Meet Georgetown’s MBA Class of 2018

Five years ago, the Yale School of Management was a sleeping giant. It was blessed with an Ivy League pedigree, not to mention top-rated graduate programs in areas like medicine and law. The fundamentally-sound mid-sized program was geared towards global business curriculum, purpose-driven outlook, and a diverse cohort. After adding a charismatic dean in Ted Snyder in 2011, the program watched its fund-raising and applications skyrocket.

A SLEEPING GIANT COMING TO LIFE

Six hours south of New Haven, you’ll find another sleeping giant that is just starting to come into its own: Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Just 30 years old, McDonough’s full-time MBA program is poised to make some noise thanks to the same attributes it shares with Yale SOM. Notably, McDonough integrates a celebrated international business focus with traditional Jesuit values of service and support. It has built synergies with Georgetown’s heralded law and foreign service programs. The school has also raked in $130 million dollars, along with boosting applications by 40% in recent years according to former dean David Thomas, who stepped down in August. Not to mention, the program is based in the heart of Washington, DC, which ranks among the livable cities in the United States — and rivals New York City and Silicon Valley for the most lucrative internship and employment opportunities.

That’s quite a proposition for applicants to ponder, says Shari Hubert, the associate dean of MBA admissions at McDonough, in a 2015 interview with Poets&Quants. “We think of ourselves as transforming students into global-ready managers who exhibit principled leadership that’s in service to business and society — that’s our mantra,” she explains. “What we hear from students who end up coming here and some of the reasons they are interested in coming, is caring for the whole person. We are big believers in being a successful leader today, you need to be culturally aware—even if you’re global at home.”

The Class of 2018 will only add to the growing momentum that McDonough is experiencing, which was punctuated by the 2015 graduating class enjoying a $7,000 pay increase over the previous year (not counting a $3,000 rise in sign on bonuses). “The Class of 2018 encompasses all we value at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business,” says Prashant Malaviya, senior associate dean for MBA programs. “They are accomplished, yet humble. They value both success and contributing to the greater good. They are globally diverse — 75% have lived, worked, or studied abroad. And, they are ready to embark on a transformational two-year journey to learn and grow as part of our dynamic community.”

CLASS RANGES FROM CARNEGIE HALL VIOLINIST AND SPECIAL FORCES COMMANDER

Dynamic is a good word for this class. Accomplished might be better one, however. John Westrand, a techie who majored in history, played violin at Carnegie Hall when he was 12 years old. During her stint in the Peace Corps, Rebecca Lila Arnold received a private audience with the Dalai Lama. Gershon Blyden caught the attention of ESPN and NBC after being featured in the documentary, From Ordinary to Extraordinary, which followed his training for his first Ironman competition. Milagro Aguinaga planned “destination weddings and extravagant vacations” for pro athletes and c-suite executives, while Kelsey Lents has partnered with NASA as part of a research and design firm she co-founded. Not to be outdone, Nomblé Coleman won an essay contest sponsored by CEIBS and the National Black MBA Association that resulted in a free trip to a pre-MBA boot camp in China, where she would toboggan along the Great Wall of China (notching a feature in Poets&Quants — “MBA Prospect Wins Contest, Goes to China” — in the process.

The 2018 Class is equally accomplished in their early careers. Jeff Killian, a West Point grad and volunteer firefighter, describes his biggest accomplishment as “successfully training and advising over 750 Afghan Commandos while in command of a Special Forces Team in Afghanistan.” Navin Thawani headed Morgan Stanley’s collateral management division in New York City within three years of joining the firm, before eventually being promoted to the firm’s London office. Zhamilya Gafur was part of the team that introduced Ubur to her native Kazakhstan, while Arnold successfully launched the Peace Corps’ electronic medical records system. Before he turned 20, Calvin Alexander Cortes had turned his hobby of selling Disney collectables on eBay into a “global distribution network in Asian and European markets.” At the same time, Jeannie Goo took a college project, which provided support and networking to North Korean defectors, and made it into a business.

The incoming first years also come to the land of the Hoyas with distinct experiences and philosophies. Gafur, the daughter of a shepherd, describes herself as a “hustler and doer with international background in journalism, brand management, and business development.” Cortes is a “quirky, loud, social, foodie, craft beer geek, adventurous traveler, and a dog lover.” Aguinaga is certain to fit in at McDonough with her “insatiable curiosity for cultures and intellectual pursuits.” Similarly, Lents — “a multitude of personalities looking for one voice” — is undoubtedly this class’ Renaissance woman. Coleman has even gone so far as to turn her first name (Nomblé) into an acronym for who she is: “Not your average MBA candidate. Obstacle obliterator. Marketer. BeyHive member. Leader. Explorer.”

