2018 MBAs To Watch: Carl Biggers, Wisconsin School of Business - Poets&Quants

Carl Biggers

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin School of Business

“Product geek and fanatic problem solver with a passion for improving efficiency and reducing ambiguity.”

Age: 27

Hometown: Verona, Wisconsin

Fun fact about yourself: I was once an extra in a Hong Kong movie called (translated) “High Altitude Romance 2” set in southwest China. My scene did not make the final cut of the film, which did not surprise my family and friends at all!

Undergraduate School and Degree: B.A. in Economics from Macalester College

Where did you work before enrolling in business school? Epic Systems Inc.

Technical Services, Technical Coordinator & Team Lead

Epic Den Bosch (NL): Technical Services, Diagnose Behandel Combinatie
Where did you intern during the summer of 2017? Intuit in Mountain View, California

Where will you be working after graduation? Intuit as a Product Manager

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

Co-President, Healthcare Club Wisconsin MBA Student Ambassador Merit Tuition Award (2016 – 2017)

Teaching Assistant: MBA Data to Decisions (Fall 2017), MBA Economics (Spring 2018)

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? This last fall, I started a meeting series called “Tech Teardowns” for a small group of Wisconsin MBAs interested in product management. We pick a product that has a mobile application for both iOS and Android and do a deep dive into the company’s history, business model, customers, and application UI design. I do a little preparation to structure each meeting, but the series and discussion are mostly informal. The sessions help familiarize us with how different products are structured under various business models. I’m proud of the series because I think it legitimately improves how we think about product decisions as product managers. However, the sessions aren’t as regular as I would like, since corralling MBAs is tough!

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? When I was working with Epic Systems at Epic’s U.S. headquarters, I was heavily involved with managing several areas of a company-wide software project to support a new medical code set called ICD-10. I loved the project because I learned about different business units and the applications of the core software. At the same time, I was a driver behind solving some complicated and impactful problems facing hospitals. It also turns out that deeply understanding customers and using that knowledge to craft an end product are key competencies of product managers, which explains why I enjoyed the project so much! The eventual transition was a success, and I’m proud that I was able to make meaningful impact on so many health organizations at once.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Hart Posen. Hart teaches business strategy, which is a core class that all UW MBAs take. Hart is a fantastic strategy professor because, for most people, communicating “what is your company’s core strategy” is tricky and can have some fluff behind it. Hart is known for getting right to the point in an incisive manner that challenges students to think deeper about how firms compete and maintain advantage in the real world.

What was your favorite MBA Course? I loved our negotiations course, which was taught by Charlie Trevor. Charlie teaches a wide variety of techniques and concepts for both integrative and distributive negotiations, and the class is mainly practice negotiations against other MBAs. The biggest insight I gained was that in some situations, I am a very mediocre negotiator! My “default” strategies and personalities vary widely in effectiveness depending on the situation and the personalities of the other party.

Negotiating better is not only a great business skill, but a useful life skill. After a few classes, I went for a “real life” practice session and successfully lowered my monthly internet bill!

Why did you choose this business school? I am passionate about using technology to solve impactful problems. The University of Wisconsin’s specialization model means that I can focus on exactly this (Operations & Technology Management) with like-minded peers from a wide range of backgrounds. Also, my fiancée and I love Madison!

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s MBA program? Wisconsin’s specialization model isn’t just for show. MBAs in the respective Centers are passionate about their specialization areas. This gives students great opportunities to learn from others. A drive to “go deep” in your specialization area, coupled with a desire to gain broadly applicable MBA and business skills, will come across positively when you’re applying. In general, I think drive and passion are critical regardless of your specific interests. I’d rather recommend a candidate with a demonstrated passion for a certain area but less experience than a candidate with more experience but less drive.

What is the biggest myth about your school? Before I entered the program, I didn’t know how the small program size (100+ MBAs per year) would impact my experience. It turns out that the small class size is amazing. I had no idea that I’d end up making so many close friends who I see almost every day. There’s even going to be a sizable UW MBA contingent at my wedding!

