Greg Dougherty calls it, “The nice MBA.” A 2018 graduate of the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, Dougherty characterizes it as a place of collaboration and community, where “We want to see each other succeed, and we help each other to be successful in any way that we can.”
Dougherty’s classmate, Matthew Lyde-Cajuste , paints his experience at Kenan-Flagler in a similar light. “The term “community” has been used so often that it has become somewhat of a cliché. However, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School takes this term to heart and seeks to embody all that it is intended to mean.”
STUDENTS BUY INTO THE “CAROLINA WAY”
The Class of 2020 knows it as “The Carolina Way” – and it was a major part of their decision to re-locate to Chapel Hill. What exactly is The Carolina Way? Angelica Ly, a Berkeley-trained engineer, considers it to be “obnoxiously friendly and open.” For Khalid Syed, an Indian transplant still navigating his way through the United States, the Carolina Way is embodied by people who are “down-to-earth” and “accommodating.” Thus far, says musician Galen Parrish Green, his classmates have “create(d) an atmosphere that’s as welcoming as it is inspiring and motivating.”
In essence, the Carolina Way is the intersection of community and collaboration, a spirit where talented and competitive students place a premium on looking out for each other. As a recruit, Jermyn Davis considered such sentiments to be part of the “script.” As a student, the script has more than lived up to its billing.
UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA students take part in an Analytical Skills Workshop (ASW) over the summer. Students receive academic preparation in microeconomics, finance, statistics and financial accounting.
“I have been shocked by how supportive students are of each other,” he admits. “My classmates have taken on a shared responsibility to make sure everyone succeeds. For example, students with a commanding knowledge of a certain academic area go out of their way and volunteer to help classmates that seem to be struggling. Socially, I have witnessed my peers engage each other to make sure the transition, outside of the classroom, is going well.”
“KIND, OPEN INDIVIDUALS WILLING TO LEND A HAND”
Emily Hoffarth, who became a Tar Hell MBA after working in research for Edelman, replaces “The Carolina Way” with a different term: “Humble ambition.” Admittedly contradictory, the term represents the dual forces that work in tandem to make Kenan-Flagler MBAs so unique.
“Every one of my classmates has a unique story full of incredible accomplishments — service in the military or Peace Corps, jobs at the big banks or top consulting companies, and experience running a restaurant,” she explains. “They are ambitious and have their own career goals and post-business school plans. Nevertheless, my classmates are kind, open individuals willing to lend a hand during the move-in process or share advice to those prepping for early interviews. They are excited to learn, contribute, and enhance the classroom experience for everyone in a collaborative effort.”
What makes the Class of 2020 so upbeat and outgoing? Chances are, it stems from their backgrounds, which often involved painful rites of passage that preceded their soaring successes. As a result, it is a class that hold an appreciation for what they have –one that has inspired their missions to make the world around them better.
LEAVING JULLIARD BEHIND
Take Lauren Carberry. The oldest of three children, Carberry became an adult far too early. Caring for a sick parent, she stepped up to act as the de facto head of the household. She held her first job when she was 12 and her schooling was driven by a desire to help her family.
“I like to think that little pieces of my past sneak into my present,” she shares. “I was inspired to become an EMT to help others on the scariest day of their lives as the EMTs who frequented our house helped us. I foster animals to give abandoned dogs a second chance at life and, in a way, pay forward the kindness our family received gave us a second chance as well. Who I am today is because of who I was, who I had to be, then and while it certainly wasn’t my chosen path, it defined me as a human and I know I’m stronger for it.”
Jermyn Davis also faced a tough choice. As a teenager, he was such a talented musician that he was accepted into Julliard. Despite playing alongside “world-renowned musicians,” Davis’ heart was elsewhere. He loathed the thought of following the path of a classically-trained musician. At the same time, he was terrified to express his feelings and likely “disappointing my parents, bass teachers, and so many others who had given up so much for me to be at that point in my life.” Eventually, Davis took the leap of faith, studying Chinese and Political Science at Wake Forest before becoming a Deloitte Consultant. Turns out, his Julliard experience wasn’t for naught.
UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA students take part in an Analytical Skills Workshop (ASW) over the summer. Students receive academic preparation in microeconomics, finance, statistics and financial accounting.
“I now have the confidence to commit to new, scary ventures even when others may not understand why I am doing it. Additionally, although I curtailed my time at Juilliard, I am still grateful for attending. I learned a lot about the creative process, which has been incredibly beneficial in my career working with colleagues and clients that may be different than me.”
PLAYING IN A BAND: FROM ART TO BUSINESS
Davis isn’t the only decorated musician in the 2020 Class. Meet Galen Parrish Green. This Colorado College grad has already lived the dream as a founding musician and managing partner of The Wooks, a progressive bluegrass band. During their run, The Wooks recorded a Top 10 debut album with a Grammy-winning producer. Soon enough, they were performing at major festivals, winning awards, becoming fixtures on Sirius XM, and playing alongside musical forces like Peter Rowan and Tyler Childers. Soon enough, the dream, Green says, became a business. More than that, it is inspired him to give business school a shot.
“My professional interests evolved beyond the music industry to include finance, general management, and energy because I had recognized how integral these fields were to every kind of business—from huge corporations down to small businesses like our own. The MBA was just a natural progression from there.”
The same was true for Angelica Ly. She planned to start her masters in engineering right after earning her undergraduate degree. Instead, she climbed the ranks in project management at SMA Solar Technology – a decision that provided the perspective she needed to excel just the technical realm.
“As I experienced engineer in the real world, I learned that business was the most important aspect. Every engineering decision is a business decision. While the technical portion is important, it is the business situation that drives strategy and major decisions. This motivated me to develop personally towards being a problem solver from both the engineering and the business angles.”
BUSINESS OPENS A PATH TO PUSH FOR CHANGE
Others endured defining moments that veered their path towards business. That was true for Sam Polino, whose passion for environmentalism was lit after studying abroad in Ecuador. “While in a remote rainforest,” he recalls, “I and eight other ecology students drove through several oil extraction sites and witnessed the complete destruction of pristine environments. I thought to myself, “There has to be another way to meet our global energy needs.” Upon returning to Boston University, I enrolled in a renewable energy minor and have focused my career in that direction since.”
In contrast, Andrew Slaughter’s moment of truth came in 2016, when he was diagnosed with an internal carotid artery aneurysm. “That mortal experience forced me to confront who I want to be with the time I have – and what kind of impact I want to make on the world and the people around me before it’s my time to go. In that series on months of treatment and recovery, I reaffirmed my commitments to passions, environmentalism, and civic duty. Now, I always have a compass and experience that points me to and centers me on my moral code.”
UNC Kenan-Flagler full-time MBA students spend time networking and catching up with classmates prior to student orientation.
The biggest surprise may be that Maya Anderson ever ended up in business at all. Growing up, she associated business and money with everything wrong in the world. It was, in her words, “a source of stress, something that made people do bad things, or made people unequal.” At Harvard University, she majored in English, purposely avoiding majors that were “just about the money.” Eventually, Anderson found her way into real estate, drawn in by her innate interest in fixing things. Soon enough, she was introduced to her true passion: strategy.
“I couldn’t get enough of the big picture stuff: reading business research to improve our team’s functions; playing around with numbers to see how we could hit goals; finding the best way to invest our money; working with clients to discover how we could best fulfill their needs; discovering how to create a strong referral network; and getting the power to make some of my own business decisions and see what I could do with a little bit of money,” she says. “Business is the opportunity to study it all, apply it, and help people. That was what I wanted to devote my life to. With business, I finally understand how I can help and inspire others to see outside of their own economic barriers and create something great for themselves.”
MEDIAN GMAT JUMPS 10 POINTS
The Class of 2020 brings Impressive credentials and great stories to the table. At the first glance, the class’ stats are down a bit. The 2017-2018 cycle yielded 1,758 applications, down 19% from 2019 Class. At the same time, the school’s class size fell from 302 to 280 students, as the acceptance rate rose nine points to 46%.
UNC’s mascot Rameses strikes a pose out of the Business School. Rameses was helping the UNC Kenan-Flagler Dean’s Advancement Council raise awareness about the importance of private support for the Business School.
That said, the incoming class brings a strong academic pedigree to campus. They achieved a 703 GMAT average, up two points over the 2019 Class. More impressive, the class’ 710 median GMAT was 10 better. By the same token, the percentage of students who took the GRE rose by 11% as well. Demographically, the class is comprised of slightly smaller blocs of female, international, and minority students.
In this class, business majors constitute the largest group of students. At 39%, business is twice as large as the next major, which is engineering at 19%. Even when science and math is combined with engineering, the percentage – 35% – still falls short of business. Arts and sciences (14%), political science (8%), and history (4%) also make up large portions of the class. In terms of professional backgrounds, consultants comprise a third of the class, again doubling the next largest bloc (marketing at 16%). General management (13%), investment banking (8%), operations and logistics (6%), real estate (6%), private equity (5%), and corporate finance (5%) also made strong showings in the class.
