and do work to support my communities, and coming out was a culmination of those three ideals. Through coming out, I was able to more deeply understand myself and what set me apart as an intellectual, a businessperson, and a human being. Since coming out, I’ve joined Boston’s gay and inclusive rugby team to challenge myself physically and mentally while also building a network of support; I began doing drag to challenge the conception of fragile and toxic masculinity; and I proudly do charity work to raise money for HIV/AIDS research and other issues plaguing gay America. Coming out allowed me to understand my impact and challenged me to continue to live my life with truth, integrity, and a sense of purpose, and you all better be sure I’m bringing my gay down to Goizueta!

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I’m obsessed with the power and success of the sharing economy (AirBnb, Uber, Lyft, etc.) because it synthesizes a lot of my interests: strong company culture and brand identity, hospitality services, and a people-helping-people approach where folks are sharing a part of themselves (whether it be their car’s backseat or their spare bedroom) to form transient but still impactful connections. I’d love for my post-graduation career to start at a company in this sector. Ideally, I’d love to join the Marketing division of one of these companies to continue to brand and market these services to help connect people on an individual level while being part of the initiative to ensure that these tech startups-turned-institutions are here to stay in a safe and legal way.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I have this crazy gay dream of opening an LGBTQ chain coffee shop and bar across America’s most gay-friendly cities. Think of it as Starbucks’ flamboyant younger brother with beardy bearistas and beartenders who have an intimate knowledge of service, craft cocktails, and culturally-aware coffee. It would be a company obsessed with community, whose patrons could feel comfortable regardless of race, gender and size, where a portion of the profits are donated to initiatives like the Trevor Project and the HRC, and you could walk in at noon to a re-run of RuPaul’s DragDrag Race and a Golden Girls themed night starting at nine.

HA! In all practical seriousness, waking up from the idyllic dream above, in five years, I hope I will have gotten my feet wet in small-scale startups to the point where I understand what it takes to build a brand and a company from the ground up to help with in funding and starting my company. Coffee and cocktails are both social endeavors that marry my love of people, products, and culture in a way that I’d be excited to struggle and commit my life to their operation and success, but it takes experience and know-how beyond the scope of what I feel I can currently do.

Brendan Marschner     

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

“I am a curious and tenacious person that loves learning and working with people.”

Hometown: Decatur/Huntsville, AL

Fun Fact About Yourself: In High School, I tied the state record for number of 3 pointers made in an Alabama Basketball State playoff game.

Undergraduate School and Major: Birmingham-Southern College, Economics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group), Engagement Team Leader

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I was promoted to be the Team Leader of all New Business for GLG’s North American Financial Services division in late 2017. I was responsible for building a new client service framework for new clients and managed a team of 7 focused on onboarding and building client relationships with roughly 70 firms.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Collaborative. This summer, I reached out to two of my classmates to gauge their interest in working on a project on education innovation completely out of the blue. Not only did they get back to me immediately, but have become integral parts of the project. Keep in mind that this is a random project that takes significant time outside of their busy pre-MBA summers!

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The closeness of the school. Goizueta is a small school (~180 students per class) and the size allows people to get to know each other on a deep level. It was apparent that the administration, professors, and students all knew and cared about each other from the first moments I interacted with them. That made a huge impact on me.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Goizueta Consulting Association. But I am also excited for Case Competitions as well as the Center for Alternative Investments. GCA will be a great resource for consulting recruiting but I can’t wait to expand my horizons through many of the other activities and clubs that I don’t know a ton about yet.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I really enjoyed my time at GLG, but felt it was time to develop other skills as I had hit somewhat of a ceiling (from a learning perspective). Business school offers a route to pursue those skills academically and is a great platform to launch me into my next career move.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I think the argument for an MBA is very solid if you know what you are going to get out of it (or have a strong idea). There are a couple of tracks (consulting, I-Banking, Tech giants, etc) that have proven ROI. As soon as I figured out what I wanted to transition into, I simply backtracked on how to get there and the MBA was the best route. As far as cost analysis, it is a pretty simple math problem to figure out how long it will take for the investment to pay off if you know the benefits of the end goal.