What was your biggest regret in business school? The small program size gives me a great opportunity to learn from my peers. But, there are still MBAs who I would like to take time with to fully understand their background and previous career experiences. I don’t think there’s enough time for that! Learning from the diverse backgrounds of peers is an essential part of the MBA experience, and I wish I had been more proactive about this from Day 1.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I admire Niraj Amin, an MBA in the Marketing Research specialization. Niraj and I worked on a project team together during our first semester of the MBA. Niraj is without question one of the most positive, outgoing, and generally nicest individuals I have ever known, and his enthusiasm is infectious. I aspire to have that same positivity and enthusiasm!

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? My fiancée! She was visiting the Netherlands where I was working at the time, and at dinner she was talking about potentially getting a MBA. Eventually she said, “You know, this seems like exactly what you’d want to be doing.” I thought, “You’re right, this MBA thing sounds pretty great!”. Next thing you know, I’m in business school.

“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…doing something that lets me solve impactful problems. Likely a project manager for a healthcare company or working in consulting.”

If you were a dean for a day, what one thing would you change about the MBA experience? The specialization model is a huge strength of the Wisconsin MBA, and the University in general is a renowned public research institution with a history of innovation. I would love to see more formalized crossover between the two. Some MBAs already work with teams of engineers or graduate researchers in other university departments, but I believe there are opportunities at the University for MBAs to have a greater impact. For example, Wisconsin’s WARF technology transfer office is one of the oldest in the nation, and a formal program to pair MBAs with WARF to help inventors assess the commercialization value of innovations would be valuable both for WARF and MBAs. Of course, this would take more than a day to figure out!

What are the top two items on your bucket list?

Item #1: Travel to China with my fiancée! She has never travelled to China, and I’d love to take her to Yunnan province and then climb Emeishan in Sichuan.

Item #2: As a lead product manager for a product, make something that thousands of people use every day. I want to make a “home run” product.

In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you? I’d like my peers to remember me as someone who can solve difficult problems and run a project efficiently, but also as someone who always has time to get to know the people around me.

What is your favorite movie about business? Ghostbusters! The team not only was the first to move into the market and identify and capitalize on the ghost problem, but they built their business on what appears to be a combination of expertise, hustle, and a fair amount of luck. In my mind these are all important elements for a successful start-up.

What would your theme song be? I play the tenor saxophone, so I would go with the “Channel One Suite” solely for the incredible free-form tenor cadenza in the middle. Or, for a day when I need to be on point, I might add “Get Back” (Ludacris) to my work mix.

Favorite vacation spot: Yunnan Province, China, where I studied and worked for six months when I was an undergraduate.

Hobbies? I was a collegiate long-distance runner and I still keep to a running schedule. I also play the tenor saxophone. In my free time I practice and study Mandarin Chinese, drink a lot of tea, learn very basic coding skills, and read fantasy and science fiction books. I was also just certified as a commercial small UAS operator!

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

“Carl Biggers has been an outstanding member of the Wisconsin FT MBA, Class of 2018. From the time he arrived to campus, as part of our New Admit student weekend, Carl demonstrated support of MBA program through activities outside of the classroom as well as his enthusiasm to embrace academic studies.

Carl has been a student in the Erdman Center for Operations and Technology Management where he has maintained a 3.99 cumulative GPA while also being extremely involved in MBA program activities. He served as the co-president of the healthcare club. During the fall of 2017 and spring of 2018 he provided leadership and coordination for the Tech Tear Down student group that gathers to focus on in depth analysis of software from a product management perspective.

Additionally, Carl participated in the MBA global course to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam during this first year of studies (2017). As part of the course requirements a consulting project was conducted for GE Healthcare in Vietnam. The GE team was so pleased with the results that they generated additional projects for the global course the following year (2018).

During his second year, Carl was a teaching assistant for data to decisions (D2D) and economics MBA courses. He coordinated an applied learning session for his OTM classmates on data analytics tools. Carl supported his OTM classmates by his willingness to conduct mock interviews and resume reviews. He also provided support to the MBA program office for their ambassador program by connecting with perspective MBA students.

Carl ‘s internship during the summer of 2017 was at Intuit in a product manager role and he has accepted a full time position with Intuit in Mountain View, CA as a product manager.”

Steven Boeder
Director, Erdman Center for Operations and Technology Management
Wisconsin School of Business

 

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2018 MBAs To Watch: Benjamin St John, Wisconsin School of Business - Poets&Quants

Benjamin St John

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin School of Business

“Life-long entrepreneur, son of a horticulturist hippy, and obsessed with expression and empathy.”