NEW CONCENTRATION AND COURSES HIGHLIGHT THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR
MBA students take a break between Analytical Skills Workshop classes to network outside UNC Kenan-Flagler’s Capital Markets Lab.
What new wrinkles can the Class of 2020 expect at Kenan-Flagler this fall? This summer, the school launched the Center for the Business of Health at Kenan-Flagler, building on the school’s strength as one of the top MBA programs for healthcare in the world. According to Kara Kravetz Cupoli, director of Kenan-Flagler’s full-time MBA program, the center is a cross-curricular endeavor, bringing together the scholsl of medicine, public health, pharmacy, nursing and dentistry. A school news release adds that the center’s mission is “harnessing the convening power of the university” to offer interdisciplinary education and world class research. In the process, the center will provide support to the MBA Health Care Club in areas ranging from attracting campus speakers to organizing class treks.
Another development is the school’s new Data, Digital Analysis and Technology concentration. Kravetz Cupoli notes that the concentration focuses heavily on big data tools and analysis. Along with deeply exploring quant-driven concepts like data modeling and management, the coursework also examines key areas like conducting presentations that persuade leaders. To beef up their digital offerings, Kenan-Flagler has also added several new electives this fall, including areas like machine learning, fintech, healthcare analytics, and tech strategy.
Looking at the program as a whole, Kravetz Cupoli believes the most underrated part of the Kenan-Flagler experience are the school’s presentation courses, such as Storytelling with Data, Communication for Developing Leaders, and Applied Improvisation for Communication .Such courses develop skills and confidence in students that come in handy as stakes rise outside the classroom.
“Students repeatedly provide feedback regarding how well they performed in team and individual presentations delivered during their summer internships,” Kravetz Cupoli tells Poets&Quants in a statement. “More specifically, they felt better prepared compared to their internship peers from other top MBA programs.”
LARGER BUSINESS SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY OFFER ENVIABLE RESOURCES
Kenan-Flagler’s prowess in communication courses isn’t the only underrated part of the program. The school is just a 25 minute drive to Research Triangle Park, the largest park of its kind in the United States. It is home to 50,000 professionals and 275 businesses, which range in scope from Cisco and IBM to emerging startups in biotechnology, information technology, and even non-profits. In other words, there are plenty of opportunities for projects, internships, partnerships, mentoring off campus. The program is also part of one of the largest and most decorated research universities – not to mention one of the highest-ranked undergraduate business and online MBA programs. In short, Kenan-Flagler’s scale and scope, coupled with its location, make it a program that’s difficult to overlook.
Jack Oakes, new executive director of career and leadership services for UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA students and alumni, talks with students during one of the Analytical Skills Workshop sessions.
“I really wanted a school that had a small MBA program, yet the resources and reach of a larger institution,” says Jermyn Davis. “My undergraduate experience was amazing, primarily because of the small class size and cohort. Having another academic experience that felt intimate and personal was extremely important to me. However, I also wanted a school that was a part of a larger and much more robust institution. Having the larger institution was important for several reasons—the possibility to explore classes in other areas, attend large sporting events, and have an institution that is well regarded nationally and internationally.”
Aside from healthcare, Kenan-Flagler is also regarded as one of the top full-time MBA programs for real estate and sustainability. However, this omits where the program truly excels: leadership training. Notably, students are required to complete a STAR (Student Teams Achieving Results) project. Here, MBA and undergrad business students partner together with firms that have included Google, ESPN, General Electric, Procter & Gamble, and Panera Bread.
STAR DELIVERABLES “ON PAR” WITH TOP CONSULTING FIRMS
Think of STAR as a consulting assignment straight out of McKinsey. In fact, it even applies a McKinsey methodology that guides students in how to think and work as a team. It is a high touch, high stakes, high impact project where students practice how to integrate diverse perspectives, frame issues, conduct research and interviews, evaluate the implications of their proposals, and deliver a compelling storyline in front of senior leaders. From go-to-market strategy to sustainable enterprise development, STAR is a 4-5 month project designed to turn stumbling students into savvy and serious sages – ones who can step in to lead when pressure is high and options are thin.
Bottom line, says Karin Cochran, a STAR program director,” the focus of the program is to tackle real business challenges and to offer real solutions.” At the same time, it reflects Kenan-Flagler’s long-standing coaching culture, where 1,000 works hours are supplemented by a safety net: 100 hours of coaching that helps students truly practice and internalize the best practices – a fail-safe inspired by the successful training and development platforms at the Big Three consulting firms.
This uncompromising spotlight on the student, coupled with a methodology that’s designed around leadership and teamwork, is what sets STAR apart, says Professor Nicholas Didow, a STAR program director. “Our STAR projects are more thorough, ambitious, and comprehensive than similar experiential learning electives offered at other major business schools,” he explains. “Our semester long projects are conducted by teams of 5-6 students with the guidance of an experienced faculty advisor and supporting subject matter experts. We provide corporate partner clients with actionable data-based final recommendations grounded on market insights, industry trends, best practice examples, secondary and primary data gathering, and hypothesis testing. Our corporate partner clients pay a significant fee for the projects and receive quality analysis and thoughtful creative recommendations on par with those they would receive from a major national consulting firm.”
UNC Kenan-Flagler full-time MBA students spend time networking and catching up with classmates prior to student orientation.
TAKING THE MBA TO THE ZONING BOARD
Looking ahead, the class already has its sights set on what matters most to them. Maya Anderson , for one, plans to join the school’s Nonprofit Board Consultants program, where she’d serve as a non-voting member who can still steer vision and strategy. Lauren Carberry is already picturing beating Duke Fuqua in the Blue Cup competition between the schools. At the same time, Germyn Davis will probably be flipping a coin in deciding whether to visit Southeast Asia or South Africa as part of Kenan-Flagler’s Global Immersion Elective (GIE).
“One of my most valued experiences during my undergraduate studies was studying abroad in Beijing. I loved being able to practice my language skills in a native speaking environment and learn about the Chinese culture. Knowing how great my abroad experience was in college, I am extremely eager to take what I have learned in my MBA classroom and apply those skills in a different, international setting.”
Long-term, Anderson is looking to master the intricacies of the triple bottom line, while Laura Takanen plans to return to the U.S. Navy, with the hopes of being in a commander operational tour. William Douglas Leimenstoll, however, plans to pair the Kenan-Flagler philosophy of community with the technical demands of managing urban redevelopment projects – a passion he has nurtured since witnessing real estate development first-hand in downtown Greensboro’s Main Street.
“When I was a kid, no one wanted to be downtown and my parents were viewed as crazy for raising children there. Having a front row seat as the city slowly began to re-energize downtown inspired me to join a community advisory committee for a nearby redevelopment at age eleven. Seeing the complex interplay between developers, politicians, architects, planners and citizens all vying to shape the community was exciting to me. I’ve been aiming to find where I fit within that ecosystem ever since and I now feel sure that the answer is as a developer.”
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 THE MBA CLASS OF 2020: PROFILES IN COURAGE
| Student | Hometown | Alma Mater | Employer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maya Anderson | Decatur, GA | Harvard University | Hodges-Mace |
| Lauren Carberry | Queensbury, NY | University of Delaware | Cree |
| Jermyn Davis | Denver, CO | Wake Forest University | Deloitte Consulting |
| Galen Parrish Green | Paris, KY | Colorado College | The Wooks |
| Emily Hoffarth | Rochester, NY | Boston College | Edelman Intelligence |
| Haylley Johnson | Burlington, VT | University of Vermont | Global Foundries |
| William Douglas Leimenstoll | Greensboro, NC | University of North Carolina | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
| Angelica Ly | Sacramento, CA | University of California-Berkeley | SMA-America Solar Technology |
| Sam Polino | Severna Park, MD | Boston University | Solar United Neighbors |
| Andrew Slaughter | Rochester, NY | University of Pittsburgh | Solaris Holdings LLC |
| Khalid Syed | Hyderabad, India | IIT Hyderabad | Nestaway Technologies |
| Laura Takanen | Long Beach, CA | University of California at Davis | U.S. Navy |
Maya Anderson
University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School
“Decisive, pattern-loving strategizer who finds efficiencies in everything.”
Hometown: Decatur, Georgia
Fun Fact About Yourself: I am a cookbook collector who loves to experiment with making it all from scratch.
Undergraduate School and Major: Harvard University, English
Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Hodges-Mace, Platform Delivery Analyst
Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Working in real estate was extremely rewarding because I got to be a part of over 60 families’ journey to create long-lasting wealth. Growing up in a single-parent family, I always wanted us to have our own home. Working in real estate, this desire became more concrete as I saw the positive effect that home ownership has on both the future finances of a family as well as the freedom it allows them in their own home. I learned home ownership is not just a feeling of pride, but also can be a sound financial investment. While my family never owned a home in my childhood, getting to be a part of so many other families’ home-ownership stories, creating trusting referral relationships with them, and helping them to invest their money wisely is an accomplishment I’m very proud to have achieved.