There are also many benefits that are difficult to value such as expanding my network, exploring new academic interests, etc. that made the decision even easier.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? UT-McCombs, Duke Fuqua, Cornell Johnson, MIT Sloan, UVA Darden, Michigan Ross

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I focused on outcomes and job placement first, so I really studied the job reports (highly recommend!). Second, I tried to get a feel for the student-school cultures. Over time, it became apparent that a smaller, tight-knit school was very attractive so that further focused me. Obviously things such as prestige and geographic location also played a role as I didn’t really consider West Coast schools.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? One moment is difficult, but I would say my first year at GLG has strongly impacted my career aspirations and how I work with people. I was very lucky to have an incredible mentor and manager- the way she taught me to approach problems and opportunities has made me much more flexible in collaborating with others.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? Strategy Consulting- aiming for McKinsey, Bain, or BCG at the moment

Where do you see yourself in five years? I could see myself still in consulting and very much enjoying that line of work (specifically the problem solving aspect), but I have been drawn to Education Innovation for a long time and can definitely see myself transitioning into a role within that space.

Oscar Mendez, Jr.

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

“Born an extremely competitive person and passionate about travelling and family.”

Hometown: Mandeville, LA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I used to compete in Tae Kwon Do, and I have two gold medals from the AAU Jr. Olympics.

Undergraduate School and Major: Tulane University, Legal Studies in Business

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Ariel Investments, Associate Analyst

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: When I started as a research associate at Ariel Investments in 2015, I worked under the supervision of a vice president, who was in charge of our investment restrictions monitoring process. After a few months on the job, our vice president resigned. I was able to prove to senior management and the research team that I could lead this process. At the end of last year, I was promoted from Research Associate to Associate Analyst.

After a year at the firm, we decided to migrate to a new compliance engine, which was a large and high-risk project. The purpose of this project helped us improve our efficiency and increased the automation of our investment restrictions process. Many departments were involved in the project, and I was able to lead the migration process for the research team. We decreased the number of manual investment restrictions by over 40%.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why?Team-oriented. The rising second year students and my fellow incoming classmates have been very accessible in preparing for the upcoming academic year. In addition, many of my classmates have made themselves available to assist other classmates with questions about a certain industry and/or job.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? I was attracted to Goizueta because of the strong finance program. However, I was more impressed by the close-knit community and how much the Goizueta network helped one another. Prior to starting my first semester, Goizueta alumni and current students took time out of their day to run through mock interviews with me for summer investment banking events. Without their help, I would not have been able to secure a summer 2019 Internship.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am looking forward to being involved in the Finance Club.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I want to strengthen my financial skill set. In addition, I wish to expand my knowledge about other business sectors such as operations, marketing, and business strategy.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? There were several factors that went into my decision. I wanted to develop my leadership skills, expand my knowledge and way of thinking, and build life-long friendships with my classmates.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I applied to several schools in the Midwest and Southeast.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I was looking for a program with a close community and strong finance program. In order to achieve this, I made sure to attend a seminar through The Consortium to learn more about Goizueta. In addition, I made a few trips to Atlanta to ensure that the program and city was a perfect fit. After talking with current students and alumni, I could see the genuine interest from the Goizueta community about my personal and professional interests.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? The defining moment in my life was seeing my mom go back to college while my sister and I were young. It taught me that anything could be achieved with a little determination and hard work.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? After graduation, I plan to be working as an Investment Banking Associate.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I see myself remaining in Investment Banking. Hopefully, I will be transitioning from an Associate to a Vice President.

Maggie Niehaus

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

“I am a fiercely-independent social butterfly, who thrives when continuously learning and practicing something new.”

Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I grew up an avid whitewater kayaker. I sometimes forget it’s a rather unique skill for a city-girl and surprise my friends with my above-average boating skills.

Undergraduate School and Major: Wake Forest University, English

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Edelman (employer); Associate Director, Paid Media (title)

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The greatest accomplishment of my career has been helping to develop and grow the paid media practice at Edelman. When I joined Edelman, paid media and digital advertising was a small specialty working on a project-to-project basis. Through my time there, the team grew in both size and expertise, eventually to a place where we were competing against the biggest ad agencies. Winning the 2016 Search Engine Land Award for Best Overall Search Program validated that.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? So far I have been inspired by how passionate and eager all of the classmates seem. Their enthusiasm for school and for the careers that lay beyond school has solidified in me that I made the right decision.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? For me, finding a program in a major city was my number one priority. I wanted to be somewhere that would provide me with opportunities and plenty to do outside of school, as well as in a city with a booming business presence – and Atlanta definitely fits the bill!