Age: 36

Hometown: Norfolk, VA

Fun fact about yourself: I spent a majority of my late teens working as a set builder and dresser for a movie studio. If you’ve seen Lifetime or Discovery Channel movies or shows from the early 2000’s, there’s a good chance you’ve seen my work.

Undergraduate School and Degree: BS in Entrepreneurship and Technology Management (2015), Arizona State University; MS in Biomimicry (2017), Arizona State University

Where did you work before enrolling in business school? Before I began business school, I spent over a decade working for USAA, a financial services company. I worked in almost every sector of consumer finance, but my last few years were spent working as an equities and options trader after which I became an internal consultant/subject matter expert.

Where did you intern during the summer of 2017? I interned for Intuit as a Product Manager working on an internal startup. Our goal was to provide loans to small businesses that would help them smooth their cash flows and strengthen them. The underwriting model was based on our internal customer data instead of credit histories, which allowed us to extend credit to companies that had often been in business less than 2 years. QuickBooks Capital has grown exponentially since then and I am so proud to have been a part of their journey.

Where will you be working after graduation? I am currently working on two early stage startups. In addition to that I am also recruiting for Product Management roles.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: I will be graduating with two additional certificates: one in Entrepreneurship and one in Business, Environment, and Social Responsibility. During my time at UW Madison, I was the Co-President of our Net Impact Chapter (a global society focused on sustainability and social responsibility), and I also sat on two committees focused on improving student relations and our program as a whole. Lastly, I had the opportunity to volunteer at several charity events and give back to the local Madison community.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I had the opportunity to give some lectures on Design Thinking, something that I feel is sorely missing from many MBA’s skillsets. Design Thinking helps with communication to our teams (especially engineers and designers) and in building empathy for our customers. It also ensures that we reduce the possibility of wasted time or resources by reminding us to make our decisions with an eye on maximizing value for our stakeholders. Sharing that knowledge was an incredible experience and I hope they got as much out of hearing it as I did in sharing it.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? My most recent experience is the one that I am most proud of. I worked for on the startup for QuickBooks Capital, an arm focused on providing small loans to small business customers of Intuit’s QuickBooks product. Our internal underwriting software was mostly spreadsheet-based, and needed a new UI buildout to help increase productivity.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? My favorite professor was Mark Finster, a professor emeritus in the Operations and Technology group. He’s an extremely knowledgeable and passionate systems thinker who’s focused on sustainability and the business case for embracing it. His passion is contagious and he ignites it in anyone whom he teaches. As someone focused on sustainability education, I greatly appreciate his approach and hope to successfully emulate it.

What was your favorite MBA Course? My favorite course was from this the Fall 2017 semester, Sustainable Approaches to System Improvement. This course was taught by Mark Finster. His decades of experience in Lean, combined with his approach to sustainability, provided me with tools that I will use for the rest of my career.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose this business school not because of its ranking, but because I wanted to be a part of an institution that I could truly believe in. My experiences during the application and interview process really got me excited about joining the class. I felt truly valued for who I was, not just my collection of stats on paper. Also, I was very interested in the opportunity to launch curriculum focused on Biomimicry and possible teach during my second year in the program and UW Madison was the only school that would even consider allowing me to pitch curriculum. While this did not end up working out, I was given the opportunity to lecture several times on Biomimicry and Design Thinking.

What is your best piece advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s MBA program? Be yourself. Don’t tell admissions what you think they want to hear. They want authentic students who are not afraid of being honest about themselves. Also, be interested in getting to know every single student. Think about what you can do to help others before you help yourself. The program here is geared towards creating a collaborative experience that builds long-lasting relationships.

What is the biggest myth about your school? That students at UW Madison only eat cheese and brats. I can now testify that this, at most, makes up 85-95% of our meals. Really though, there’s a lot of great food on or near campus. We have a thriving food cart and food truck scene here!

What was your biggest regret in business school? I wish I had spent more of my time building and strengthening relationships with my fellow students. There’s so many opportunities to overwork yourself in business school, and I availed myself of most of them. I also spent my first year full-time in a second master’s program and this got in the way of me networking as I had a very full workload. Going back I would tell myself, “It’s not a question of IF you can handle that amount of work but instead it’s a question of SHOULD you handle that much work.”