What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Since I arrived on campus for my first day of Analytical Skills Workshop, my classmates have been amazing. While only about half of the class is on campus so far, we have all gelled quickly. The group is down-to-earth, ambitious, intellectual and helpful. They are equally like to meet you for a beer at Pantana Bob’s as to sit down with you to discuss their career experiences and industry functions. They’re as ready to start a study group as to discuss business ideas spawned by their experience on campus so far.
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 career switcher, I was looking for an environment that would help me grow in areas that I was less familiar with. For its extremely collaborative nature, UNC Kenan-Flagler stood out to me. UNC Kenan-Flagler’s best resource is its people. From the staff I met to the applicants and other students, I could see that UNC puts together a group of MBAs who don’t just learn from the school, but also learn from their peers. And while UNC is amazingly competitive, it also doesn’t alienate students from non-traditional backgrounds. Every person, staff and classmates alike, is there to give you a helping hand in landing your dream job.
What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I’m most looking forward to the opportunity to participate in the Nonprofit Board Consultants program. MBAs serve as non-voting board members to help a nonprofit strategize to achieve a fundraising project’s goal. This opportunity will allow me to find solutions to real-life problems faced by nonprofits and improve my ability to strategize with new people to execute and achieve our goal.
What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been an avid learner and the kind of person who invites challenges. Working in small business was an amazing experience that allowed me to experience almost every facet of business in a few short years. What I couldn’t experience was the opportunity to tackle complicated, global business problems whose solutions could positively affect millions. I knew that I was ready to be a part of the teams developing these solutions. More importantly, I knew that I wanted to be able to spend as much time doing it as possible – so now was the best time to start. An MBA was the best way for me to have the skills needed to fast track my career to the point where I get to be a part of these projects.
How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? In your first foray into the world of MBA programs, you will find a lot of articles decrying the MBA as a useless degree for which the opportunity cost alone is so large it could never be worth the time. I read those articles. I did the math. Then I realized that what I was looking for was not an amount of money, but the opportunity to accelerate my career path, create an amazing network, and learn from some of the brightest business minds in the country. It is then that you realize that you can’t put a price on your MBA. If it is just a question of money, then think about this: How much harder can you work at a job you like? How much more likely are you to get that bonus or promotion when you love your role and company? Now think about lost career-long opportunity costs because of those factors and the MBA is a sound investment.
What other MBA programs did you apply to? Emory-Goizueta, UT Austin-McCombs, Duke Fuqua, GT – Scheller
How did you determine your fit at various schools? I am rooted in the southeast and so location was the first way I cut down on my list. After that, it gets much more difficult to choose between all of the amazing schools there are. The secondary criterion was ranking, though only insomuch as I am on a certain career path and so needed to make sure the schools I was applying to would give me the access I needed. I used school websites such as Poets & Quants, U.S. News &World Report, Bloomberg rankings and stats. I polled students too+. I highly recommend visiting the schools that top your list. I learned more about culture from interacting with the staff, current students and other applicants than I did from online forums. This tertiary criteria really helped me to find a school that would support me in my career path. Undergraduate and other graduate schools within the university system’s culture are also important. Try to look for a system that has the cohesive culture you’re looking for to get a better view of what life will actually be like.
What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? Money was tight in my house growing up. As a kid, I had a chip on my shoulder about the idea of “business,” which to my young self just took money from poor people. I only ever associated money with negatives: a source of stress, something that made people do bad things, or made people unequal. To add to that, my single mother was a social worker, further fueling my belief that what was “good” was completely separate from money. Even still, I was always fascinated by business and have more than one entrepreneurial kid-venture to show for it. When it came time for me to think about what my future would look like, I felt lost between the two seemingly opposite poles: doing what was “good” or doing what would allow me to provide for the family that had sacrificed so much for me and the people around them.
In my high school graduation speech, written while contemplating my future, I wrote about my love of learning. I wrote about how amazing it was that we got to learn so many subjects at the same time in school, and how they collectively helped us to understand each one more deeply. I realized that continuing to link ideas was what I wanted to do in my life. For the next four years though, I struggled with the fact that there wasn’t any one major I could find at college that fit that broad definition. I also purposefully avoided majors or career paths I thought were “just about the money.” When I graduated, I worked in real estate because I wanted to renovate houses. I wanted to know how to fix things. I didn’t have any kind of association with working in real estate as a business career: to me, it was just another way to hustle.
A year into my career, I joined the AtlantaBen Team and Keller Williams Realty and it was there that I fell in love with business strategy. I couldn’t get enough of the big picture stuff: reading business research to improve our team’s functions; playing around with numbers to see how we could hit goals; finding the best way to invest our money; working with clients to discover how we could best fulfill their needs; discovering how to create a strong referral network; and getting the power to make some of my own business decisions and see what I could do with a little bit of money. This experience empowered me to consider an MBA, which sent me flying back to my high school graduation speech. I finally understood how to make my younger self’s dream possible: business is the opportunity to study it all, apply it and help people. That was what I wanted to devote my life to. With business, I finally understand how I can help and inspire others to see outside of their own economic barriers and create something great for themselves.”
What do you plan to do after you graduate? I plan to go into consulting for a few reasons: 1) It combines my love of learning with the ability to help a client solve a business problem; 2) It allows me to work across industries and functions, promising never a dull moment; and 3) It attracts like-minded co-workers with whom I hope to geek out with about cutting-edge business research. I can’t wait to contribute to a team that will help contribute to the business world at large.
Where do you see yourself in five years? There is so much strength in knowledge. As a curious person, I can’t wait to be a part of the next wave of business research. In my career, I want to help navigate the automating of jobs, devise solutions for resource allocation, educate the next generation of technicians, and inspire workers all over the world to pursue their best. I hope to still be in consulting in five years in a more senior, client-facing position. As well, I hope to be a mentor to those who work under me and to serve the community around me. With my community, I specifically hope to be a part of the discussion on addressing gentrification and creating economically viable ways to ensure there is inclusion for all socio-economic levels in the cities and towns of the future. There is so much work to be done and I’m looking forward to being a part of it.
Lauren Carberry
University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School
“Passionate implementer of change, engineer at heart.”
Hometown: Queensbury, New York
Fun Fact About Yourself: In my free time, I foster dogs with Wake County Animal Shelter. Over the past four years, I’ve hosted over 17 different dogs and helped them find their forever homes.
Undergraduate School and Major: University of Delaware, Chemical Engineering
Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Cree Process Sustaining Engineer & Line Technician Manager
Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: At Cree, I had the opportunity to lead the end-to-end overhaul of our quality report systems to meet new customer record requirements. I worked with key stakeholders and our IT team to internally develop a new system, and then beta test and roll it out to our department. The new system had more accurate data entry, was easier to use and helped reduce product hold time on the factory floor.
What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Supportive. Everyone that I have met so far has been genuinely interested in learning more about me and helping me reach my goals.
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 culture of collaboration. I know I reach my highest potential when I am in an environment where my peers are on my team and I am on theirs. Kenan-Flagler prides itself on a culture of camaraderie and teamwork.
What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I’m excited to beat Duke in the Blue Cup, a friendly competition between the business schools with a variety of events.
What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I came to two realizations: my favorite part of my job wasn’t my job, and I really needed an MBA for the career I wanted. I love project implementation; I stumbled upon it during my time in manufacturing and I knew I wanted to switch roles to pursue it full time. At first, I applied directly to the positions I was interested in and was rejected for not enough experience and not enough business background. That was when I knew it was time to go back for my MBA.
How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I did the math. I calculated the net present value of my MBA and determined a breakeven point. The math checked out.
What other MBA programs did you apply to? Duke and Northwestern.
How did you determine your fit at various schools? Factors I considered were consulting network and opportunities, location and culture. As an aspiring consultant, I researched where top firms recruited and about how many students they took. The next was location: where would I be happy living for the next two years? I had the additional criteria of where I thought my significant other could go with me and get a job. The third was the culture of the program. I know that I thrive in supportive environments where the competition isn’t with other students but with yourself. To gather this information, to say I googled excessively would be an understatement. However, I also used my company network and personal network to talk to alumni from each of the schools. For me, the admission interviews themselves were a good indicator of fit.
What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I don’t have one moment that defined me – I have a whole childhood. I grew up as the oldest of three children in a household with a chronically sick parent, which led me to take on responsibility at a pretty young age. I had to step up to help take care of my younger siblings, and I’ve held a job since I was 12. My environment motivated to get through school to support my family; that was a large factor in me becoming an engineer. I like to think that little pieces of my past sneak into my present. I was inspired to become an EMT to help others on the scariest day of their lives as the EMTs who frequented our house helped us. I foster animals to give abandoned dogs a second chance at life and, in a way, pay forward the kindness our family received gave us a second chance as well. Who I am today is because of who I was, who I had to be, then and while it certainly wasn’t my chosen path, it defined me as a human and I know I’m stronger for it.
What do you plan to do after you graduate? To work in consulting. I am excited for client-facing work and constant exposure to new challenges.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Hopefully, I will still be in consulting.