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? So many things, but the first that comes to mind is the mid-semester module we’ll take in the spring semester. I’m looking forward to the chance to hopefully travel with my classmates and learn more about business practices in other countries!

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I began to get the itch to leave the agency world and go client-side. After doing some research, I realized that an MBA would afford me the opportunity to pursue a wider variety of careers, and that the skills I learned in business school would help get me further in whatever career I choose.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment?  I realized that the experiences and opportunities a full-time program would afford me greatly outweighed the investment.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? NYU Stern

How did you determine your fit at various schools? Community and culture fit were my biggest priorities. I wanted to be at a school with a close-knit group of students, professors, and administrators, where I could quickly develop a strong support system. I looked for schools where I knew business I’m interested in recruit actively, and wanted to be in a big city with a breadth of industries and a growing economy. As for determining culture, I spoke to students and administrators, and researched online to learn more about the opportunities I could expect from each school.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I honestly can’t think of one single defining moment. I’ve been shaped into who I am by all of the people I’ve met and the variety of experiences I’ve been lucky enough to have through the years.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? After graduation, I plan to work in a brand or corporate marketing role, hopefully with an emphasis on analytics and insights.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I’ll be managing a team of bright marketers, and still learning and evolving my skillset to stay up-to-speed and competitive.

Taylor Richardson

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

“A catalyst, who always rises to the challenge and loves laughing until it hurts.”

Hometown: Tampa, Florida

Fun Fact About Yourself: I co-founded a women’s fashion line, CROSBY by Mollie Burch.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Virginia, B.S. in Commerce

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Peachtree Orthopedics, ASC Operations Strategist

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: In July 2016, I was a consultant at Bain. By August, I had switched industries entirely and become the operations strategist at an ambulatory surgery center [ASC], and within a year, I’d unexpectedly added interim clinical director to my job title with 30 staff members reporting to me. With no nursing degree, no transition time, and little guidance for how to manage a ~$15M outpatient surgery center, it was quite an adjustment. However, I was determined to rise to the challenge.

I believe I was successful as interim clinical director because I practiced servant leadership. A servant leader embraces the value of teamwork and focuses on influencing team members to be the best versions of themselves, ultimately empowering those around you to elevate the team altogether. The impact I made on the ASC has been my greatest accomplishment so far. I empowered the staff to work together and seek solutions to problems instead of just escalate complaints. It was culture shift for the surgery center, but one I believe set the organization on the right path moving forward.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Team Players; my classmates at Goizueta are eager to learn together. There is healthy competition here that encourages students to work together. The diversity of opinions and experiences makes it an incredibly rich learning environment.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? I chose Goizueta Business School because it offered state-of-the-art resources to study the business of healthcare with the expectation that you drive the direction of your studies. After the core courses, Goizueta encourages you to blaze your own path and gives you the flexibility to dive deep into a subject area you are passionate about. With the Emory Hospital, Rollins School of Public Health, and incredibly invested professors, Goizueta expects me to take the reins and shape my experience into what I want it to be. I appreciated the structure of this program because it fosters creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit by allowing students to apply learnings from the core subjects of an MBA program.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I look forward to getting involved in the Emory ALS Center. Whether I get involved in research, or help administratively as a volunteer, I want to help support this incredible organization.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? After three years as a consultant at Bain & Company, I wanted to take another two years before business school to pursue my passion for healthcare. While I learned an incredible amount managing the operations of outpatient surgery centers, I wanted the opportunity to truly study the business of healthcare. The intersection of business and healthcare captivates me. My experience in the industry has made me sensitive to the challenging balance between patient care and profit. I look forward to studying this balance through an MBA from Goizueta.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I think an MBA is most valuable when one is looking to pivot careers. I’ve been fortunate to receive financial support that helped make an MBA worth the investment.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, Berkeley-Haas, Darden

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I prioritized the students and the professors. These are the people that will influence your studies for the next two years. For me, it was critical that the program was built around a team mentality instead of individual competition. I reached out to anyone I knew in certain programs and had 15-30 minute calls to learn about the culture of the school. I also wanted the opportunity to dive deeper into the business of healthcare and leveraged the admissions offices to understand the opportunities available for studying a specific industry.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? My defining moment was writing a biography in the 7th grade. I chose to write it on a family friend that was battling Lou Gehrig’s or ALS Disease. Through this one assignment, I learned so much from a man who was living life to the fullest. He left me with advice that forever shaped how I live my life. He said, “Remember to never let anyone put limits on you and learn to laugh at yourself and you will do great things.”