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? My peer and friend Harleen. She’s an incredibly intelligent, talented, and kind human being, and a poster child for why we should not be afraid to let immigrants into our country. She embodies the traditional “American Dream” spirit, traveling half-way across the world from India to chase her dreams of working in technology. When she was told that she would not be hired for an internship at a major technology company as they did not plan on sponsoring, she kept networking, doggedly seeking a path to her dream. Her efforts were rewarded when she was hired as an intern and she will be returning to that same company this fall as a full-time hire. I am so thankful to have her in my circle of friends.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? My grandparents were the largest influence on me. My grandmother taught me real empathy for others and that empathy has helped me be a better designer as I can relate with my customers. My grandfather started his own small business after returning from World War II and forged a life for himself despite the hardships that he overcame from his childhood. Both of them have been in the forefront of my thoughts throughout my career and in its current culmination, attending the Wisconsin School of Business.

“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…on the lookout for an opportunity to be as impactful as possible. Business school seemed to offer the best path to this but there’s always a plan B and I would have found another way to get where I wanted to go.”

If you were a dean for a day, what one thing would you change about the MBA experience? I would work to influence professors to be more agile and responsive to their marketplace. The companies hiring their graduates should be seen as their customers, and I would reach out to those companies and have active discussions about what problems they had that needed solving and what skills are needed to solve those problems. With that information, I could help the school make informed decisions about curriculum.

What are the top two items on your bucket list? I would love to visit Scandinavia and see the Northern Lights. Much of my genealogy traces back to Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, so it would be awesome to see where they came from. I also want to do something valuable enough that it lets other kids that come from at risk situations and households know that they can be something more than the sum of their parts as well. That’s a big driving force for me.

In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you? “Ben, the quirky designer who led Dungeons and Dragons games for the other MBAs, stayed true to himself and chased after his passions.”

What is your favorite movie about business? I am going to go off the deep end a bit here and pick something slightly out of left field, Be Kind, Rewind. The movie follows employees at a movie rental store who had failed to pay attention to the market, stocking only VHS when most of their potential customers had fully embraced DVDs. The owner’s solution is to try and copy successful stores that only rent DVDs, despite the fact that it is a crowded marketplace and it is unlikely to succeed. Instead, the employees end up pivoting and making their own films based on customer demand and this creates an explosion of local support. Letting the marketplace inform you as a business is often better than trying to inform them.

What would your theme song be? I have such a strong relationship with music. Most of the people in my family were musicians, and their tastes were incredibly diverse. As such, I’m going to choose an instrumental. It was the primary score for a movie called Beasts of the Southern Wild. The song, by Dan Romer & Benh Zeitlin, is called “Once There Was a Hushpuppy.” Growing up poor in the wetlands and swamps of southeastern VA, I was exposed to a bright, vibrant culture focused on doing more with less. This song, with its gradual crescendo, feels like my life. Ups and downs. Sometimes bright smiles and sometimes tears, but all building, building to something. This experience in business school is another stanza in the song of me.

Favorite vacation spot: My favorite vacation spot is California. It is such an incredibly diverse state, full of different biomes, cultures, weather, and climates. Driving from one end to the other guarantees a feast for the eyes, the body, and the soul. Some of my best memories are from time spent in California, particularly the southern half of the state. Seeing the Salton Sea, a place full of heart-breaking desolation dotted with colorful, passionate folk art can’t be related properly through pictures. You really have to see it for yourself.

Hobbies? My new hobby is flying drones. I recently received my Commercial Drone Operator’s license as a part of a class I took this semester (Spring 2018) and they are unbelievably fun. I also continue to make art and have been shown in the past as a mixed-media artist. Lastly, I love writing and performing folk music and while I took a hiatus to pursue higher education, I plan on performing and touring again.

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

“Benjamin St. John has been an outstanding member of the Wisconsin FT MBA, Class of 2018. From the time he arrived to campus, as part of our New Admit student weekend, Ben demonstrated an innate curiosity and enthusiasm to embrace his MBA studies and contributions to the MBA program.

Ben has been a student in the Erdman Center for Operations and Technology Management, where he has maintained a 3.52 cumulative GPA while also being extremely involved in leadership development opportunities. He served as the co-president of the Net Impact chapter at the Wisconsin School of Business. Net Impact focuses on Social and Environmental impact initiatives.