Jermyn Davis
University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School
“Cool and confident with a good dose of humor and sass.”
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Fun Fact About Yourself: I began my collegiate career at The Juilliard School.
Undergraduate School and Major: Wake Forest University, Chinese and Political Science
Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Deloitte Consulting (Strategy and Operations) – Senior Consultant
Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: At age 22 I was asked to be chief of staff to the president of Colorado College. This was my biggest career accomplishment because the role epitomized jumping into the deep end, as I had no idea what to expect, and initially I had no idea what I was doing. In addition to helping the president, cabinet and board of trustees think and act strategically regarding institutional goals, much of my job was ensuring that the college adequately responded to crises. I also had the responsibility of managing my office’s staff, most of whom had been at the college longer than I had been alive. After a rocky start, primarily due to my stubbornness and my attempt to lead using positional authority, I am extremely proud of all that I accomplished individually and as part of leadership team.
What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Collegial. Presenters would often celebrate the community among students during Kenan-Flagler’s recruitment events. Everyone talked about the student community so much that I thought it was part of the “script.” However, I have been shocked by how supportive students are of each other. My classmates have taken on a shared responsibility to make sure everyone succeeds. For example, students with a commanding knowledge of a certain academic area go out of their way and volunteer to help classmates that seem to be struggling. Socially, I have witnessed my peers engage each other to make sure the transition, outside of the classroom, is going well.
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 really wanted a school that had a small MBA program, yet the resources and reach of a larger institution. My undergraduate experience was amazing, primarily because of the small class size and cohort. Having another academic experience that felt intimate and personal was extremely important to me. However, I also wanted a school that was a part of a larger and much more robust institution. Having the larger institution was important for several reasons—the possibility to explore classes in other areas, attend large sporting events, and have an institution that is well regarded nationally and internationally.
What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am most excited to participate in a Global Immersion Elective (GIE). In fact, this opportunity was a significant reason in my choosing to attend UNC Kenan-Flagler. One of my most valued experiences during my undergraduate studies was studying abroad in Beijing. I loved being able to practice my language skills in a native speaking environment and learn about the Chinese culture. Knowing how great my abroad experience was in college, I am extremely eager to take what I have learned in my MBA classroom and apply those skills in a different, international setting. If the Kenan-Flagler GIE options remain similar to last year, I am torn between participating in the GIEs based in Southeast Asia (Indonesia and Singapore) and South Africa.
What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I have always known I wanted to pursue an MBA as I lacked skills—particularly the quantitative skills—I knew the MBA would provide. However, pursuing an MBA became urgent about a year ago. I distinctly remember working with a colleague before he went to business school and working with him soon after he finished school and returned to Deloitte. I was astounded by his growth as a professional. I was also embarrassed because he was running circles around me. That experience was a catalyst in my pursuit of an MBA as I realized: (1) I didn’t have a spouse or children so there were no real family considerations; (2) my company offered a sponsorship program; and (3) I was getting older so if I didn’t do it now I would never do it.
How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I looked at quantitative data that showed the earning potential of MBA graduates as well as comparative studies of professionals with MBAs and those without. I also did an informal qualitative assessment of those that I knew with MBA. I looked at what fields they were in and my perception of their happiness. Overall, I decided pursuing an MBA was well worth the investment.
What other MBA programs did you apply to? Carnegie Mellon (Tepper), Emory (Goizueta), Northwestern (Kellogg) and Rice (Jones)
How did you determine your fit at various schools? My method for evaluating schools was simple in theory. I spoke to as many current students and recent graduates, no more than two years removed from the program, as I could. While the school visits were helpful in imagining could I physically live in the place, I wanted to hear the student perspective regarding their in-and-out of classroom experiences. I wanted to know what were the professors are like. Was the environment competitive in class and for internships and jobs? Overall, I had a list of about 20 questions I asked each person. It was important for me to speak to a cross-sector of people to form my own opinion about each school and understand each program’s strength and weakness.
What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? My defining moment occurred when I decided to leave the Juilliard School and pursue a liberal arts education. My teenage years were marked by academic pursuit, civic service and orchestral double bass playing. Despite my full range of interests, I managed to unwittingly get stuck on a path destined for a future as a classically trained musician. I eventually matriculated at the Juilliard School, despite my unhappiness with being musician. While the opportunity to play with world-renowned musicians is one of the highlights of my life, the most transformative aspect of my time there was my unwavering inability to shake the sense that being a musician wasn’t the life for me.
Now, weighing the many positives and negatives of my decision to leave Julliard and explore a world beyond my musical studies, I have realized that experience shaped me immensely. Leaving Juilliard was scary because I thought I was disappointing my parents, bass teachers, and so many others who had given up so much for me to be at that point in my life. However, I now have the confidence to commit to new, scary ventures even when others may not understand why I am doing it. Additionally, although I curtailed my time at Juilliard, I am still grateful for attending. I learned a lot about the creative process, which has been incredibly beneficial in my career working with colleagues and clients that may be different than me.
What do you plan to do after you graduate? After obtaining my MBA, I plan to return to Deloitte with an exclusive focus on higher education. There is an aggressive competitive landscape shaping up in higher education that will require universities to differentiate themselves, and refine their approach to marketing and pricing. As a minority who received significant financial aid in my undergraduate career, I want to help institutions understand how their brand and pricing affect their ability to recruit, retain and graduate historically marginalized groups.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Wow! Five years from now is hard to imagine. However, my long-term goals build off my work as a consultant in understanding the transformational effects of technology. Emerging technologies are presented routinely to higher education leaders as opportunities to enhance operations and further enhance student success. However, technology leaders sometimes miss the mark on building and investing in the right technology as well as conveying how the technology can be optimally used. During my MBA education, I want to gain more skills in understanding finance as well as improve my acumen around technology as a business so I can help schools and students make the most of their technology.
Galen Parrish Green
University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School
“Professional bluegrass mandolinist who decided to pursue an MBA and study finance and sustainable business.”
Hometown: Paris, Kentucky
Fun Fact About Yourself: I’m a big horse racing fan, and I witnessed the first and last of American Pharaoh’s four Grand Slam victories in 2015. It was the first and only Grand Slam in horse racing history, and incredible to watch in person.
Undergraduate School and Major: Colorado College, English
Most Recent Employer and Job Title: I was a founding musician and managing partner in The Wooks, a progressive bluegrass band based in Bourbon County, Kentucky.
Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: With my bandmates from The Wooks, I organized and executed a successful grassroots crowdfunding campaign in order to independently record and release an original album in Nashville with Grammy-winning producer Alison Brown. We then had the honor of seeing the international music market embrace the album via Sirius XM Radio, Internet Radio and FM Radio, which got us a debut slot on Billboard’s Bluegrass Top 10.
What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? UNC Kenan-Flagler students are friendly, talented and they genuinely care about helping you get to where you’re trying to go. Whether that’s by giving you directions when you’re new on campus or advice when you’re considering a career similar to one they had before school—Kenan-Flagler students create an atmosphere that’s as welcoming as it is inspiring and motivating.
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—the faculty, staff, alumni, students and the people of Chapel Hill. A big piece of what you’re doing when you go back to get your MBA is extending your network, so for me it was imperative that I got along with the people I met who had any relationship with the school. I also wanted a school that could provide an excellent financial and quantitative education, and Kenan-Flagler has world-class people and resources in those fields.
What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I’m pretty excited about the Student Managed Funds, Golf Club and Foodie Club.
What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? During my time with The Wooks, I got to “live the dream” of playing music professionally — starting a band and recording an album that gets played on the radio, securing awards and nominations from top industry organizations, performing at major festivals, and collaborating with legends like Peter Rowan and up-and-comers like Tyler Childers. It was all amazing! Once that dream became reality, it also became a business. As that happened, my professional interests evolved beyond the music industry to include finance, general management, and energy because I had recognized how integral these fields were to every kind of business—from huge corporations down to small businesses like our own. The MBA was just a natural progression from there.
How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I talked to MBAs who had been out of school for a year, for 20 years and for just about every number of years in between. Then I talked to some more. I always asked them if they would do anything differently looking back in terms of their MBA. While some people regretted maybe not spending more time at the library (or at the bar) – or not going abroad – not one of them ever said they regretted the MBA experience as a whole. In fact, I’m not sure if one of them ever refrained from saying it was “two of the best years” of their life. Pair those endorsements with some basic forecasting using program costs, average salaries and bonuses, and average time to pay off debt, and it was a pretty easy investment decision.
What other MBA programs did you apply to? Foster, GSB, and Darden
How did you determine your fit at various schools? I mostly determined fit by speaking with students and faculty. I prioritized overall fit, diversity of career trajectories coming out of the program, ROI, class size and excellence of the finance, energy and sustainable enterprise programs. I used Poets & Quants, U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, Financial Times, The Economist, Google, MBA students and grads, faculty, admissions departments, and campus visits to evaluate schools. I researched culture primarily by visiting campuses and spending time speaking with MBAs, faculty and admissions. I knew UNC Kenan-Flagler fit my career goals because of strong hires in investment banking and renewable energy.