APPLICATIONS SLIP AS FEMALE STUDENTS INCREASE

By the numbers, the incoming class personifies a ‘two steps forward and one step back’ proposition. After years of generating ever-increasing levels of interest, the number of applicants dropped from 2,034 in the 2014-2015 cycle to 1,890 this year. However, those numbers are still up 9% from applications for the 2016 Class, perhaps an indication that last year was a spike. That said, McDonough enrolled 287 students for 2018, up from 270 last year, resulting in a 34.5% acceptance rate.

Academically, GMAT averages remained steady at 692, though average GPAs dipped slightly from 3.4 to 3.37. However, the percentage of women continued to climb at McDonough, going from 31% to 34% in the past year. The number of International students also rose a point to 34%, with the school also reporting that 28% of the class comes from American minority populations. Overall, the class features students from 37 countries, including Australia, China, India, Thailand, Russia, Brazil, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Nigeria, and Ghana.

Business and STEM were the most popular undergraduate majors for the 2018 Class, each accounting for 24% of students. That was a 5% drop for business and a 2% increase for STEM. Government and international studies (17%), engineering (14%), economics (12%), and humanities (10%) also take up significant blocs of the class. True to the school’s mission, the class is remarkably diverse professionally, with just 20% of students working in financial services before entering McDonough. They are followed by technology and new media (12%), consulting (11%), non profits and social sector (9%), government (8%), consulter goods and retail (7%), and manufacturing (5%).

Go to next page for profiles of 12 first year McDonough MBA students.

LEARNING HOW TO THINK FROM A ‘GLOBAL’ MINDSET

If you polled the 2018 class on what attracted them to McDonough, you’d eventually divide the reasons into three buckets: International focus, Jesuit values, and Washington DC location.

For students craving international exposure, the Global Business Experience is among McDonough’s biggest selling points. Here, student teams complete international consulting projects on behalf of Fortune 500 firms, NGOs, or nonprofits. After spending months on their assigned issues, students trek overseas for a week to present their recommendations to executives. “This real-life consulting project offers the ability to develop management and analytical skills in a global setting that I wouldn’t achieve elsewhere,” says Aguinaga

Such exercises yield additional benefits. For one, they teach students how to think like someone who doesn’t necessarily share their cultural frameworks. “McDonough makes a point about being international,” explains Gafur. “For me, learning business is a lot about knowing how people make decisions in different parts of the world, in different roles and circumstances.” When it comes to finding the right job after graduation, the Georgetown name gives students a leg up, adds Cortes. “Internationally, Georgetown is a brand that is well recognized and well received, and considering I want to work internationally, I believe the school can position me for success both domestically and abroad.”

CURA PERSONALIS INFUSED THROUGHOUT CULTURE AND CURRICULUM

Georgetown’s Jesuit values are another draw for students looking for a program that teaches business as a mission that is defined by service and guided by ethics. In particular, the curriculum is based on Cura Personalis, fancy Latin for “care for the whole person.” Translation: McDonough emphasizes educating both the mind and fostering the spirit, with students practicing personal attention and mutual respect to each other as extensions of this philosophy.

For Westrand, who has been immersed in this tradition throughout his academic career, mixing business fundamentals with spiritual values was a potent proposition. “I went to a Jesuit high school and attended a Jesuit University for my undergraduate degree. The Jesuits taught me that cura personalis, men and women for others, and finding the place where your greatest talents meet the world’s greatest needs were all ideas that would guide my professional and personal life. Continuing my experience at a Jesuit University where I knew I would get a values-based education was a key factor in my decision to choose Georgetown.”  Goo echoes these sentiments, touting how the program stresses “shared values and positive impact.” “The curriculum is designed to cultivate a leader who cares about business fundamentals, possesses an ethical barometer, and above all, who cares for the society rather than just him or herself.”

WASHINGTON D.C. IS THE PLACE TO BE

Of course, you can’t discuss Georgetown without mentioning the nation’s capital. Founded in 1789, the same year that George Washington became America’s first President, Georgetown has grown up hand-in-hand with DC, with more recent alumni luminaries including Bill Clinton, Antonin Scalia, and David Petraeus.  As the seat of the U.S. government, the beltway has also emerged as a magnet for jobs —and high-paying ones at that —with six of the ten wealthiest counties clustered around DC in Maryland and Virginia according to the most recent census. All of this creates opportunities for students looking to stay in the region. “Georgetown is uniquely positioned at the intersection of policy and business,” says Blyden. “In addition to being home to some of the most influential people in the world, Washington, D.C., offers a burgeoning tech community, proximity to Wall Street, and access to visiting global leaders.”

