2018 MBAs To Watch: Chris Monti, University of Michigan (Ross) - Poets&Quants

Christopher Monti

University of Michigan, Ross School of Business

Age: 32

“Ferociously curious about the world and hopes to change society through the power of business!”

Hometown: Sacramento, CA

Fun fact about yourself: I once saw the Aurora Borealis and St. Elmo’s Fire while piloting an aircraft over Greenland.

Undergraduate School and Degree: California State University Sacramento – BA Digital Media/Communications

Where did you work before enrolling in business school? Special Operations AC-130 Gunship Pilot for the US Air Force

Where did you intern during the summer of 2017? PepsiCo/Frito-Lay Plano, TX

Where will you be working after graduation? Frito-Lay in Strategic Finance

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

• Co-Founder of Business Impact Group
• Chief of Staff Armed Forces Association
• Functional Accountability Career Team Leader
• MBA Peer Coach
• Student Ambassador
• MTrek Leader – Led 15 students on an epic odyssey through Greece

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Peer coaching – It really was incredible to see the transformation of the MBA 1s from when they first started preparing for interviews. I really felt honored that students would come to me for help and guidance. Words can’t express how amazing it is to help a student through something that can be a very terrifying experience (recruiting) and later learn that they received an offer from their dream company!

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I nearly failed out of pilot training when I first joined the Air Force. Flying had been my dream since I was a kid, but it turns out I wasn’t very good at it! After nearly failing out, I almost decided to quit. However, I pushed myself to keep going and turned things around. I went from the bottom of my class to the top by graduation. That struggle has given me the grit I need to push through difficult times.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Professor Ryan Ball. He is an incredible storyteller! I was so engaged in his Corporate Financial Reporting class because he has such a brilliant way of relating accounting concepts to people like me who have zero experience in the subject.

What was your favorite MBA Course Definitely my Financial Analysis class with Professor Gautam Kaul. He’s an incredible finance scholar! The two big takeaways I gained from that class were:

1. Finance is an incredibly powerful tool that should inform not direct your decisions.
2. If you’re ever unsure of what the correct answer is – just say “it’s compounding” and you’ll sound really smart!

Why did you choose this business school? I felt an immediate connection with Ross when I visited the campus. I loved the feeling of walking into the Winter Garden. When you see all the students sitting and working together at one of the many tables, you really feel an incredible buzz and energy. Also, the culture at Ross is very balanced. I knew it would really develop me intellectually as well as emotionally and culturally. The moments of learning and socializing with classmates outside of the academic setting have rounded me as a leader, team member and global citizen in ways I could never have imagined!

What is your best piece advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s MBA program? Visit the school and meet the students. Every interaction I had with a student, coupled with my Visit in Person trip, really ignited my passion for Ross. That initiative and passion really came through in my essays and interview responses.

What is the biggest myth about your school? That we only place students in careers throughout the Midwest. Ross is a Midwest school, but Rossers are global. It’s incredible how vast the opportunities are to go anywhere in the US, let alone the world. I never would have imagined that I would end up in Dallas from Ross and I couldn’t be more excited!

What was your biggest regret in business school? I have no regrets. Honestly! I did everything I wanted to and more while here. I traveled the world. I made friends with some incredible people. I gained a deeper emotional intelligence. I went from knowing nothing about finance, marketing and strategy to landing my dream job at the intersection of all those subjects. No regrets!

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Molly Hope – She’s the first female president of the Armed Forces Association and a VP of the Michigan Business Women group on campus. I’m constantly amazed by her leadership style and ability to connect with people. I’ve learned a lot just from working alongside and supporting her in the Armed Forces Association.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? My wife. I had no idea what I was going to do after the military. I looked at business schools, but was afraid of the “opportunity cost” of taking time off work. I was ready to go through a head hunting agency to find a job and take the safe route. She really encouraged me to take the risk and go to business school. She read all my essays, helped me craft my interview responses, and drove all over the country with me to visit schools. She’s been an incredible partner through this whole process!