What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I wouldn’t say that my life has been defined by any single moment – I’d say it’s been more of a series of defining moments. My most recent defining moment was unpacking my last box here in Chapel Hill. That signified the end of a long transition and the beginning of my MBA experience, and it shaped me by letting me be more focused and motivated for the two years ahead.
What do you plan to do after you graduate? I plan to pursue a career in investment banking with a focus on energy or technology markets.
Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years I see myself in a mentally challenging, purposeful, and rewarding role that both utilizes and builds on the skills I will gain during the next two years.
Emily Hoffarth
University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School
“An introverted leader with a creative and intellectually curious nature. Motivated by new challenges.”
Hometown: Rochester, New York
Fun Fact About Yourself: I am an artist! Before business school I would spend most of my free time painting pictures for family and friends. At my previous job I filled up the office whiteboards with drawings of holiday themes or scenes from movies.
Undergraduate School and Major: Boston College, Psychology and Communication
Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Edelman Intelligence, Research Manager
Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The opportunity to manage three junior employees at Edelman Intelligence has been my biggest career accomplishment so far. Managing has always been an important career goal of mine, as I have long benefited from the wisdom and guidance of many previous bosses, older students, and educators. I strongly believe in paying it forward. As a manager, it was a humbling and rewarding experience to watch my team grow, guide them as they turned constructive feedback into glowing reviews, and facilitate well-deserved promotions. In addition, as a true introvert I have always wanted to help change the perception that introverts are less effective as leaders. Susan Cain’s Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking had a profound impact on my career path and encouraged me to embrace my personality type as an asset. Being promoted to a manager was a significant accomplishment as it strengthened my belief in that message and (hopefully!) served as an example for my fellow introverted coworkers that introverts can succeed as leaders and the quietest voice in the room can make a difference.
What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Humble ambition. The phrase might sound contradictory, but I believe it describes my classmates well. Every one of my classmates has a unique story full of incredible accomplishments—service in the military or Peace Corps, jobs at the big banks or top consulting companies, and experience running a restaurant. They are ambitious and have their own career goals and post-business school plans. Nevertheless, my classmates are kind, open individuals willing to lend a hand during the move-in process or share advice to those prepping for early interviews. They are excited to learn, contribute, and enhance the classroom experience for everyone in a collaborative effort. I am excited to grow with them as we achieve our ambitious career goals together.
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 feeling I had on campus last fall was the single most important factor in choosing UNC Kenan-Flagler. While waiting for my interview, one of the admissions officers came out to greet me after learning I was from Rochester (where she previously worked), immediately making me feel welcome. My interview experience was unparalleled, as my interviewer seemed truly interested in hearing my story and career goals. After the interview the students answered every question I had, regardless of how trivial they may have seemed. At the end of the day I sat in front of the Old Well (the beautiful historic landmark that appears on every piece of UNC marketing material) and could picture myself as a Kenan-Flagler student. Plenty of other factors went into my decision of what schools to apply to (location, rank, professors, programs, etc.), but the fit and culture has always been the most important factor to me. Fit is a factor that cannot be quantified or analyzed. There is no valuation of fit in dollars or percentages—I only knew that if I could not picture myself being happy at a school, no post-MBA opportunities would ever be worth the cost.
What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am looking forward to being part of the Carolina Women in Business (CWIB) club. I participated in many discussions of the role of women in business at the Forté Foundation conference in June and I am excited to continue the dialogue and share the message as a member of CWIB. I am equally excited to be a member of the Dean’s Fellows Program and work on projects to improve the school. UNC Kenan-Flagler has given me a life-changing opportunity to pursue my MBA and fulfill professional and personal goals. Thus, I am eager to give back in every way I can.
What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I was ready for a slight pivot from market research to brand management. I knew business school would provide the tools and opportunities to pursue this path, particularly an understanding of finance, operations, strategy, etc. to make informed recommendations as a marketer. I also was ready for a new challenge and excited to get back into the classroom. As a lifelong learner, I knew graduate school was an inevitability, so when I felt I had reached a plateau in my career, an MBA provided the best path forward.
How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? It is hard to put a value on education, as I would like to think learning is a priceless opportunity. However, with the reality of student loans, I know this idealistic perspective is unrealistic. Thus, to determine the opportunity cost of the MBA, I evaluated several key factors—post-school career and salary opportunities, the alumni network, scholarships, and the quality of the program, including classes and professors. I knew if I was going to forego two years of salary and my savings, attending a top-tier program such as UNC, was critical. Based on my research and conversations with other business school students, the top schools would offer connections to my target employers, a high quality education to develop my business knowledge, and scholarships to help limit the costs.
What other MBA programs did you apply to? University of Virginia Darden School of Business and Duke University Fuqua School of Business
How did you determine your fit at various schools? Determining my fit was fairly easy—I only applied to three business schools. I knew I wanted to attend a top-tier school where I would receive the most out of my education. Additionally, I wanted a collaborative culture and, after many years enduring Rochester winters, a school in the southeast. Based on these factors, I quickly narrowed my search down to three schools. When deciding between my three schools, I conducted extensive online research—I read class descriptions and business school ranking reviews, such as U.S. News & World Report. However, the most important evaluation tool was the campus visits. When visiting the schools, I asked students question-after-question. I met with the heads of clubs and talked to professors of the programs I was interested in. I also observed the environment and watched how the students interacted with each other. Were these people I could see myself working with on late night student group projects? Did they look happy? For me assessing culture and fit came down to question of whether or not I could see myself at the school when I was physically on campus.
What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? It would be impossible to define one concrete instance that shaped me, rather thousands of everyday moments with my parents had the most profound impact on my life. My parents fostered a deep love of learning in me at a young age—the start of a life-long pursuit of new challenges and educational opportunities. Many cherished memories from my childhood included afternoons reading with my mother, endless trips to the local public library, and playing games to learn the basic math facts. From kindergarten through high school, my father always was willing to work with me on a tough math problem or explain a science concept. At our ritual of family dinners, my parents would ask about my school day and we would discuss the interesting new topics I learned in class. My parents never pressured me to achieve and only desired for me to put 100 percent effort into everything I did. They also made many personal sacrifices to save for my college education, enabling me to attend the school of my choice. These countless moments, seemingly inconsequential at the time, helped formed my drive to achieve and love of learning, which ultimately shaped me.
What do you plan to do after you graduate? After graduation I would like to pursue a career in brand management, ideally for a large consumer packaged goods company. Marketing lies at the intersection of data analysis, strategy, art, psychology, and consumer behavior. Therefore, it is an ideal fit for my skills, interests and abilities. I look forward to shaping perceptions of a brand that will benefit people’s lives. I also hope to manage others again, as management continues to be an important career goal.
Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years, first and foremost, I hope to be maintaining a strong work-life balance, with plenty of time outside of my career for family and friends. I hope to still be working in marketing, with the ultimate goal of being a CMO for an organization with a mission I am passionate about (e.g. the education of women across the world or curing breast cancer). Additionally, I would like to pursue my own entrepreneurship venture on the side of my marketing career, ideally combining art and technology. I also see myself continuing to change the perceptions of introversion in the workplace and strengthen the presence of females in the business world. I would love to support younger generations and provide them with the opportunities to get involved in business that I wish I had when I was younger.
Ultimately, I can see myself following several paths in five years, as I never know what kind of opportunities may present themselves. Regardless, I am certain the next two years at Kenan-Flagler Business School will provide me with the education and experiences to successfully pursue any potential path on my career journey.
Haylley Johnson
University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School
“Huge foodie dedicated to creating (and eating) delicious sustainable food.”
Hometown: Burlington, Vermont
Fun Fact About Yourself: I used to be the sous chef for a small steakhouse, so I can cook great steaks for 30 people at once.
Undergraduate School and Major: University of Vermont, double major in English and Economics
Most Recent Employer and Job Title: GLOBALFOUNDRIES – Lead Central Planner
Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: To date, my biggest career accomplishment was my successful leadership of a cross-department and cross-geography team that entirely revamped my division’s revenue reporting process. Shortly after I first began my career working at IBM, I assumed ownership of the Microelectronics Division’s revenue reporting process – a process that had not been updated in over a decade, but was also a key driver of global business decisions. After quickly learning the original process, I identified key areas of inefficiency and created a project proposal. Once the leadership team approved it, I pulled together a team and together we proposed, then executed, an action plan to achieve substantial process improvements. By the end of the project, the team had automated the manual data management process, established data quality standards, and developed automated, standardized reports. The project saved the team over 40 hours of work monthly and substantially improved the quality of the revenue outputs.
Relatively early in my career, this project gave me the opportunity to dive into a process improvement project, lead a diverse team, and collaborate extensively across departments. I came out the other side having had a tangible positive impact on my division and having grown as a person, a leader and a teammate.