DC is also becoming known for its hot startup market, with the city deemed an emerging entrepreneurial ecosystem. In the 2016 “Innovation That Matters” report from 1776, it ranked 9th among startup hubs, finishing ahead of New York City, Seattle, and Chicago. This concentration of tech startups (and wealth) has also spawned a burgeoning venture capital industry in DC. Not surprisingly, McDonough has capitalized on these opportunities. This has already yielded returns for Thawani.

“Through the Georgetown MBA Venture Fellows Program, I’m able to spend a year with a leading venture capital or private equity firm while in school. Through the InSITE Fellowship, I’ll connect with a regional community of venture capitalists and like-minded graduate students from the other member schools – MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, and NYU.  I was also able to start building my network early on while work along-side and learning from some of the most well-respected entrepreneurs in the region through the pre-MBA internship I found with help of the Georgetown network, working as an M&A Market Analyst at Advantia Health, an early-stage healthcare services company.”

If that isn’t enough, D.C. also remains a great place to live. “It represents a hybrid city that shares elements of the north and the south,” explains Blyden. “The cultural diversity and the intellectual capital in the city are amazing. There is no shortage of outdoor activities and parks to take advantage of. Lastly, the restaurant and social scenes are quite vibrant. I am very excited about the next two years.”

FUTURES RANGE FROM SAVING THE WORLD TO EATING OREOS

According to Hubert, the McDonough admissions team seeks students who display resourcefulness, resilience, and self-awareness. To achieve their dreams, the Class of 2018 is going to need all three. Aside from Thawani, who jokes about being an “Oreo taste-tester,” the class has big ambitions that befit an emerging powerhouse program.

Goo, for example, is shooting to tackle the big issues that have plagued humanity since its beginning: “hunger, environment, and health.” However, she is already armed with a concept…with the plan to come later. “My goal is to make social impact through business and to create “shared values,” which would not only satisfy social needs but also add economic value. My dream is eventually to become a social entrepreneur like Jacqueline Novogratz, founder and CEO of Acumen, which raises charitable net donations to invest in companies, leaders, and ideas that are tackling world poverty.”

Westrand plans to stay in the high tech sector, switching sides from sales to ownership. “Whether in the areas of education, healthcare, or another area, I want to build a valuable company that also helps improve the quality of people’s lives. This would be my dream job because I enjoy leading and building things. I also feel that by running a business that has a positive social impact, I will be living the Jesuit values that I so closely identify with.”

At the same time, Lents is looking to add some business tools to her Columbia master’s in architecture to create a new niche for herself. “I firmly believe that a company’s success is rooted in its people, policy, and place — by which I mean that the way in which a firm’s employees interact with each other, their environment, and the organization are all intrinsically tied to each other and to a firm’s product. By getting my MBA, I want to use my background in both design and business to merge these cornerstones into a fluid way of thinking for firms in flux – and to help them build an adaptable infrastructure that’s respectful of the firm’s culture, process, and desired output.”

JUST WANT ACCEPTANCE…OR A GOOD LAUGH

When it comes to their legacy, the Class of 2018 is more subdued. Like most MBAs, they are looking to be accepted, always with an eye towards turning their relationships into something more than just a two year whirlwind. Gafur, for one, hopes to be seen as “fun,” with classmates hoping “one day we can repeat this experience in the workplace” with her. Lents imagines bringing “a fresh, sometimes quirky, way of thinking to the classroom that changed the way they thought about management and business.”

Thawani also hopes to leave a “positive impact” on his classmates over their two years together. However, he is willing to settle for a consolation prize if he misses the mark. “If I didn’t accomplish that, [I hope] that I was at least able to make each one of them laugh at some point, either with me or at me.”

DON’T MISS: DON’T MISS: THE STEREOTYPE-DEFYING MBAS IN THE CLASS OF 2018 OR MEET GEORGETOWN’S MBA CLASS OF 2017

To read profiles of incoming McDonough students — along with their advice on tackling the GMAT, applications, and interviews — click on the links below.

Milagro Aguinaga / Houston, TX

Rebecca Lila Arnold / Atlanta, GA

Gershon Blyden / Miami, FL

Jeanine Buzali / Mexico and Israel

Nomblé Coleman / Downingtown, Pennsylvania

Calvin Alexander Cortes / Miami, FL

Zhamilya Gafur / Almaty, Kazakhstan

Jiyoung (Jeannie) Goo / Daegu, South Korea

Jeff Killian / Middleton, WI

Kelsey Lents / St. Louis, MO

Navin Thawani / Toms River, NJ

John Wenstrand / Menlo Park, CA

Milagro Aguinaga

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Dreaming big, working hard, and paying it forward. Insatiable curiosity for cultures and intellectual pursuits.

Hometown:  Houston, TX

Fun Fact About Yourself:  I spent a few years working at a boutique luxury travel agency, planning destination weddings and extravagant vacations for professional athletes and prominent business executives.