What are the top two items on your bucket list? Train Muay Thai at a gym in Thailand and compete in a Red Bull Air Race.

In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you? As someone who had a great sense of humor, but also a sense of purpose. Someone who went out of their way to help others succeed.

What is your favorite movie about business? The Godfather. One of the many quotable lines in the movie is, “It’s not personal…it’s strictly business.” The irony of that statement is that each character that says it then goes on to make a decision based on an emotional calculation. I think it highlights that that business is personal because it is based on the strength of your relationships. It requires trust and integrity. Without it, there is no business to be done.

What would your theme song be? “Mighty Wings” – Cheap Trick

Favorite vacation spot: Tuscany, Italy

Hobbies: Rock Climbing, Muay Thai, Recreational Flying, Film Making

What made Chris such an invaluable addition to the class of 2018?

“I will miss having Chris around the Ross community every day after he graduates in May. I will miss his personal demeanor that exudes confidence, caring and passion along with his unwavering curiosity in my class that is fueled by his desire to understand what lies behind the experiences of other students and faculty. I will miss his genuine commitment to making others better off by always offering a ‘how can I help?’ at just the right moment. I will miss his ability to tell “Top Gun” stories about his time as an Air Force pilot in a persuasive way that makes you feel like you are actually flying the plane with him. I will miss having my friend around the Ross community every day, but I am extremely excited to see all of the great things Chris will accomplish for the next organization that is lucky enough to have him!”

Professor Ryan Ball
Professor of Accounting
Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan

 

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2018 MBAs To Watch: Matt Hillman, University of Michigan (Ross) - Poets&Quants

Matt Hillman

University of Michigan, Ross School of Business

“I am just like you. I make mistakes. I learn. I grow.”

Age: 29

Hometown: Orlando, Florida

Fun fact about yourself: I’ve never drank a cup of coffee before.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Florida A&M University – B.S. in Economics with a minor in Finance

Where did you work before enrolling in business school? Private Banker (Wealth Management) – Citizens Bank in Philadelphia, PA

Where did you intern during the summer of 2017? Delta Air Lines – Atlanta, GA

Where will you be working after graduation? Sr. Product Manager – Amazon

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

Leadership Roles

• Hospitality and Travel Club – Director of Airline Relations (AY 16-17). President (AY 17-18).
• Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP): Hotels.com – Developed new internal processes and organizational recommendations to more effectively conduct and share research across the organization.
• Michigan Business Challenge (AY 17-18): Top 14 Finalist out of 81 business pitches.
• Zell Lab Start-Up Entrepreneur – Served as a business development lead for a disruptive travel tech startup that spawned out of the University of Michigan’s College of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
• Wolverine Angels – In parallel with my classes from September to April, I worked remotely as a venture capital analyst for a California-based angel group. I was responsible for evaluating the investment potential of 15 seed to b-staged companies.
• Consortium for Graduate Study in Management – Fellowship Recipient

Community Roles

• Community Consulting Club – Developed a pricing tool and go-to-market strategy for a non-profit organization that provided life skills for young mothers, typically 16-23 years old, who have been victims of some type of traumatic experience.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school?  I am most proud of a conversation that I had with a highly-ranked Guyanese government official.

During fall break of my second year, I travelled to Georgetown, Guyana to attend an aviation safety seminar. In a private conversation after the conclusion of the seminar, I respectfully challenged the country’s General Director to improve national initiatives and establish specific benchmarks to gauge their success. I was most proud of my ability to engage with him in a meaningful, business-related dialogue using concepts that I learned in business school regarding emerging markets. My remarks were very well received and he planned to implement some of my ideas immediately.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? In 2015, while serving as the director of finance for the Strawberry Mansion Learning Center in north Philadelphia, I helped create and execute a fundraising campaign that raised ~$800k in monetary and in-kind donations. These funds went towards providing improved educational resources to inner city youth.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Chris White – Social Intrapreneurship: Leading Social Innovation in Organizations.