This advice taught me to live with unwavering determination and humility. He inspired me to always rise to the challenge and to stay humble through successes and failures. In business, it is often easy to take yourself too seriously, becoming lost in the intensity of a project to the point where you lose perspective. Because of this advice, I approach my work with humility. Learning to laugh at myself keeps things in perspective and allows me to value what others bring to the table. I advocate for teamwork and believe that the best leaders empower those around them.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I plan to return to Bain & Company as a Consultant. I believe I still have a lot to learn about managing a team and I think Bain offers an unbelievably effective and structured way to build this skillset while learning from and working side by side with high profile clients.

Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years, I would like to be on a path to start a company that transforms how we provide surgical care across the United States. Surgical costs are one of the largest drivers and biggest levers in healthcare costs. CDC data indicates hospital care comprised the bulk of healthcare spending at over 30%. My experience in an ambulatory surgery center [ASC] has shown me first-hand how this business model helps drive costs out of the system. It significantly cuts down the overhead compared to a hospital and provides the same, if not higher, quality of care. I want to develop a company that fosters the innovation and creativity of ambulatory surgery centers to improve how our hospital systems manage costs.

Tyrone Sampson

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Capitalist & marathon runner who loves to take action and make things happen.

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Fun Fact About Yourself: Completed a 55-mile Ultramarathon called The Comrades Marathon in South Africa.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Business Administration

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: East Point Investments, Investor & Portfolio Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Starting a company.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Community. Students a willing to go above and beyond to help others and the small MBA class size means you develop deep, meaningful relationships.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? Professors. Smaller MBA class size means students also develop closer relationships to professors to help facilitate the learning process. This was important to me because I will be return to Finance, so I’m seeking to obtain specific leadership and technical abilities to enhance my career.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Center for Alternative Investments, Hedge Fund Competition, and Finance Club

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career?  Focus on enhanced leadership & technical skills

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? Cost benefit analysis.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Applied to a select few MBA programs.

I prioritized academics, size, school culture, and professors. The tools I used to evaluate schools were MBA surveys, speaking to alumni, and in-person visits to each campus I considered. I researched culture specifically by speaking with current and prior students. I knew these schools fit with my career goals by exploring the MBA curriculum and where alumni have gone on to work after earning their degree.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? One day, while working at my first job directly out of UNC-Chapel Hill, I was sitting at my computer wondering what my next 50+ years of life would look like if I continued my current path. I was not satisfied with that, so I became to push myself by taking on more and more personal challenges.  Since then, I have explored the world, worked in different industries, started my own company, served on the board of a non-profit, and got into endurance and extreme sports such as skydiving, scuba diving, and running marathons.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I plan to work within the finance industry.

Where do you see yourself in five years?  I see myself as working toward becoming a finance executive.

Andrew Schirmer

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

“Relational, goal oriented problem-solver seeking new experiences and driven by a desire for social impact.”

Hometown: Columbia, South Carolina

Fun Fact About Yourself: I was first introduced to international cultures at age 4 when my family adopted my brother from Albania. Over the following 9 years, we adopted 3 more kids from 2 other countries. I learned to love the diversity that different cultures bring, and I’ve continued to explore new cultures and build cross-cultural relationships whenever I have the opportunity.

Undergraduate School and Major: Liberty University, BS in Religious Studies

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Service Source International, Senior Account Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I was contracted to manage a segment of a large tech client’s federal service business with the goal of increasing revenue and providing new business insight. Our engagement focused on client data that supposedly identified the customer opportunity within our segment. Within a couple months, I discovered that the data was flawed and insufficient. I realized our engagement focused exclusively on effectively selling at the expense of identifying the true customer opportunity.