Undergraduate School and Major:

University of Houston, Bachelor of Business Administration

University of Houston, Master of Science in Accountancy

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Hines, Senior Associate (2013-2016)

Deloitte, Senior Consultant (2008-2013)

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Landing a dream MBA internship offer before even stepping foot on campus!

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? Start researching schools and visiting them early in the process. It is very important to evaluate the student culture and academic environment in person. There may be schools that seem great in rankings, but wouldn’t be the best personal fit. The MBA program chosen should offer the kind of experience that would allow for maximum development on a professional, personal, and social level.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I chose Georgetown because of the importance it placed on offering a global business education and developing principled leaders. One of the most appealing offerings was their unique Global Business Experience that allows students to travel abroad and consult in an industry or specific Fortune 500 company. Months are spent addressing a real business challenge and then traveling to the client’s country for a week to present the recommendations to senior leaders. This real-life consulting project offers the ability to develop management and analytical skills in a global setting that I wouldn’t achieve elsewhere.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? My dream job would be working for a company whose vision I could work passionately toward. It’s important for me to believe in the purpose and greater mission of an organization. I would want to wake up every day excited to help further the goals of that company for something greater than just maximizing their bottom line, such as innovation and global reach. I would want my role to influence the strategy of a company and make a lasting impact.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? I would want my peers to believe that I was personable, driven, and I strived to help those around me.

Rebecca Lila Arnold

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: I am dedicated to creating positive change in the world through innovative business solutions.

Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have been lucky enough to meet the Dalai Lama on two separate occasions, including an extended private audience with him in Dharamsala, India.

Undergraduate School and Major: Emory University, BA in International Relations with a focus in Political Economy

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:  I have worked for the United States Peace Corps since my college graduation in 2010. I began as an English Education and Community Development Volunteer in Mongolia for two years. Then, I was hired at Peace Corps’ headquarters in Washington, D.C., as a Placement and Assessment Associate in their Volunteer Recruitment and Selection Office. Finally, for the last two and a half years, I have been a Budget Analyst in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, where I monitored budget formulation, justification, and execution for the Africa Region and the Office of Health Services.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The biggest accomplishment in my career so far has been my role in the successful launch of Peace Corps’ electronic medical records system. As a returned volunteer, I know that volunteers cannot properly serve their host communities without sufficient medical care and support from Peace Corps. But as a staff person, I also saw how difficult it is to provide high quality medical care to volunteers who are in isolated sites facing conditions to which they are not accustomed. The electronic medical records system ensures that volunteers receive proper support and decreases the administrative burden on local Medical Officers.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? I advise applicants to know what they want in an MBA program before they begin the application process. Do research, visit schools, and talk to current students and alumni. You need to be honest with yourself about what is important to you. Once you figure that out, you will be able to find a program into which you fit, and they will be happy to have you.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? Georgetown’s MBA program appealed to me due to its international and inclusive focus, size, and location. The global focus of the program and its Jesuit mission speak to my goals of doing social good through business. The medium size of the program drew me, as well. Georgetown can offer the benefits of a larger MBA program, especially considering the other degrees offered at the university, while maintaining the intimacy of a small school. Finally, Washington, D.C., has been my home for the last four years, and the opportunities that it provides for lectures, career opportunities, and social events are plentiful and unique.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? My goal is to do social good and positively contribute to the global society through business. I do not believe that social good and successful business exist in vacuums. Just as domestic and international business are inextricably linked, the businesses of the future will spur social development and social development will build businesses. My dream job after business school is a leadership development program in a company with a strong mission.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? One of my goals is to leave business school with a strong sense of intellectual community. I hope that my peers will say that I am a team player who leads by example. I want them to trust my willingness and ability to provide partnership to them as we embark upon on post-MBA careers.

Gershon Blyden

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Someone who’s unafraid to take the road less travelled to arrive at the right destination.

Hometown: Miami, FL

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve been featured in the documentary, From Ordinary to Extraordinary, which profiles my pursuit of completing the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Miami with two friends. The story was highlighted by NBC, ESPN, and several periodicals. I really enjoyed collaborating with friends and accomplishing a goal as a team. I also grew a lot from the process. I learned to become more resilient and learned to put myself in a perpetual state of discomfort in order to maximize growth and development.

Undergraduate School and Major: Morehouse College—Finance

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

• J.P. Morgan—Analyst
• InHouse Group, LLC—Co-Founder
• com—Co-Founder
• Ryder System, Inc. —Senior Financial Analyst
• Multicultural Media, Telecom & Internet Council (MMTC) – Consultant

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The biggest accomplishment of my career so far is co-founding didfit.com and helping to create the Didfit Fitness app. Didfit was a fitness app created to provide users with a seamless way to get access to automated training programs that improved their health and wellness. The other founders and I used the app as a platform to launch the Go Walk America Challenge – where we partnered with Dr. Barrett Keene (a Cornell Ph.D. student at the time), who walked from Miami to San Francisco in an effort to raise money and awareness for orphans in Uganda and Haiti. Through our partnership and efforts, we were able to raise nearly $50,000 for the orphans in those countries. Furthermore, the app provided Barrett with a platform to engage with users as they tracked his progress across the country.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants?