What was your favorite MBA Course? Social Intrapreneurship: Leading Social Innovation in Organizations.

The overwhelming majority of Ross graduates, including myself, will begin their post-MBA careers working in large corporations. In this class, we learned how to create and scale new initiatives while navigating through layers of red tape and bureaucracy within the walls of a large organization. This summer, as I relaunch my career as a product manager at Amazon, I look forward to using the frameworks from this class to help gain buy-in and mass adoption for my new ideas.

Why did you choose this business school? I never would have guessed that I would be admitted to five Top 20 business schools.  However, when this became my reality, I had to take a step back and discover what I truly wanted to get out of my business school experience. I quickly realized that I would learn the same marketing and finance frameworks at all five schools. I needed another way to evaluate them, so I began to compare their career statistics. While more MBA students go to Amazon from the University of Michigan than any other school, I still believed that I could land my “dream job” from any of these schools that I was considering. However, when I began to compare these schools on their ability to reinforce what I learned in the classroom through quality consulting and leadership opportunities, Michigan Ross stood alone.

As I look back on this experience, I do not feel like I took a two-year hiatus from working at all. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Since enrolling at the University of Michigan, I have gained two years of real world experience to compliment what I’ve learned in the classroom. I’ve done this by consulting a number of organizations with a variety of business challenges, helping to create two startups and working in early-stage investments.

Oh, and being able to go to the Big House with more than 110,000 screaming Michigan football fans is pretty cool too.

What is your best piece advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s MBA program? Be vulnerable and transparent about your weaknesses. Spend a good amount of time being introspective in an effort to clearly identify your goals, as well as what’s keeping you from getting there. Try to be as explicit as possible about what these growth areas are and why Ross is the best place for you to address those deficiencies.

What is the biggest myth about your school? I’ve heard that the Ross School of Business is too much fun. While I am thoroughly enjoying my business school experience, I did not have to sacrifice my academics to do so. Being in a collaborative and collegial environment is not mutually exclusive with getting a world-class education. In fact, I have found the academics to be very, very rigorous.

What was your biggest regret in business school? I wish I would have spent more time in Detroit, specifically in their up-and-coming entrepreneurial communities. When I first moved to Michigan in 2016, I read some statistics about Detroit that stuck with me over the next two years. The article said that approximately 35 percent of all real estate in Detroit (both commercial and residential) was still foreclosed, bank-owned or abandoned. This led to depressed real estate prices, which attracted many local entrepreneurs and techies who used this blank slate as an opportunity to revitalize one of America’s most historic cities. As I look back on my time in business school, I regret not leveraging my education and experiences to help in the revitalization efforts more than I did.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Ian Bridges moves through life with an incredible and unprecedented amount of purpose. There are several demonstrated examples of this; starting when Ian bypassed a prestigious strategy consulting job to become an educator in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan. In addition to pursuing a second master’s degree in the School of Education and leading the education practice of Ross’ student-led impact investing fund, Ian has also used his time in business school to lead DEI initiatives that helped engage Ross’ underrepresented communities.

Even with that being said, I admire Ian the most for his resilience when faced with personal adversity. His positivity is inspiring and I am very grateful for his friendship.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? Talent is dispersed equally. but opportunities are not. Fortunately for my family, that is not the end of the story, because education can be used as the great equalizer. Through education one can drastically change the trajectory of their life. I learned this lesson first-hand from my parents. My father used education to transition from a small third world country in South America to becoming one of the most accomplished black pilots in the history of the United States. My mother, who spent more than 25 years in education in a variety of roles, has helped to empower the next generation of leaders that did not come from affluence.

So when I realized that I wanted to pursue a career in business in Mrs. V’s 12th grade Economics class, I knew that I would need a quality education to help me get there. That realization led me to Florida A&M University, which laid a strong foundation for me to pursue my MBA at the University of Michigan, years later.