What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? My classmates care deeply about making a positive impact on the world around them. That can mean anything from helping a new classmate better understand a concept to figuring out how to pursue social justice globally. Over the course of my summer classes, I’ve seen demonstrated evidence of my classmates’ compassion and determination, and I am truly excited to meet the rest of them.
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 to pursue an MBA at UNC Kenan-Flagler because the program would provide me the resources necessary to merge my passions for sustainability and global operations management. Since sustainability challenges and solutions are cross-functional and inter-organizational, I wanted to establish a more holistic picture of the global business landscape to effectively tackle these challenges. Through academic concentrations well suited to my interests and an integrated curriculum, the program at UNC Kenan-Flagler was an excellent match for my goals. It will give me the opportunity to build a more end-to-end skill set in business beyond the roles I have already taken on during my career.
What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? While there are many activities I am excited for in business school, I am particularly looking forward to joining both the Net Impact Club and the Pride Club. Both clubs actively lead positive change on campus, and I can hardly wait to jump in and start getting involved.
What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? At this point in my career, I have spent five years working in global supply chain. During that time, I successfully built hands-on experience in project management, data analytics, supply and demand optimization, and strategic planning. Now that I have seeded that skillset, I want to compile more knowledge of sustainable development and broaden my global business perspective. Those capabilities will effectively prepare me to tackle the complexities of improving a company’s triple bottom line during the next phase of my career.
How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? For me, it was a question of what my career would look like with an MBA and without an MBA. Overall, I knew that I wanted the skills I could gain from a MBA program and that I would have more tools in my tool kit to pursue a career in sustainable enterprise. Mathematically speaking, I evaluated how long it would take me to pay off my student debt and I accounted for the opportunity cost of being unemployed for two years. Then using my knowledge of skills gained and opportunity cost incurred, I made a judgement call on the potential return on investment. In the end, an MBA at UNC Kenan-Flagler was worth the investment because it would give me the additional skills I needed to do my desired kind of work.
What other MBA programs did you apply to? MIT Sloan School of Management, McGill Desautels Faculty of Management
How did you determine your fit at various schools? To determine my fit, I evaluated a variety of criteria. However, the top three variables that I based my decision on where the culture, the academic fit, and the career-related resources. To assess culture, I visited all the schools to which I applied to meet the students, staff and faculty. I also conducted a number of informal phone interviews with students and alumni to discuss their MBA experiences and the culture of the program.
To assess the academic fit, I evaluated whether or not I believed I could simultaneously study sustainable enterprise and operations management while also broadening my knowledge of global business. I gauged this through my aforementioned phone calls as well as via web research and online student reviews. The flexibility of the curriculum was particularly important as I determined if the school would fit my career goals; I needed the ability to concentrate on a few key subject areas and to gain broad business experience in parallel.
Finally, I heavily considered the availability of career related resources. I wanted to make sure that I had a variety of different resources I could access, not just one source of career guidance. I evaluated this during my school visits when I spoke with career services. All three of these components informed my final school decision.
What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? My initial trajectory towards a career in business began when, as a senior member of my campus newspaper, I was elected editor-in-chief. In that role, I learned that I absolutely wanted to pursue leadership roles in business in some way, but I had not yet identified how I wanted that career to take shape.
When I graduated from the University of Vermont (UVM), the university had just launched a new transdisciplinary initiative, the Food Systems Spire. Leveraging my media and business skills, I became the central hub for Spire information– connecting farmers, policy makers and researchers. Consequently, I discovered fascinating research on the sustainable transformation of coffee production’s agrifood system. This research showed me that even small changes in global coffee suppliers’ decisions could tangibly improve farmers’ quality of life and reduce agriculture’s environmental impact. After seeing supply networks’ potential for positive transformations, I was inspired to pursue supply chain experience that I could apply to developing sustainable supply networks. I had already known I wanted to pursue a business career in some way, but that moment at UVM I witnessed how business, food and sustainability could come together. I had discovered where I wanted my career path to go.
What do you plan to do after you graduate? Post-graduation, I plan to pursue a project management or operations leadership position at a consumer packaged goods company that focuses on sustainability – the triple bottom line is very important to me. I also plan to be a mentor in some capacity, and as a foodie, I want to work with a food consumable product like ice cream, cheese or tea (just to name a few product examples).
Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years, I envision myself as the director of that same CPG company’s corporate social responsibility division or operations division with a focus on driving sustainable development. Having grown further in my career, I want to have established my role as a mentor and leader within the organization.
William Douglas Leimenstoll
University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School
“Aspires to create better, greener communities by building places people actually like.”
Hometown: Greensboro, North Carolina
Fun Fact About Yourself: My fiancé and I will be proud owners of the world’s cutest mini aussiedoodle puppy as of Labor Day weekend 2018!
Undergraduate School and Major: UNC-Chapel Hill, Environmental Studies
Most Recent Employer and Job Title: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; ORISE Research Fellow
Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: This is not technically during my professional career, but during my final year at UNC, I had the opportunity to serve as student body president. In that role I successfully lobbied the UNC System’s Board of Governors to protect need-based financial aid funding and also convince my fellow university trustees to allow gender non-specific housing options for incoming students. These accomplishments were undone later by the General Assembly, but directly improved people’s lives for a time.
What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Driven to excel but not only for themselves. Everyone I’ve met thus far has been sharp and talented, just like at any top school, yet they’ve also had a deeper interest in succeeding in order to accomplish something larger than themselves. I really admire that combination and am excited to be part of it.
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 combined reputation of Kenan-Flagler’s real estate and sustainability concentrations made the decision such a clear one for me. Given my interest in building more sustainable communities, UNC Kenan-Flagler’s strengths aligned perfectly with my career interests.
What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? The Real Estate Club
What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I spent most of my pre-graduate school career in the non-profit and government world thinking a lot about how communities should be built, but unable to actually make it happen. A dual MBA and master’s in city and regional planning seems like the best way to put my principles into practice and actually build better places for people.
How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? As a dual-degree candidate, I’m adding just one more year of classes and tuition. I was also very fortunate to receive a generous scholarship package.
What other MBA programs did you apply to? None. I already was enrolled in Carolina’s Department of City and Planning School when I was admitted to Kenan-Flagler.
How did you determine your fit at various schools? While I chose Carolina’s Department of City and Planning a year before I chose Kenan-Flagler, UNC’s business school was on my mind. Having gone to undergrad at UNC, I knew the culture was one of excellence balanced with empathy and integrity. I have been glad to see this spirit lives on both at the Department of City and Regional Planning and at Kenan-Flagler.
What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I’m undoubtedly shaped by having grown up on downtown Greensboro’s Main Street. When I was a kid, no one wanted to be downtown and my parents were viewed as crazy for raising children there. Having a front row seat as the city slowly began to re-energize downtown inspired me to join a community advisory committee for a nearby redevelopment at age eleven. Seeing the complex interplay between developers, politicians, architects, planners and citizens all vying to shape the community was exciting to me. I’ve been aiming to find where I fit within that ecosystem ever since and I now feel sure that the answer is as a developer.
What do you plan to do after you graduate? I hope to work for a residential real estate developer focused on building urban redevelopment projects in the most environmentally sustainable way possible.
Where do you see yourself in five years? I hope to have successfully seen a few developments come to fruition and be starting to think about how to begin my own green real estate venture.
Angelica Ly
University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School
“I am a contagiously cheerful, thoughtful and hard-working person to be around.”
Hometown: Sacramento, California
Fun Fact About Yourself: I ate a live (and still wiggling) octopus while I vacationing in South Korea.
Undergraduate School and Major: University of California at Berkeley, Mechanical Engineering
Most Recent Employer and Job Title: SMA-America Solar Technology
Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My company was launching a new product, which was great because the U.S. market was absolutely exploding. Unfortunately, the European market was going through a huge decline, which forced downsizing in our German headquarters. I was unsure who would support us or if we would even get support through the product launch. This made our team very worried, as the U.S. team was getting more projects than we could ever imagine. So, I decided to be vocal about my concerns. I started with conversations with my boss, who had me meet with the vice president. After multiple meetings of highlighting the gaps and defining the scope, the vice president told me to book my ticket because he was sending me to Germany. I lived and worked in Germany for three months supporting the U.S. team. I gained invaluable experience working directly with headquarters and loved every moment. This all happened because I decided to speak my mind. If you have something to say, say it.
What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? My MBA class has such a diverse student body from all over the world. However, there is a big underlining characteristic between everyone, which is obnoxiously friendly and open – which is the Carolina Way. Everyone is just ridiculously nice to one another and that is incredibly fitting for my personality.
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 so many great schools out there, but Kenan-Flagler caught my eyes because they advertised their program as “quantitatively rigorous.” Since I did not have a business or finance related background, it was important to me that I develop a strong working foundation before developing my philosophies. And whenever I told a Kenan-Flagler staff I was worried about not knowing the material, they never had any doubt that they would be able to teach me everything that I needed to succeed.