Ben has also expanded his academic knowledge through obtaining a master’s degree in Biomimicry in 2017, which coincided with his first year of MBA studies. Other volunteer activities include participating in the Together Forward MBA committee and the Graduate Marketing Network club that coordinates the annual marketing case competition for MBA students. He received the best speaker award at the 2017 graduate marketing case competition.

During his second year Ben was a teaching assistant for Sustainable Approaches to Systems Thinking course, and also conducted lecture sessions for other courses on the topics of business sustainability and biomimicry. During his two years he conducted three applied learning sessions on topics of biomimicry, applied design thinking and agile product development.

Additionally, Ben was participated in the annual arts showcase and international night activities. His willingness to go above-and-beyond outside of the classroom is what defines Ben and why his classmates respect and appreciate his contributions. For example, his efforts to coordinate game nights for classmates to create an inclusive environment.”

Steven Boeder
Director, Erdman Center for Operations and Technology Management
Wisconsin School of Business

 

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2018 Best MBAs: Linda Liu, Wisconsin School of Business - Poets&Quants

Linda Liu

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin School of Business

“Unexpected leader who draws on quiet strength, fierce courage, and thoughtful kindness to inspire others.”

Age: 26

Hometown: Manlius, New York

Fun fact about yourself: When my daycare teacher told my mom that I knew how to read, my mom initially didn’t believe her — because I barely even spoke yet!

Undergraduate School and Degree: Cornell University, B.S. in Applied Economics and Management

Where did you work before enrolling in business school? S.C. Johnson, associate brand manager on Windex, Pledge, and Ziploc

Where did you intern during the summer of 2017? Yum! Brands, Pizza Hut; Dallas, Texas

Where will you be working after graduation? Undecided

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: (Include school awards and honors)

• Leadership and community: The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management student liaison, Diversity in Business club treasurer, Wisconsin MBA ambassador, Wisconsin Fellowship in Enterprise Development
• Awards and honors: The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management Fellowship, Signe Ostby Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship in

Business, Best Speaker Award (2017 Wisconsin Graduate Marketing Network Case Competition), Best Speaker Award (Fall 2016 Integrated Company Analysis presentation), 2017 Wisconsin School of Business Trailblazer Award

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? In my first year at Wisconsin, I led a storytelling project for our Diversity in Business organization titled “Humans of Grainger,” inspired by “Humans of New York.” For this project, I photographed and interviewed my classmates about their most personal stories; the vignettes were shared on our organization’s social media pages and at our school’s spring arts showcase. I was inspired to create this project because it can be easy to think of ‘diversity’ only in terms of more visible traits like race or gender; I wanted to showcase the diversity that is evident only when you peer below the surface and really get to know someone as an individual. I was extremely gratified to hear from various members in the Wisconsin MBA community — including students, faculty, and staff — that the project broke down misconceptions about diversity, sparked deep and honest conversations, and helped everyone feel more connected with each other.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? When I interned at Pizza Hut last summer, I assisted with the three-year marketing communications plan. As the summer progressed, I saw an opportunity to optimize and formalize the planning process so that it could be both more efficient and better integrated with cross-functional planning. Although I already had plenty to work on with my official project responsibilities, I just couldn’t shake the idea that I wanted to act on this opportunity — so I did. I created a planning playbook, with new strategic and analytical frameworks, simplified processes, and actionable planning tools. At the end of my summer, I presented it to the Pizza Hut CMO, who asked that I help roll it out and train the brand marketing team and my cross-functional teams in it.

I’m proud of this achievement because it will help Pizza Hut’s marketing teams produce more efficient and effective plans, long after my internship is over and my other projects are forgotten.