“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would…still be living a double life. If you would have met me before 2015, you would have either met Matt the banker or Matt the philanthropist. My day job was to help the ‘Top One percent’ grow their accumulated wealth by investing it in the stock market. This left me very unfulfilled, so I would use my spare time to volunteer with a number of organizations in the greater Philadelphia area. These competing interests led me to business school where I could reinvent myself professionally and drive impact in the areas that I felt most passionate about such as travel and technology.”

If you were a dean for a day, what one thing would you change about the MBA experience? I would not trade places with Dean DeRue, even for a day. He’s the right person for the job. I have had the opportunity to speak with him several times over the past two years, and I fully support his vision. I chose the University of Michigan because of its ‘Action-Based Learning’ style, and I look forward to seeing how this continues to evolve under his leadership. Additionally, he has prioritized DEI initiatives that I believe will enhance the educational experience in and out of the classroom while helping Ross to remain the collaborative and collegial learning environment that it is.

What are the top two items on your bucket list?

1. Shark diving in South Africa.
2. Go to an Orlando Magic championship parade. If the Cubs, Cavaliers and Eagles can FINALLY win a championship, why can’t my Magic?!

In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you? I’d be content knowing that at least one of my classmates said, “I am a better person having met Matt.” Not student, not professional, not philanthropist….but person.

What is your favorite movie about business?

The Pursuit of Happyness. Chris Gardner’s drive, resilience and love for his family is inspiring.

What would your theme song be? “One Man Can Change the World” – Big Sean feat. Kanye West and John Legend

Favorite vacation spot: This is a tough one. I’ve been to over 25 states and 25 countries, but the one place that I’m dying to get back to is Chile. The Chilean culture is so rich. I love that within three hours, I can go from the Andes Mountains to Santiago to the Casablanca Wine Valley and then to the Pacific Ocean in Valparaiso. This is especially helpful for me because, I have been known to cram 48 hours worth of activities into one day while on vacation.

Hobbies? Taking long bike rides through Ann Arbor is my favorite way to clear my mind or collect my thoughts.  And yes… I ride my bike year round, even in the winter. Haha.

What made Matt such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2018? (

“I had the pleasure of having Matt Hillman in my New Venture Creation elective course last fall, where he recruited and led a team of four classmates through a 14-week journey of ideating, researching, presenting and documenting a professional-level business plan for an original startup concept. Matt is a quiet leader: one of those folks who uses his words sparingly, but for whom everyone leans forward and listens carefully when he speaks. He leads by example — hard work, professionalism, keen intellect and a team orientation — and builds up those around him. It’s because of those characteristics that Matt is the just the sort of person around whom you build successful, high-performing teams.”

Jim Price
Adjunct Lecturer of Entrepreneurial Studies and Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Zell Lurie Institute at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan

 

 

 

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2018 Best MBAs: Ariana Almas, University of Michigan (Ross) - Poets&Quants

Ariana Almas

University of Michigan, Ross School of Business

“A purpose-driven change agent who isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo (or use buzzwords).”

Age: 29

Hometown: Born in Queens, NY and raised in Bayonne, NJ. Overall, greater NYC is home.

Fun fact about yourself: I wanted to be a comedian when I was younger. I even performed stand-up in my 3rd grade talent show! I also somehow snuck this fun fact into my “elevator pitch” during recruiting.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Dartmouth College. A “modified” Sociology degree with four different disciplines, and a Psychology minor. I basically designed my own major to study different social issues, the mechanisms that drive those issues, and ways to combat them through business, policy and design.

Where did you work before enrolling in business school? Year Up (a national workforce development nonprofit), Regional Sales Support Manager

Where did you intern during the summer of 2017? I technically had two internships: Ross Open Road (formerly MBAs Across America) and Microsoft HR Trax Program in Redmond, WA. These experiences were perfectly complementary, and gave me exposure to two very different aspects of the private sector: small businesses and a large corporation.