GMAT:

Do not allow yourself to become overwhelmed with all of the blogs, articles, and online resources. The most critical components to the process include developing a thorough plan, staying committed to the plan, and leveraging an external resource (tutor/expert/class) to rigorously and relentlessly address your weaknesses throughout the entire process. Ensure that you are mimicking test-taking conditions when studying. Lastly, take ample practice tests.

Essays:

Avoid the temptation of trying to figure out what admissions officers want to hear. Take time to take inventory of your life. Think about moments of accomplishments, setbacks, inspiration, and fulfillment. Try to extrapolate common themes. Hone in on what makes you really come alive. Let the common threads tell your story. Operating from this basis will allow you to approach your essays from a point of authenticity and will ultimately enable you to differentiate yourself in a more meaningful and genuine way. Walking around with a notepad during the early stages of the process can be helpful as well. You never know when a specific memory or spark of inspiration may hit you.

Recommendations:

It may be obvious, but it probably bears repeating – identify individuals who know you really well and who have your best interests at heart. Start this process early. Be rigorous about your selection process. Lastly, if you feel that the recommender does not have the time nor is not putting forth the level of effort that you think is necessary, tactfully make an adjustment and choose a different recommender.

Admission interview:

There are tons of resources out there that will give you questions that you will likely hear for a specific school’s interview. However, it is important that you are able to speak in an authentic way. Really make sure that you genuinely believe the story that you are conveying. Interviewing is also a skill. Ensure that you are putting in adequate time to do an extensive amount of mock interviewing so that you are prepared to communicate clearly and succinctly.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I tried to be thoughtful about the direction that the world is going and what programs will provide me with the access, resources, and opportunities to broaden my skill sets, relationships, and core competencies in order to be a world-class leader in the ever-evolving global economy. Additionally, I thought about which cities I would enjoy living in for the next two years.

Georgetown is uniquely positioned at the intersection of policy and business. In addition to being home to some of the most influential people in the world, Washington, D.C., offers a burgeoning tech community, proximity to Wall Street, and access to visiting global leaders.

Washington, D.C. is great because it represents a hybrid city that shares elements of the north and the south. The cultural diversity and the intellectual capital in the city are amazing. There is no shortage of outdoor activities and parks to take advantage of. Lastly, the restaurant and social scenes are quite vibrant. I am very excited about the next two years.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? Exemplary organizational leadership and culture are extremely important to me. Going forward, I aspire to align myself with an organization that rests on the pillars of innovation, integrity, and excellence.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? Gershon was a great teammate. He would always help me out on my work, no matter what.

Jeanine Buzali

Georgetown University, McDonough School Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Curly-haired and Middle-Eastern, passionate about working with people, food, languages, and social impact.

Hometown: Mexico and Israel

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve been at expat since I was 16, living in different countries (most recently Shanghai, China, for the last 5 years).

Undergraduate School and Major: Middlebury College, Political Science and Theater

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

• The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee – India Fellow
• ACTIVA Foundation – Business School Coordinator
• The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee – East Asia Representative
• The Essential Learning Group (ELG) – Marketing Director

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: As The Essential Learning Group’s first Marketing Director, I created and implemented the company’s first long-term marketing strategy, including launching marketing activity for the Chinese market across a variety of new channels. A cornerstone of the strategy was creating original, high-quality content to advocate for children with special needs while promoting ELG’s experts and services, thus raising awareness in both the local and international communities, and increasing inquiries exponentially.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? I think it’s important to really embrace the process of refining your goals and figuring out what you truly want out of your MBA and in your career more generally. The essay, of course, especially lends itself to real exploration and growth. Doing this not only makes you a better candidate, but also helps prepare you for the MBA experience in general.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I loved the sense of community I felt at McDonough and the international diversity I encountered there from the start. It’s a great fit in terms of both the program’s culture and helping me achieve my professional goals – in addition to being in an amazing and international city.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? At the moment (because I fully expect it to evolve throughout my MBA), I want to work in a major corporation to develop social impact strategies that also achieve business goals.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? I would like to become a well-rounded leader, able to think strategically and work with people in many different functions.

Nomblé Coleman

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Not your average MBA candidate. Obstacle obliterator. Marketer. BeyHive member. Leader. Explorer.