What was your favorite MBA Course  My favorite MBA course was Negotiations, taught by Professor Charlie Trevor. When the course started, I felt very apprehensive because I felt that my quiet demeanor might be easily overpowered by more outspoken negotiators. But as I learned about negotiations theory and techniques and practiced over-and-over again in different scenarios and with different partners, I gradually gained confidence in my abilities. At the end of the semester, one of my classmates told me that her biggest takeaway from the course was that if she ever found herself in a negotiation, she should just call me to handle it for her. Although the comment was said in jest, I appreciated it as a reminder that with practice, we can turn weaknesses into strengths and strengths into towering strengths.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose this business school for three reasons. First, as someone who was already working in brand management and loved it, I wanted to stay laser-focused in my graduate studies; Wisconsin’s specialization model allowed me to do that with its flexible coursework, supportive advisory board, and connections to top companies with brand management roles. Second, it was important to me that I pursue my MBA in a fiscally responsible way. The Wisconsin MBA offers one of the best ROIs in the country, ensuring that its graduates leave the program with a strong foundation for financial success. Finally (and perhaps specific only to me), I had been doing a long-distance relationship and my fiancé (now husband) is a professor at the business school; I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be able to spend the first year-and-a-half of my marriage finally living in the same town as my husband!

What is your best piece advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s MBA program? Make sure you feel a fit with the culture of the program! We’re a small program, with about 100 students in each class, so we spend a lot of time together and really get to know each other. If you visit and feel like you really click with the students, faculty, and staff, make sure to share that in your application materials and with the admissions staff; culture fit is valued deeply here. And, once admitted, it’s a great indicator that you’ll have a wonderful experience!

What is the biggest myth about your school? The biggest myth that I had heard and was worried about was that this community was very homogeneous. While it is true that Wisconsin is relatively homogenous demographically, Madison itself is such a diverse and vibrant community; I’ve always felt welcome and comfortable here.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? In all of my MBA classmates, there is something that I admire. But I have to say that I most admire Jason Neal, my classmate in the brand and product management specialization, who had the courage of his convictions to walk away from a successful law career to pursue his dream of a career in business. That alone would make me respect him — but what makes me admire him, and what I will miss most when we graduate — is his constant graciousness. Even in disagreements, even in trying challenges or three-hour lectures when everyone else is looking at their watches impatiently, Jason never wavers in his commitment to courtesy, kindness, and positivity. When I sit next to him in class, I’m a better student; for having him as a friend, I’m a better person.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? The person who most influenced my decision to pursue business in college is my dad. I started college pursuing pre-medical studies. When I decided that I wanted to switch from medicine to marketing, my dad was skeptical that I really knew why I wanted to pursue a career in marketing, so he pushed me to consider a variety of other paths first —  engineering, computer science, finance, accounting, even a marketing Ph.D. Although

I didn’t appreciate it at the time, by challenging me to reconsider my career, my dad was encouraging me to explore and deepen my understanding of marketing, learn more about myself, and plan for my future.

“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…still fighting to open doors for myself.”

What are the top two items on your bucket list? (1) Write a book, and (2) learn to meditate.

In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you? As a good friend, who always tries her best for herself and others.

What is your favorite movie about business? The Devil Wears Prada — Have respect for every job you take, every industry you join. A blue sweater is never just that.

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

Favorite vacation spot: Anywhere I am with my family

Hobbies? Hot yoga, cooking and baking, reading, sewing

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

“Linda Liu has made a lasting impact here at the Wisconsin School of Business throughout her two years with our MBA program. We knew Linda would bring impressive work experience in brand management, intellectual curiosity, and a strong drive for results to our program, but it has been her desire to help others that has made her a truly exceptional MBA student.

In her first year, she started a “Humans of Grainger Hall” campaign based on the “Humans of New York” project that seeks to provide glimpses into the lives of strangers and people around you. Her project was dedicated to sharing the struggles, and successes, of students in the Wisconsin School of Business with the hope that by knowing more about friends and colleagues’ histories we can better understand and accept one another and create a better learning environment for all.

Linda’s creation of the “Humans of Grainger Hall” campaign was a brave and remarkable forum for generating conversations and helping students within our community be more transparent. It helped the entire MBA community feel more connected to one another and has had a transformative lasting impact on our program. As a result, Linda was awarded the first ever Trailblazer award from the Wisconsin School of Business.

In her second year, Linda has served as one of our Consortium Liaisons. This role helps the school strengthen and support our Consortium students, and works to recruit more underrepresented minorities into our MBA program.

Linda brings many amazing things to the Wisconsin School of Business; her intelligence, poise under pressure, and empathy are just a few. She has been a joy to have as part of our Class of 2018 and we look forward to seeing all that she will achieve as an alumna.”

Mike Judge
Director of the Center for Brand and Product Management

 

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