Where will you be working after graduation? I will be returning to Microsoft to complete their HR Trax Rotational Program. I’m also planning to start my own side hustle – stay tuned for more!

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

VP of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion on the Michigan MBA Council (newly instituted role)

Co-President of Service Corps Alumni Association

Lead Organizer for MLK Day at Ross

Ross Open Road Fellow

Consortium for Graduate Study in Management Fellow

Sanger Leadership Center’s Ross Leaders Academy

Center for Positive Organizations +LAB Fellow

Admissions Student Ambassador

Awarded first place team in University of Michigan Poverty Solutions case competition

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? This past year, I had the opportunity to serve in a newly-instituted VP of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) role on our MBA student council. I love the early stages of any new journey because of the freedom to innovate and try new things! Previously, there had been two DEI co-chairs who were separate to the MBA Council and who ran a DEI Committee, which I was on my first year. But with this new role on the student council, I had a “seat at the table” to impact the entire student body, to shape my own role and to really hone in on how to further institutionalize diversity, equity and inclusion at Michigan Ross. In the past year, we went from two co-chairs and a 14-person committee to one VP of DEI, a 35-person committee split into five working groups, one Inclusion Chair in each of the five first-year sections and a newly instituted VP of International Student Engagement role. Our annual Diversity Week also went from being planned internally by two committee members to being co-created with over 17 Ross clubs involved. Overall, I am SO proud of the infrastructure we’ve built and all the amazing work the committee, Inclusion Chairs, and our phenomenal Director of Diversity and Inclusion Taryn Petryk have done to infuse the values of diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the entire Ross experience.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? In the early years of my career, I worked at a small organization with a very toxic culture. Even though I believed in its mission, the work environment drained me mentally, emotionally, physically – you name it. Every decision that leadership made ran counter to my values and the values that I thought I had seen in this organization. As challenging as this was for me, I’m proud that I made it out of the experience with some valuable lessons. In being pushed to my limits, I got to know myself better and learned early in my career what my non-negotiables were with regard to my values and my mental and physical health. Though this may not seem like the typical definition of an “achievement,” it was a defining moment in my career, and the lessons I derived still inform my decisions and actions today.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? I hate picking favorites so I have to shout out these professors: Aneel Karnani, Brad Killaly, Cheri Alexander, Chris White, Dana Muir, Dana Thompson (at the law school), Dennis Oswald, Gerald Meyers, Jane Dutton, Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks, Jim Price, Kim Cameron, Maren Oberman (at the School of Education), Michael Gordon, Ryan Ball, Shanna Daly (at the School of Engineering), Valerie Myers, all of my core professors, as well as Deborah Willis and Rebecca Villegas from the DEI Professional Development certificate program!

What was your favorite MBA Course “Social Intrapreneurship: Leading Social Innovation in Organizations” with Chris White. Similar to Professor Orhun, Professor White has been incredibly thoughtful and intentional about how to incorporate topics of diversity, identity and equity in the classroom. The biggest insight I gained is that you don’t have to be in a formal position of leadership or power to make a positive change.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose Ross for three main factors: (1) I wanted to be at a school that was part of the the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, a fellowship program with the mission to enhance diversity and inclusion in global business education and leadership; (2) I wanted to be at a large university with other top-tier programs so I could bring an interdisciplinary lens to my learning; and (3) I wanted to be part of a culture that would enable me to fully thrive. Confirming the first two factors was easy, so when I visited Michigan Ross for the first time, I was looking to mostly gauge the culture.