Hometown: Downingtown, Pennsylvania

Fun Fact About Yourself: I rode a toboggan down the Great Wall of China (See previous Poets & Quants article: “MBA Prospect Wins Contest, Goes to China”).

Undergraduate School and Major: Bentley University, Marketing

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: EMC Corporation, Product Marketing Associate, Field Marketing Program Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I consider my biggest accomplishment to be tied to the volunteer work I’ve done with the National Black MBA Association. I’ve been a member of the organization since high school and most recently served as Director of University Relations for the Boston Chapter. I’m most proud of the effort we led to establish and renew MBA scholarships with local universities.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? Start Early! At the beginning of your application journey, write a bulleted list of all the reasons why you want to obtain your MBA. Hang this list in a visible place as you go through the application process to help you stay motivated along the way. Take your standardized test as soon as possible, immediately after you receive your undergraduate degree if possible. Test scores last for five years, so taking standardized tests in advance of beginning the application can help make the process a little easier. Take practice tests for both the GMAT and GRE. Since both tests are widely accepted at most business schools, submit scores for the test you feel most comfortable with. Give yourself plenty of time, in case you need to retake the test.

Throughout the application process, demonstrated interest is key. Let your target schools know that you want to join them. Attend in-person and online recruiting events, and follow up via email with each school representative that you meet. To differentiate yourself, after an in-person interview, find a quiet spot to write a hand-written thank you note to your interviewer and drop it off that same day.

If you are a member of an underrepresented community, apply to the Management Leadership for Tomorrow’s (MLT) MBA Prep and Professional Development programs to get personalized coaching that will help you navigate through the business school application process. Applicants who have demonstrated interest in supporting the effort to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in graduate education and business should consider applying through The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management. This organization will provide you with a streamlined common application, accelerated career recruiting events, opportunities for full-tuition fellowships, and access to an 8,500+ member network. Finally, Richard Montauk’s book, How to Get into the Top MBA Programs, was a worthwhile guide for the overall application process.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? Early on in my application process, I knew I wanted to attend a school that was a member of The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management. Ultimately, I chose Georgetown because it’s guiding principle of cura personalis, or “care of the whole person” aligned strongly with my values. The program also had an intimate size that would allow me to build close relationships with the students, faculty, and staff. I liked that Georgetown’s location in Washington, D.C., would grant me unmatched access to top organizations and business leaders in both the private and public sectors. I have a passion for collecting global experiences and immersing myself in different cultures. With over 30 percent of McDonough’s population being international students, I knew learning in a truly global classroom would thoroughly prepare me to thrive in a global organization after graduation.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? My dream job is to work at an organization where I can positively impact the daily lives of individual consumers while bringing my authentic self to work each day. I want to work in an environment where I can have global impact in a culture of innovation at an organization that demonstrates a commitment to community.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? “You’re Hired!” That phrase may not be applicable immediately after graduation, but I would like to think that the interactions I had with my classmates at McDonough would lead them say that they would hire, partner with, or support me if I gave them a call even 20 years after graduation. Ultimately, I would like my peers to say that I was a catalyst for change in Diversity & Inclusion on campus and that I helped to positively shape their experience at the Georgetown McDonough School of Business.

Calvin Alexander Cortes

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Quirky, loud, social, foodie, craft beer geek, adventurous traveler, and a dog lover.

Hometown:  Miami, FL

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have a 3.5-year-old black hound lab mix named Stitch after Disney’s movie Lilo and Stitch.

Undergraduate School and Major:

University of Miami – Microbiology/ Latin American Studies

University of Florida- MPH- Public Health

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Ohana Collectables- E-commerce- Proprietor

Southern HIV & Alcohol Research Consortium – University of Florida – Marketing Director/Recruiter

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Being able to take a small summer job selling Disney collectables on eBay and expanding it into a company with a global distribution network in Asian and European markets through a period of economic uncertainty – all before the age of 20.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? BE YOURSELF! I cannot stress this enough. Through my experiences, individuals attempt to impress interviewers so aggressively that their voices get lost in the process. This also applies for the essays. When one’s voice is lost, you have also lost the reviewer. I was able to use my voice and personal experiences to craft essays that were moving and compelling cases for why my candidacy was a strong one and why I was a fit for certain programs — not why the program was a fit for me. I believe they were my strongest segment of every single one of my applications. I also think this personal touch is crucial when it comes to selecting recommenders. Of course, I chose my supervisor, but my second recommender was a mentor and someone I came to know and highly respect for over 10 years now. This individual knew me not only at a professional level but at a personal level as well. This was crucial in framing a letter that was not a synopsis of my resume, but a true heartfelt message and compelling case for my candidacy.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? The reason I chose McDonough was a combination of multiple factors.

Location: I wanted to attend a program in a large metropolitan area. I enjoy large cities with the countless activities and great culture. But most importantly, I needed to live in a city with tons of diversity in its residents and DC being such a global city, it fit the bill.