Through collaboration with the client’s account teams, I identified new sources of customer data that accurately and comprehensively identified potential sales opportunities. With these new data sources, I created a structured go-to-market process that defined the customer needs and then targeted those customers with an effective sales motion. I secured commitment to the process by both the federal and SLED (state, local, and education) sales teams and led the implementation. Within a year, the new approach increased revenue by $6M within my territory and uncovered $20M of additional sales opportunity across the two public sector teams. Collaboratively solving a strategic problem and witnessing both the resulting impact and the lasting change in strategy was incredibly rewarding.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? My classmates’ selfless support for one another has been a standout characteristic of the Goizueta community. Goizueta’s members truly desire one another’s success and demonstrate this desire in their actions. Even during busy summer internships, the second year students make themselves available to discuss career objectives and review resumes outside of official “career coaching” relationships. Before a summer networking function, one 2nd year student spent over two hours coaching me and researched and provided numerous resources to prepare me for the event.

This supportive quality also manifests itself in the incoming 1st year students. Though classes haven’t yet begun, 1st year students are actively engaged in the Goizueta community and are pursuing relationships with each other. Students constantly share information on helpful resources and events and often sacrifice time to find answers to their peers’ questions. I believe this genuine desire to grow one another and the community as a whole forms the foundation of Goizueta’s uniquely close-knit and supportive culture.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? Goizueta’s emphasis on experiential learning played a significant role in my business school decision. The program offers a variety of hands-on opportunities from international consulting projects to social impact work with local nonprofits.  The Impact 360 course particularly appealed to me. In this semester-long project, Goizueta pairs student teams with various client companies, and the students work to address a real world business problem for their client. As a career changer, I view the Impact project as both an opportunity to practice the new skills I learn in the core curriculum and an opportunity to translate my existing abilities to new environments – all before beginning my summer internship. Impact 360 and other experiential opportunities contribute to Goizueta’s top-tier job placement and internship conversion rates, and I believe these experiences will be critical to realize my full potential in business school.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am most excited to participate in one of Goizueta’s Mid-semester travel modules. Every year during Spring break, Goizueta sends teams of students to various countries to study the intersection of business and culture. Students have traveled to China, Brazil, South Africa, Thailand, and many other countries. During the trips, the students meet with various corporate and public leaders within that country, many of whom are Goizueta alumni, and learn about the opportunities and challenges that the market faces. I’m confident that the travel module will be a great bonding experience with my classmates and a unique opportunity to learn about business in an international context.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I decided to pursue an MBA because I believe this is the right time to commit to a new career path. After college, I began my Seminary education and planned to pursue full time pastoral work within the church. While in Seminary, I began working for Service Source. The scale and strategy of our organization fascinated me, and I enjoyed several opportunities to solve strategic problems and witness the resulting impact. I became convinced that business would provide the best platform for me to use my strengths to effect meaningful change. My growth within my company would, however, be limited to one function and would offer few new challenges or opportunities for development. Conversely, an MBA would accelerate my transition to a more strategic role. Confident in my new direction and ready for a new challenge, I decided now was the right time to pursue an MBA.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I first defined my professional goals and then evaluated whether an MBA would be the best route to reach them. I came to the conclusion that the MBA experience would be absolutely necessary to accomplish my objectives. I want to use business to drive social impact. To do so, I need a deep business understanding and an effective problem-solving skillset. I believe these skills can be best learned in a role that focuses on creating strategy and overcoming strategic challenges. Such a role represented a significant career change from my trajectory in account management and sales. To obtain a strategy-focused corporate role with my nontraditional background, I would need the business knowledge and hard skills that an MBA program will provide. In addition to rounding out my skillset, I would also need an audience with the companies I want to work for. Top tier business schools offer access to the world’s top employers, and apart from the program it would be extremely difficult to gain that access. After defining my goals and evaluating the paths to reach them, I came to the conclusion that the MBA degree was the necessary route and consequently a worthwhile investment.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I also applied to UVA-Darden, Duke-Fuqua, UCLA-Anderson, and Georgetown-McDonough.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I believe the first step in evaluating “fit” is understanding what you are looking for. My background, personality, and professional goals guided my evaluation of programs. I had a non-traditional background, a relational and team-oriented personality, and a desire to transition into management consulting. In light of these realities, I wanted a program that offered strong experiential opportunities, a close knit and team-oriented culture, and a proven track record of placing students with my target consulting firms. School websites, Poets and Quants Insider Guides, and employment reports provided a good overview of this information and helped narrow my initial search. From that point on, the most helpful resource was conversation with current students. Through these conversations, I learned about available curricular and extracurricular projects in greater detail than the information provided online. Students exemplify their program’s culture, so by getting to know the students I got a better feel for the culture of their respective programs. Finally, the students who have been through the recruiting process know which factors most influence employment opportunities and can speak to their school’s strengths and weaknesses in those areas. Overall, clearly defined goals guided both my online research and my conversations, and I feel confident that the program I chose will provide the experiences, atmosphere, and opportunities I need to reach those goals.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? Though not necessarily a “moment”, the experiences that I had as an international English teacher certainly helped define my purpose and shape my perspective. I spent a summer in South Korea teaching North Korean refugees, and a summer in Indonesia teaching students from a variety of backgrounds. I loved exploring the cities, trying new activities, and building relationships with people who have a very different outlook from my own. I also heard first-hand accounts of the horrible oppression that has taken place in North Korea, and I witnessed cycles of extreme poverty in Indonesia. Both experiences developed my affinity for international cultures and opened my mind to the gravity of international need. This awareness drives my desire to address international struggles and gives me an appreciation for the opportunities and subsequent responsibilities I have in the USA.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? After graduation, I plan to work as a consultant for a strategy consulting firm. While my background will most directly translate to projects within customer strategy and marketing, I hope to also pursue projects focused on corporate growth and globalization.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I see myself leveraging business to drive international social impact, most likely in one of two ways. I would love to continue in consulting and apply the business acumen I develop to bring economic opportunity to developing economies through aiding corporate expansion in emerging markets. Alternatively, I am also excited for the possibility of crossing over to the social sector and utilizing these same problem solving and commercial skills to drive impact through nonprofits as a social impact consultant.