One interaction in particular sealed the deal for me. During a prospective student weekend, I was paired with a first-year MBA as my host. I remember getting to her apartment at the end of a long day and starting to set up the couch in her living room so I could get some sleep. She got home, saw me in her living room, and asked me what I was doing. I told her I was going to sleep. With a bewildered look on her face, she turned to me and said, “No, I mean what are you doing in the living room? I’ve set up my room for you and I’m going to sleep on the couch.” Then, I was bewildered! I remember falling asleep that night wondering, “What is this magical place where someone I barely know lets me sleep in her room while she sleeps on the couch?” From that moment forward, I caught the Ross bug. In fact, during the same weekend the following year, I gave my room to a prospective student and slept on the couch, and she’s now in her first year at Ross. (p.s. Shout out to Anjelica Jones, my beautiful host who remains a mentor to this day!)

What is your best piece advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s MBA program? Don’t try to be something you’re not. In general, I believe strongly in taking a strengths-based approach. I recognize it can be hard not to compare yourself to others throughout the application process, but I firmly believe that everyone brings something unique to the table, and Ross truly values that. Reflect on what your strengths are and what makes you unique. Be proud of that and lead with that! I promise it will be more rewarding and more sustainable in the long run.

What is the biggest myth about your school? That we have a reputation as a party school. While Rossers do like to have fun, I’ve seen just as much energy poured into personal growth, learning and forging deep meaningful relationships.

What was your biggest regret in business school? I wish I had taken more advantage of CAPS, UM’s Counseling and Psychological Services. Business school, and graduate school in general, can be really stressful. I think I’ve done a decent job of prioritizing my physical well-being, but haven’t focused as much on my emotional well-being. To be honest, I’ve never been great at that. But I know that having access to these services is a true privilege, and I wish I had utilized them more.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Flo Noel. Many Rossers know Flo as one of the lead singers of our schools’ rock band, Risky Business. I know Flo as one of the wisest, kindest and most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met. She stays true to her ideals, she doesn’t conform to anyone’s expectations and she isn’t afraid to bring up the tough topics. She challenges you while at the same time showing you compassion and grace. I admire Flo greatly, and am so thankful for her friendship and mentorship over the past two years.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? My students at Year Up. Year Up’s mission is to close the opportunity divide by providing young adults from historically marginalized communities with training, mentorship and access to career opportunities in corporate America. One of my roles at Year Up was to provide support to students while they served in six-month corporate internships. Our students had all the talent in the world and thrived in their internships! At the same time, once “in the door,” they faced a whole slew of new challenges involving inclusion and equity, which were outside of my or Year Up’s realm of influence at the time. I recognized that I had the opportunity and privilege to attend business school, which could then provide me with an entry point of influence in corporate America. And so I decided to pursue that opportunity, with the goal of transitioning to the for-profit sector and being an advocate and champion for diversity, equity and inclusion in corporate spaces.

“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…pursuing a master’s degree in education, social work, public administration, policy or design.”

What are the top two items on your bucket list? Starting and running my own business, and supplementing my family with another income so my parents can retire and enjoy their lives!

In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you? They don’t have to remember “me” per se, but I hope they’ll remember feeling impacted in a positive way after one of our interactions, even if I could just make them laugh on a stressful day.

What would your theme song be? “Run the World (Girls)” by Beyoncé

Favorite vacation spot: For now, my bed! I hope to travel and vacation later in life so I’ll have a more exciting answer to this in the future.

Hobbies? Not many people know this, but I love storytelling. I’ve actually performed at a few different story slams, including The Moth, which is my go-to escape from school. I really enjoy helping people craft and hone stories of their own too. Other than that, I can be a bit of a restless soul, so I like going on random spontaneous adventures. Nothing major, it could literally be just a spontaneous bike ride in the middle of studying. Finally, I enjoy doing 30-day challenges! I just completed Whole30 (a healthy food and lifestyle challenge) and am about to embark on a 30 day-yoga challenge. I am NOT a yoga person, so it’ll be interesting!

What made Ariana such an invaluable addition to the class of 2018?