What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Carolina Women in Business! The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) was one of the main reasons that I became an engineer. Like SWE, Carolina Women in Business (CWIB) is focused on supporting a minority group in the profession – women. You don’t have to be a woman to participate; you just need to support women. Business school might seem like it is dominated by males, but there are definitely females in the mix. And CWIB highlights this fact, while raising awareness to those who are intimidated by the gender imbalance in business. Equally important, CWIB will be a great support group for women to have throughout school.
What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? When I finished my undergraduate degree, I thought I was going to get my masters in engineering. Instead of jumping straight into school, I waited to gain perspective as a professional and am so glad that I did. As I experienced engineering in the real world, I learned that business was the most important aspect. Every engineering decision is a business decision. While the technical portion is important, it is the business situation that drives strategy and major decisions. This motivated me to develop personally towards being a problem solver from both the engineering and the business angles.
How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? The simple answer would be return on investment. Financially, in long-term planning, an MBA just makes sense in terms of numbers. However, the intangible portion investment involves an outlook on where you want to be in your career. When I was imagining where I wanted be in 10 to 20 years, it wasn’t where I was. Of course, there are other ways to reach your goal, but an MBA would be the quickest way to my goal. And an MBA is a chance to advance into (senior) management or even redirect your career, whichever door I choose. My MBA is an investment in my future self’s lifestyle and happiness.
What other MBA programs did you apply to? I only applied to UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke.
How did you determine your fit at various schools? The usual research online, like Poet & Quants and university sites, has great information. However, the most useful way for me to evaluate fit was going to the actual schools and meeting actual students and staff. This is time (and money) consuming, so be selective and plan accordingly. The actual culture can be felt when you’re walking down the hallway or sitting in a potential classroom. Also, when you speak to a representative from the school, you will be able make a connection and determine fit. If travelling is limited, take advantage of when schools are visiting in nearby. Admission teams are aggressively recruiting, so take advantage of it!
What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? My defining moment was an aggregate of my experience growing up in a community of immigrant families, which taught me to work hard and support those around you. Most from the community came to this country with few possessions; my father literally only had the clothes on his back. Life has been an uphill battle with learning a new language, establishing a new home, and finding their niche in society. However, we all had each other and our families, which provided us the support to balance the challenges. Since my parents worked long hours, neighbors watched over me as I was growing up. And since some families struggled with English, I would help translate letters and set up for them appointments over the phone. While there were difficult days, they were resilient and kept fighting. Together, through hard work and determination, they were able to create a life for themselves and for their children, including me.
What do you plan to do after you graduate? My goal is to develop my project management career from technically focused within manufacturing and construction to include financial responsibility for both the development and execution of projects. My technical expertise will ensure successful projects, while my business skills will provide financial confidence throughout the project lifecycle, which is critical as renewable energy transitions out of government subsidies.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Still passionate about providing sustainable and reliable energy, I will shift my focus from solely using renewable energy to considering all forms of energy working synergistically. I will also transition my role from managing individual projects to managing a team of project managers and their aggregate finances. This will allow me to focus on financial strategy and adjusting them to market trends or policy changes. And this will pave the path to working for a utility and planning their portfolio.
Sam Polino
University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School
“Passionate, data-driven clean-tech nerd dedicated to advancing innovative solutions for renewable energy proliferation.”
Hometown: Severna Park, Maryland
Fun Fact About Yourself: I’m an avid runner and have completed two marathons: The Baltimore Marathon in 2015 and the D.C. Rock & Roll Marathon in 2018. I hope to complete another before leaving Chapel Hill.
Undergraduate School and Major: Boston University, Environmental Science
Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Solar United Neighbors – Director of Solar Cooperatives
Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Nonprofits are almost always constrained financially and struggle to find capacity for growth. While in my last position, I helped build out data management tools and analytics to help us quantify our impacts faster and with more accuracy. When I started in 2015, there were only back-of-the-envelope estimates of our impacts and yearly projections. Putting numbers behind our engagements in terms of solar systems installed, people educated, and political actions taken substantially boosted our ability to covey success to funders and our broader supporters. I can now confidently say I was part of an organization that helped over 3,000 people install solar systems across the country and continues to grow every day.
What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Drive. My peers have widely different backgrounds, personalities, and perspectives, but each is focused on how to get to the next step in his or her career. What sets UNC apart, however, is the “Carolina Way.” Kenan-Flagler fosters a sense of community and collaboration among its students to harness this drive to benefit the class, not solely the individual. This is the Carolina Way. My classmates have already shown tremendous support for one another and I’m ecstatic to be a member of such a united group.
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? Kenan-Flagler’s focus on energy and sustainability drew me to Chapel Hill. Professionally I aim to remain in the renewable energy industry and I knew Kenan-Flagler’s energy concentration, clubs and classmates would further enrich and broaden my understanding of the complex and dynamic industry.
What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am most excited to join the Energy Club. Having spent my entire life on the East Coast, I am looking forward to the energy trek to San Francisco and case competitions across the country. Second-years in the club coming out of internships will be a tremendous resource as I navigate the recruiting process and weigh different academic paths.
What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? As I began to take on more responsibilities at my previous employer, I recognized the gaps in my skillset from effective management to financial analysis. While I realized I am on the younger end of MBA candidates, I felt prepared to take on the new challenge of business school and to take my professional career to the next level. In the end, I couldn’t think of a reason to wait.
How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? Having worked at a nonprofit of only 25 people in a variety of different roles, I realized I lacked a set of core business skills. An MBA was an ideal opportunity for me close this gap and make a professional jump at the same time. An MBA at Kenan-Flagler also provided a unique opportunity for me to continue to focus within my industry and build out a new skillset for my future career path. The future career possibilities with an MBA made returning to school an easy decision.
What other MBA programs did you apply to? Duke University-Fuqua, University of Michigan-Ross, University of Virginia-Darden, Yale University-School of Management
How did you determine your fit at various schools? What helped the most was taking a step back and asking myself the hard question of what is most important to me in a business school. You cannot begin researching programs and writing applications without first understanding what you are looking for and what is most important to you. I prioritized schools with a concentration and other resources that aligned with my desired career path and industry. Next, I researched programs and spoke with current students and alumni with shared career interests. Online resources like Poets & Quants and the schools’ websites were also excellent places to narrow my search.
What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? My defining moment occurred when I studied abroad in Ecuador in college. While in a remote rainforest, I and eight other ecology students drove through several oil extraction sites and witnessed the complete destruction of pristine environments. I thought to myself, “There has to be another way to meet our global energy needs.” Upon returning to Boston University, I enrolled in a renewable energy minor and have focused my career in that direction since. That moment in Ecuador peaked my interest in energy and I have been in love with the fascinating and increasingly complicated industry since.
What do you plan to do after you graduate? I plan to continue to work in the clean-energy industry, but transition into the private sector. I am fascinated by data analytics and its impact on decision-making, so I hope to land in a role that pairs data and strategy with a company focused on the advancement of renewables.
Where do you see yourself in five years? I see myself as a leader in the clean energy space. I hope to position myself as an industry expert with tangible work history that I can point to that made a difference. At the end of the day, I want to do something that matters and makes the lives of others better.
Andrew Slaughter
University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School
Describe yourself in 15 words or less: A passionate and dedicated individual committed to environmental justice, community engagement, and personal discovery.
Hometown: Rochester, New York
Fun fact about yourself I prefer cold climates to warmer ones.
Undergraduate School and Major University of Pittsburgh, Environmental Studies
Most recent employer and job title I’ve most recently been employed through the Environmental Innovation and Entrepreneurship Grant offered by Duke University to collaborate with Solaris Holdings, LLC as an Energy Technology Researcher and Project Developer.
Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far The biggest tangible accomplishment in my career so far is securing $250,000+ for a small non-profit (Ithaca Children’s Garden) in Ithaca, New York, as their grant manager and system administrator. The annual operating budget for the organization was $375,000 at the time, so my contributions in my 18 months in that role represented a significant portion of the organizational funding.
What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? One of the qualities of my MBA classmates that I’ve uncovered so far is their team-oriented attitudes. It seems that everyone is willing to share their collective experiences and positive perspectives to best support the achievements and successes of those around them.
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 an environmental and energy professional, the incorporation of sustainable enterprise as a concentration and the energy industry in the class curriculum seemed to be a good fit for me. The dual-degree offering between the master of environmental management at Duke and the MBA here at Kenan-Flagler was also a significant part of my decision to choose the Research Triangle for my graduate pursuits.
What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I’m looking most forward to leveraging the exceptional and unique experiences of the Kenan-Flagler professional student body to engage and impact the larger North Carolina community as a whole. One of the features of higher education that stands out most significantly to me is the ease with which it’s possible to have a transient experience in the community surrounding a person’s institution of choice. I like to make it a point to get more deeply involved in the surrounding communities and encourage my classmates to do the same.
What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I wanted to strengthen my management and business leadership skillsets. In most of my job positions after my undergraduate studies, I found myself in management and administrative roles. I thought it would be beneficial for my career trajectory to build those skills in a dedicated fashion while acquiring the credentials to make that personal knowledgebase more obvious.