Nakaiya Turk

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

“Goal-Oriented Young Professional, Talk-Show Host, Career Activist, Community Servant, Leader & Dreamer.”

Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee

Fun Fact About Yourself: I host a YouTube talk show, Kandid Kaiya, where I interview millennial black women on their different pathways to success.

Undergraduate School and Major: Spelman College, Mathematics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Customer Experience Leader

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: In my most recent role as a customer experience leader at HPE, I developed strong interpersonal skills and the ability to listen to customers and address their concerns. Because of my effective listening skills and understanding of the customer’s needs, one of my account managers selected me to partner with him to create a briefing document for Meg Whitman, CEO of HPE.  For this high profile assignment, I was called upon to bring the manager up to speed because of my relationship with the customer. To complete the document, we compiled customer data that I had captured to tell a compelling story. As a result of my accurate awareness of the health of the relationship at this customer, our CEO was equipped to have a successful meeting. Pretty cool to know that your work helped a CEO!

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Persistent! The journey to business school was not smooth sailing for me or some of my classmates; it had few ups and many downs. But the one thing that we all remained was committed to this goal and we worked tirelessly and endlessly to get where we are today. We finally made it to Goizueta because of our determination and our persistence.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The key factor for me was the people at Goizueta, from the staff to the alumnae, from the teachers to the deans. It was important for me to feel that a MBA program fully invests itself into its students. Through my conversations with staff and students and my numerous visits to the school, I knew this was the program for me. The people of this community made me feel safe and comfortable and I found Goizueta to be the place where I could find my best energy and be my true authentic self.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am really looking forward to being an active contributor to the Goizueta Women in Business (GWIB) Club. I am excited to work with my peers on creating new initiatives that will give more women access to endless opportunities in business.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I worked at HPE for 5 years as a data analyst and as a customer experience leader. These roles really helped me to further identify my interests in marketing and consumer analytics. Once I had identified a clearer career path for myself, I knew that now was the time for me to merge my skillset and my interest together through pursuing my MBA.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? It wasn’t as much about a financial investment for me but more so of an investment of time. I came from a more technical background; I knew that if I wanted to be a true business leader, then I needed to broaden my knowledge of the components that impact the business world today and in the future. I determined that a two-year, full-time business school program was my next best step. Once I came to this conclusion, I invested two years into preparing for tests, visiting schools, joining prep programs (shout-out to MLT) and researching funding and grants; giving up my free time to help me to develop professionally was well worth it.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Vanderbilt, Rice, UGA, Georgia Tech, and Duke