“An overarching way to describe Ariana would be that of a change agent. Ariana is a force of nature when it comes to things she cares deeply about, including challenging the status quo and ensuring that we are equitable and inclusive inside and outside of the classroom. Throughout her two years at Michigan Ross, Ariana has demonstrated her commitment and dedication to ensuring that Ross moves the needle in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and her approach has motivated anyone who comes into her path to join her. As VP for DEI under the MBA Council, she developed an infrastructure that includes a 36-member committee and a new Inclusion Rep position for each section. Under her guidance, the committee took on several initiatives that are currently being implemented throughout the school with the support of staff, faculty and students.  I would also say that Ariana’s ability to be tenacious has moved our DEI work forward. She inherently knows how to leverage relationships, communicate effectively and present compelling reasons as to why DEI work should be integrated into all parts of Ross.  Building partnerships across staff, faculty and students is a strength of Ariana’s that has fundamentally grounded the work she has done. Ariana has absolutely left a legacy at Ross, and the impact she has made will carry on for years to come.”

Taryn Petryk
Director of Diversity and Inclusion
Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan
 

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2018 Best MBAs: Kristen Steagall, University of Michigan (Ross) - Poets&Quants

Kristen Steagall

University of Michigan, Ross School of Business

“A strong, driven and generous leader that is passionate about her community, impact and legacy.”

Age: 30

Hometown: Crystal Lake, IL

Fun fact about yourself: After graduating from undergrad, I tried to move to Russia with an unintentionally incomplete visa – and surprise, they wouldn’t let me in! I got stuck in Sweden for awhile before having to fly back to the U.S., but was eventually able to move to Russia later that year! It taught me to be tenacious about my dreams and to pay more attention to details.

Undergraduate School and Degree: University of Michigan, B.A in Russian and Eastern European Studies

Where did you work before enrolling in business school? ClassPass, Head of Studio Marketing & Communications

Where did you intern during the summer of 2017? McKinsey, Digital Chicago Office, Summer Associate

Where will you be working after graduation? McKinsey, Digital Chicago Office, Associate

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

President, Tech Club @ Ross: One of the largest professional clubs on campus, helping MBAs recruit for and secure jobs in technology. The club has more than 550 members.

+Lab Fellow, Center for Positive Organizations: As a fellow, I study and live by positive leadership principles.

Sanger Crisis Challenge, War Lord: Organized and led more than 30 volunteers during the 24-hour crisis simulation challenge at Ross.

Runner-up at Haas Tech Challenge Case Competition: Sponsored by Google Fiber on the future of high speed internet.

Teaching Assistant: Assist in teaching a capstone course for BBA seniors on innovation and business strategy.

Peer Coach: Help fellow MBAs prepare for recruitment and lead a weekly recruitment prep workshop

Prospective Student Panelist: During prospective student visits, I sit on panels to help share what a Ross experience is really like.

Performer in Ross Follies: Awarded Best Actress in a Leading Role.

MBGay Choreographer: 1st Place Routine raising money for local LGBTQ+ youth shelter

Frank S. Moran Leadership Award Nominee

Dean’s List

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I have a deep passion for the performing arts. Leveraging strong relationships with my professors, the larger Ann Arbor community and Ross’ support of action-based learning, I crafted a unique MBA experience by consulting and doing research for the University Musical Society (UMS), a performing arts organization that received a 2014 National Medal of Arts. My work this year has ranged from writing a case on the turnaround of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for a popular class at Ross to helping UMS conduct a capabilities study on introducing more “pop-up” events to its repertoire. Next month I am helping to host a panel talk of top performing arts leaders at Ross. Being able to combine my passions with my MBA learnings has been a highlight of my MBA, especially if it inspires my peers to be on the boards of arts organizations in the future.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Reputation is incredibly important to me: I always seek to be known as a hard-working, motivated and innovative leader. After working in the startup space in New York City for a few years, I had sufficiently built up a reputation that when ClassPass, one of the fastest-growing startups in the country, was looking to launch its B2B marketing department, one of the co-founders reached out to me about the opportunity. Having that kind of validation of my reputation made the years of hard work worth it. The work I did there building ClassPass’ B2B marketing strategy is some of my favorite and best work.