How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? My former supervisors and personal mentors assisted me in making a thoughtful decision around how an MBA could benefit me. After considering the roles I’ve had in past businesses and organizations and how I’d like to advance in my career, an MBA and the skills associated seemed to be acquisitions that would considerably bolster my appeal as a professional candidate.
What other MBA programs did you apply to? I only applied to Kenan-Flagler. I already was enrolled in the MEM program at Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke and the dual degree with Kenan-Flagler seemed to be a much better fit for me than the program at Duke Fuqua.
How did you determine your fit at various schools? My main priorities for my ideal programs were a combination of program values and the atmosphere of the student body. The Core Values at Kenan-Flagler reflect many of my personal values and the people with whom I choose to surround myself. Meeting some of my prospective classmates at Experience Weekend confirmed that those values were important to other accepted students.
What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? My defining moment was an internal carotid artery aneurysm diagnosis in the fall of 2016. That mortal experience forced me to confront who I want to be with the time I have – and what kind of impact I want to make on the world and the people around me before it’s my time to go. In that series on months of treatment and recovery, I reaffirmed my commitments to passions, environmentalism, and civic duty. Now, I always have a compass and experience that points me to and centers me on my moral code.
What do you plan to do after you graduate? I’m currently working with a start-up renewable energy project development company and I’d like to continue that when I’m done if we can make the company profitable. It incorporates my interests in renewable energy technology and policy, while including public and customer engagement in addition to the ability to work creatively and autonomously within a larger team structure. It’s, in theory, the near perfect opportunity for me.
Where do you see yourself in five years? I’d like to be a part of an organization that accurately reflects my beliefs and interests. I’ve also come to enjoy the Triangle area and everything it has to offer since I moved here a year ago, so I’d like to stay in this area as well if that’s at all possible.
Khalid Syed
University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School
“A curious, creative and an empathetic problem-solver with a weakness for sports, travel and food.”
Hometown: Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Fun Fact About Yourself: I penguin walked for six days, 37 miles on a frozen-river trek with the average temperature of -4 degree Fahrenheit and extreme temperature of -31 degree Fahrenheit.
Undergraduate School and Major: IIT Hyderabad, B.Tech in Electrical Engineering
Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Nestaway Technologies, Senior Manager
Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The last two years at Nestaway has been the most challenging for me as I played the role of product and process owner who focused on enhancing the customer experience. However, I was fortunate to have a great manager and an incredible group of colleagues; we rolled out some critical products and processes that improved the customer sentiment by 40% over six months. This played a critical role in closing the Series D funding round of $51 million. For my contributions, I was given a skip level promotion from senior business analyst to senior manager and was offered to return after my MBA. It brings a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when your efforts are recognized and rewarded by your colleagues.
What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Over the last couple of days, I have met some incredible achievers from investment bankers to Army veterans to an Antarctica expedition leader to a medical doctor, among many others. Despite having such successful careers, the common theme among them was “The Carolina Way.” They are so down to earth, collaborative and accommodating in nature that for someone like me who has been to U.S. for the first time. It took me no-time to settle down my nerves. I am excited to be a part of this class and look forward to make life-long friendships.
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? Apart from the careers and placements statistics, the key factor that struck to me about Kenan-Flagler was the strong alumni engagement. During my research about the school, I interacted with many students and alumni and found almost everyone to be grateful to the alums for helping them achieve their dreams. I strongly believe that a close-knit community is the perfect atmosphere to bring the best out of an individual and I found UNC Kenan-Flagler to be the ideal place. The strong bond that I have felt and experienced among the community drives the alumni to advocate and champion our school to the employers and to the world.
What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Having worked in fast-growing start-ups, I look forward to be a part of the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club. To advance my knowledge in product management, I aim to join the Business Technology Club and understand the tech landscape of the emerging markets. I am very much excited about the STAR Program, where we get action-based, hands-on experiential project learning. I am also eager to join the Net Impact Club and devise sustainable-business practices to help local nonprofits scale.
What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I realized that in order to keep my growth curve moving into the senior leadership positions of an organization, a comprehensive understanding of the broader business functions was the need of the hour. I also believe that to be a good and effective leader, one has to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority and I hope to inculcate cross-functional business skills to stitch efforts across departments. Eventually an MBA will prepare for my long-term goal with skills to lead teams with empathy, to innovate for growth sustenance and to hold a vision that truly disrupts organizational inertia.
How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I have been fortunate to have some incredible mentors who have always guided, inspired and encouraged me in my endeavors. I always look up to their exceptional assessment of hidden risks, strategic thinking capability and managerial leadership skills which they attribute a lot to their MBA studies. This coupled with my interactions with other MBA grads convinced me that MBA is going to be worth the investment. An MBA program is the only place that will also open up plethora of opportunities to network with the global leaders of today and tomorrow which will be critical in achieving my career ambitions. However, despite all the advantages, MBA is still a big investment and UNC Kenan-Flagler was generous to give me a partial scholarship that helped me in making the decision.
What other MBA programs did you apply to? University of Michigan Ross School of Business, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Indiana Kelley School of Business, University of Southern California Marshall School of Business
How did you determine your fit at various schools? I wanted to get into a top 20 school as it is important for me to have an MBA from a big brand as it is an association for life. I believe that growing as a team is much more important than growing as an individual and I wanted to be a part of a school that shares the same belief. I was looking at advancing my career in product management for which it is difficult to find a tailored curriculum. Therefore it was also important for me to be a part of a school that provided the option of tailoring your own flexible curriculum to strengthen the competencies and improve the weaknesses. I also looked at the full-time and internship statistics for my target companies at different schools and complemented it by the input from students. Taking all these parameters into account I found UNC Kenan-Flagler to be perfectly suited for me and I am very happy to be here.
What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? Tears rolled down my mother’s cheek when I cleared IITJEE, one of the most competitive exams in the world. After failing to clear IITJEE on the first attempt, I was advised by many to join a lower ranked college as I was getting a good scholarship. However, with the support of my family and friends, I chose to take another attempt at my dream of studying at IIT. My family and I put in loads of effort and I successfully cleared the exam – but more importantly made my parents proud. It was a defining moment as I realized that with sincere effort and the right attitude one can achieve great heights despite failures and obstacles. Now I guide students, who are just like me, to dream big and never ever give up on it.
What do you plan to do after you graduate? The common theme underlying my work at multimillion-dollar companies and a start-up has been using technology to address consumer problems. Leveraging my experiences, the knowledge and skills that I will gain through MBA, I aim to manage a product P&L at a tech company. I am particularly interested in the internet of things vertical and I hope to scale products that simplifies daily life problems across geographies. However, I am sure that an MBA will expose me to brand new knowledge and a wide range of opportunities, which, if I find exciting, I am open to trying them out as well.
Where do you see yourself in five years? I see myself at a senior leadership position in product management at an IoT company. The Indian IoT market is projected to skyrocket from $1.3 billion currently to $60 billion by 2025. As a senior member of the company, I hope to capitalize on these opportunities by introducing innovative concepts such as intelligent smart-home solutions and devices to measure calorie-intake for health monitoring. On the social side, I see myself giving back to the society for all the great opportunities that I was provided in life. I hope to be in a place to inspire people to dream big and uplift the lives of the unprivileged by expanding technology to the corners of the world.
Laura Takanen
University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School
Describe yourself in 15 words or less: I am a very loyal and casual person who enjoys the little things.
Hometown: Long Beach, California
Fun fact about yourself Despite not being very athletic, I have hiked both the Inca Trail and Mount Kilimanjaro.
Undergraduate School and Major University of California at Davis, History; Boston College, M.Ed Secondary Teaching in History
Most recent employer and job title U.S. Navy, Supply Officer
Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: One of my biggest accomplishments so far was working on the Non-Combatant Evacuation Order used during the South Sudan Civil War.
What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? The classmates I have met so far are all extremely friendly and happy to help with anything.
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 liked the atmosphere. Everyone I talked with, from admissions to those during the class visit, were so welcoming and personable. I really liked the way I was treated by the school and that definitely influenced my decision to attend Kenan-Flagler.
What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Veterans Club
What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? The Navy is sponsoring me, so they decided that this was the right time for me.
How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I didn’t really even consider this because I haven’t heard of anyone leaving a top tier MBA program who didn’t think it was worth it.
What other MBA programs did you apply to? HBS, Stern, Anderson, Wharton, Booth, Kellogg, Marshall
How did you determine your fit at various schools? The tool I used to determine fit at various schools was the classroom visit. Despite the fact that many of the classes I visited had the same structure, there were still several small differences that spoke to culture. I really enjoyed my visit at Kenan-Flagler because I was brought to the class by a student ambassador, I was invited to participate, the students were interacting because they had something to say (not just because they wanted credit), and everyone showed respect by arriving on time.
What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? My defining moment was when I decided to join the Navy. It not only changed my career, but also forced me to grow in a myriad of ways.
What do you plan to do after you graduate? Return to the Navy and work at one of our inventory control points.
Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years, I will still be in the Navy, hopefully in a Commander operational tour.
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