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I determined my fit at business programs through in-person visits. I could explore and research all of these amazing business schools all day long, but I personally needed to be able to describe how it felt when I visited these institutions. Over a two year span, I visited over 10 business schools through minority weekends, women weekends, class visits, etc. These were great opportunities for me to explore these school’s locations, interact with the staff, network with the community, and experience what it would be like to be a student here. I felt the school would be a fit If the location was ideal (meaning the cost of living was reasonable); the culture felt collaborative and not competitive; there were ways to get involved in the community; and the students seemed relatable…then the school was a fit.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? My defining moment was when I made the “choice to change the world” by attending Spelman College. As a woman who was a part of this monumental institution, I was encouraged to do work that has impact and knew I had to commit my talents and time to uplifting my community. I am an avid volunteer and mentor who has completed over 200 hours of service in three years with a specific focus on helping underrepresented minority women realize their gifts and talents. I discovered my passion of empowering today’s young women 10 years ago, and have worked endlessly to do just that through my talk-show and giving back. Helping these young women to discover their potential, has helped me to recognize ways that I can reach my fullest potential as I plan to continue to bring light to the endless opportunities possible for women through leading by example.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I plan to join a Fortune 500 company in their marketing/brand management department and help to build and enhance groundbreaking brands that will positively impact consumer experience long-term.

Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years, I see myself as an effective brand builder in corporate who is working diligently to influence the livelihood of today’s consumers. I also see myself as a blooming entrepreneur who has successfully turned my personal brand, Kandid Kaiya, into one that resonates with women globally.

Jason Waidzulis

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

“I help civil-military teams understand complex problems and orient their efforts towards implementing impactful solutions.”

Hometown: Forest Lake, MN

Fun Fact About Yourself: 2006 NCAA Division I Wrestling Team Champion – University of Minnesota

Undergraduate School and Major: Exercise Physiology

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: U.S. Army Special Operations Command / Ranger Company Commander

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Selection to serve as a Ranger Company Commander and direct the actions for the United States premier raid force on missions of strategic importance the United States.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? Low faculty to student ratio – There is no other Top 20 MBA program in the country where you can study business and develop a direct relationship with faculty who are also experts in their respective industry. The city of Atlanta is in the Top 10 for most Fortune 500 companies and jumps to 5th when you consider the Fortune 1000 which gives you access some of the best innovators across many industries – all of which have strong connections with Goizueta through the faculty.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Entrepreneurship Club and the Veterans Club

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? After ten years in the military, I’m transitioning to become an organizational and strategic leader. The world is growing at an exponential rate becoming more interconnected and complex every day. The solutions to future problems require and understanding of world economies and culture. Strong economies are a contributing factor to stability (security) within a region. Pursuing an MBA will help me understand the characteristics of a strong economy, how to help growing economies, and techniques to mitigate sophisticated security threats to our nation.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? The majority of my mentors who are accomplished senior military leaders earned their MBA and credit that experience as a significant factor towards their success leading many teams and large organizations.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Harvard and Columbia Business Schools

How did you determine your fit at various schools?

Factors to Prioritize Business Schools:

1. Overall Success of Alumni
2. Low Student to Faculty Ratio
3. Access to a large network of Fortune 500 companies
4. Tight-Knit Peer-to-Peer (Student) Relationships – Strong sense of community
5. Overall location as it relates to quality of life – Access to the things I love to do

Tools to Help Evaluate:

Campus tours and MBA program interviews; talking with friends who are alumni and currently attending the business schools I was researching; and reading various articles from sources like Poets & Quants, Forbes, The Economist, U.S. News, and Businessweek.

Research of the Culture:

Best thing I did was tour the campus, meet with students in the program, and talk with friends that are alumni in the MBA programs I was interested in.

How I know Goizueta fit with my career goals: Best access to an innovative network of faculty and business leaders (small student-to-faculty ratio with a big network) as well as a close proximity to maintain connection with U.S. Army Special Operations Command on various projects.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? There has been no defining moment, but rather a collection of opportunities and experiences that have shaped who I am.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? Return to U.S. Army Special Operations and do some business consulting to maintain a connection in the business world for when I transition out of the military.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Serving as a U.S. Army Battalion Commander as well as a Business Consultant.

 

 

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