Why did you choose this business school? I realized that the two things I wanted most in a program, a supportive community and access to resources outside of the business school, are two qualities that Michigan Ross has. I came back to campus for my interview and fell in love with Ann Arbor, the university and my future peers. I haven’t looked back since.

What is your best piece advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s MBA program?  Get to know everything Ross has to offer, both within the program and outside of it. The University of Michigan has a Top Ten program in practically every subject so it’s possible for you to pursue your passions no matter what they are…whether it’s engineering, education, law, the environment or the performing arts. Additionally, think about what sort of leader you want to become and how Ross can help you get there. Michigan Ross’ Sanger Leadership Center, as one example, has a ton of great programming that can be utilized!

What is the biggest myth about your school? Because we emphasize community here, I think we get a reputation of being overly social and too nice. And while people here genuinely care about each other, it isn’t to the detriment of being competitive, determined and driven. We are all in an MBA program after all! People have big plans and work hard towards making them happen.

What was your biggest regret in business school? That I didn’t make time for working out during MBA1 year. Coming from a fitness company, it was a bit embarrassing.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? My fellow section mate Dedeepya Palla. Dedeepya manages to balance having two pre-teen children at home with coursework, recruiting and still manages to be an active participant in the social thread at Ross. She always has a smile on her face and a kind word no matter how stressed she is! Being a mother and an MBA is no easy feat. Dedeepya is quietly changing the norm of what an MBA looks like and I love it.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? I have had two incredible mentors during my career thus far: Jaime Razcka, Head of New Markets at Lyft, and Jen Burke, Head of Studios at ClassPass. They both pushed me to strive for more in my career and taught me both the hard and soft skills I needed to excel. They both have MBAs and I knew that to be like them one day I would need to pursue one as well.

“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…performing with a house improv team at the People’s Improv Theater in New York City.”

What are the top two items on your bucket list? Ride a horse across the plains of Mongolia and learn to play the piano.

In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you? Someone who left the room a little brighter than it was before.

What is your favorite movie about business? This one is pretty cheesy, but the 1987 film Baby Boom. It features Diane Keaton as a top management consultant who gets pushed out after she decides to raise a child she adopts. By the end of the movie she has built a company so successful the consulting firm that fired her approaches her to buy it for a client. Few movies have powerful women business leaders in them so watching this as a young girl gave me a role model to aspire to and taught me that it’s possible to achieve success on your own terms.

What would your theme song be? “No Regrets” – Aesop Rock

Favorite vacation spot: My sister’s house outside Burlington, VT. I love traveling to far-flung regions, but there is something so relaxing about the Vermont countryside. Nothing beats swimming in a mountain creek during a hot, August day!

Hobbies? Reading fiction (especially sci-fi), tennis, yoga, ballet, baking and traveling!

What made Kristen such an invaluable addition to the class of 2018?

“Kristen displays and embraces the epitome of a Michigan Ross leader by always thinking of the greater good and paying it forward.  She is President of the Tech club, which is one of the largest professional clubs on campus with 30 Officers and 550 members. Kristen has a unique ability to challenge her peers and hold them accountable while also nurturing their passions and acting as a confidant. As a peer coach for the Career Development Office, she was often sought out by students to get real, honest feedback, and for her ability to help them think through tactical career strategies.  I have most appreciated her partnership with the Career Development Office to help us think through the next level of service we can provide students and corporate partners. She is thoughtful, respectful and a true partner who wants what is best for the school and her classmates. Kristen is admired by her peers, faculty and staff for being gracious, confident, smart, generous and inspiring. She has left Ross a better place than she found it and we are all indebted to her for her contribution to the Ross experience.”

Heather Byrne
Managing Director, Career Development Office
Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan

The post 2018 Best MBAs: Kristen Steagall, University of Michigan (Ross) appeared first on Poets&Quants.

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