Global Focus/Brand: Georgetown McDonough was the program with the strongest focus on international business I encountered in my MBA search. With my background working in healthcare in Latin America, I wanted to gain more international experience through the program I was attending and at Georgetown we are required to take the Global Business Experience where students have the opportunity to consult for a Fortune 500 company abroad. Apart from the global focus, internationally Georgetown is a brand that is well recognized and well received, and considering I want to work internationally, I believe the school can position me for success both domestically and abroad.

Gut feeling: Choosing the right MBA program became quite the task for me. I had created an excel spreadsheet listing the pros and cons of each program. I got opinions from online forums on which program to select. I reviewed the ROI’s of each respective program. I spoke with countless students at each program I was considering. After all of this analysis, I still could not reach a decision. It all came down to my gut feeling when I visited for Welcome Weekend at the different programs. I had that eureka moment when I visited Georgetown McDonough. My advice is to not just rely on the quantitative aspect, selecting a program is a very emotional process, so go with what feels right.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? My dream employer would be Janssen Pharmaceuticals under the Johnson and Johnson Company. The reason I am excited to interview with them is they are a public-health-driven pharma company that puts its customers above their shareholders, which resonates with my values and prior experiences in the healthcare and business spheres.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program?   We are all here to take our careers to the next level. We are all here to work our hardest to impress recruiters and excel in our program. So instead of speaking about hoping my peers can attest to my work ethic I hope the impression I leave is that I made a difference and added value to the Georgetown and McDonough name. If I can accomplish that, I will leave the program feeling accomplished and ready to take on what my career has in store for me.

Zhamilya Gafur

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Hustler and doer with international background in journalism, brand management, and business development

Hometown: Almaty, Kazakhstan

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am the daughter of a shepherd and my childhood dream was to own the biggest meat stand in the neighborhood. Fortunately, my dreams are now bigger than I ever thought possible!

Undergraduate School and Major:

American University, M.A. in Public Communication

Kazakh University of International Affairs and Foreign Languages, B.A. in International Affairs

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Voice of America, correspondent for Central Asia; Noblet Media CIS (Edelman Affiliate) Account Manager for HP in Kazakhstan; AB Restaurants, largest multi-brand restaurant chain in Kazakhstan, Director of Marketing and PR;  Vaynermedia, NY, global intern; Uber, Marketing Manager for Kazakhstan.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I most recently worked at Uber, where I was a part of a very small team that launched the service in the two biggest cities in Kazakhstan and introduced Uber to the country. We did it with limited resources and on a short deadline, but the launch was smooth and successful. It was great to be part of a big moment in my country’s commercial development right before permanently moving back to the U.S.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? Visit all the schools you are considering applying to – sometimes the vibe of the community tells you more than all facts and figures on the internet.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? Georgetown McDonough makes a point about being international. For me, learning business is a lot about knowing how people make decisions in different parts of the world, in different roles and circumstances. I also love D.C.!

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? Upon graduation, I plan to serve as a brand manager in a consumer goods company operating across international markets. Having worked mostly in entrepreneurial settings, I want to join an elite global marketing team and gain broad exposure to the challenges they face and the institutional approach to solving such complex problems.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program?  “You are a fun person to hang out with. I hope one day we can repeat this experience in the workplace!”

Jiyoung (Jeannie) Goo

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: A person who wants to be a “forever child” who follows her heart and instincts

Hometown: Daegu, South Korea

Undergraduate School and Major: Sogang University, Business Administration

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

• Link Korean (LK): Project Manager
• O’Square: Chief Strategy Officer
• Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME): Associate in Procurement Division

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I successfully turned a college-level planning project, “Livelihood support for North Korean Defectors,” sponsored by a corporation, into a business. The project – which supported North Korean defectors in their search for employment – comprised nine team members with different goals and objectives, including North Korean residents, retired soldiers, and students. The diversity of the group made it important that we operate as one team. I put effort into creating an amicable atmosphere. Listening to each member’s stories enabled me to identify their interests and characteristics. Then I assumed the role of a messenger transferring their opinions and arranging casual group meetings. My facilitation and motivation built a good atmosphere in which bold goals could be accepted and the desires to fulfill them increased. This project was a significant step forward toward my life goal of being a social entrepreneur.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants?  Thoughts like ‘You are not good enough’ or ‘You are not as qualified as others’ may pop up while writing your essay. Composing your own life story can be challenging especially when you have regrets, which I assume to a certain degree everyone does. When this kind of painful moment comes, my suggestion is to start writing the ‘what you want to be’ part first. There is a past, present, and future in your story just as in your life. Imagine yourself becoming a part of your grand dream in your future and write about it. Then, the ‘what you are now’ and ‘who you were in the past’ portions will be taken care of by the very person who you will be in your imaginative future.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? There are several reasons I chose Georgetown University, including its position as a top Jesuit school and its emphasis on a global mindset. What always determines my personal and career decisions is whether a choice I make will contribute to others and, more broadly, to the world and its societal progress. I learned that Georgetown University and the McDonough School of Business were both actively engaged in creating shared values and positive impact. The curriculum is designed to cultivate a leader who cares about business fundamentals, possesses an ethical barometer, and above all, who cares for the society rather than just him or herself.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? My life goal is to contribute to solving universal social issues such as hunger, environment, and health. So far, these issues have been mostly dealt with in the public sector or non-governmental/nonprofit areas. I believe another solution lies in a new approach that combines business perspectives on these issues. Thus, my goal is to make social impact through business and to create “shared values,” which would not only satisfy social needs but also add economic value. My dream is eventually to become a social entrepreneur like Jacqueline Novogratz, founder and CEO of Acumen, which raises charitable net donations to invest in companies, leaders, and ideas that are tackling world poverty.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? She has a big heart. She knows what she wants. She lives freely.

Jeff Killian

 

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: I love competition and challenging myself, but always with a smile.

Hometown: Middleton, WI

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’m a volunteer firefighter and EMT in North Carolina.

Undergraduate School and Major: United States Military Academy, B.S. in Life Science

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: I have had many jobs since graduating West Point, but only one employer: the United States Army. Some of the highlights include: Scout Platoon leader in Iraq, Company Executive Officer for the 10th Mountain Division, Special Forces Detachment Commander in Afghanistan, and Aide-de-Camp in Iraq.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The biggest accomplishment of my career thus far is successfully training and advising over 750 Afghan Commandos while in command of a Special Forces Team in Afghanistan tasked with conducting combat operations throughout the country.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? My advice is generic and nothing new, but it works:

1. GMAT. Take a class. It will force you to begin preparing for your test months out instead of just a few weeks. It will also build in a set time to study and practice prior to your test.

2. Essays. Go old school: tell them where you have been, where you are going, and where you want to go (given what you’ll learn in graduate school). Then you can weave ‘Why Georgetown’ into the last section. Also, have someone who has already been admitted to graduate school read and critique it. No one knows better how to write an essay for graduate school than someone who has done it successfully in the past.

3. Interviews. Practice. Research the top 15 questions you are likely to see in an MBA interview and prepare answers for those questions. Have a friend ask you those questions in a mock interview and practice your responses. The night prior to your interview, do a prep session to review what you want to say about yourself that way you will be prepared to do the same in the interview.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? McDonough provides me with a number of unique opportunities. McDonough’s Global Business Experience provides an unparalleled opportunity for me to learn about international business, a primary focus for me, while traveling and utilizing my foreign language skills. McDonough’s proximity to both industry and government provides me with unique internship opportunities and also supports my wife’s career aspirations. Lastly, I loved meeting and spending time with McDonough students. They truly embody the McDonough commitment to educate the whole person.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? Following a career in the Army, I want to utilize my military experiences supplemented with skills from my Georgetown MBA and work for my dream boss—myself. I aspire to start my own strategic consulting firm focusing on the defense/government sector in the DC area. My ambition is to follow my father’s example as a small business owner, and I have always valued service to my nation, as evident in my military and firefighting service. As a small business owner, I can continue to serve my nation in a capacity that will allow me to satisfy my ambition as well as use a lifetime of skills.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program?   I want my peers to say that I was always willing to work hard and help anyone else in need.

Kelsey Lents

 

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Designer, entrepreneur, professor, traveler and now student. A multitude of personalities looking for one voice.

Hometown: I was born in London, England, and raised in St. Louis, MO, but have been living in NYC, NY for the past 9 years.

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve co-founded a research and design group (SEArch) with 3 others to work with the aerospace industry, including NASA, to design habitats for Mars that prioritize the human experience. I’ve also begun a lightweight concrete and metal jewelry line – architects love their concrete!

Undergraduate School and Major: Yale University, B.A. in English Literature; Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Preservation and Planning, Masters of Architecture

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

• Fulbright Fellow to Berlin, Germany (immediately following graduation from Yale)
• Project Manager at Tonychi & Associates
• Project Manager at Hollwich Kushner Architects
• Associate/Senior Project Manager at A+I (Architecture Plus Information)
• Associate/Assistant Adjunct Professor at Columbia University and Parsons School of Design (concurrent with my work at HWKN and A+I)

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I’ve been focusing on creative workplace design the last couple years. There have been a few moments where, after presenting a design that reacts to what we’d heard during employee and C-suite interviews, the CEO realized that he/she could create a work experience that allowed the company’s internal and external missions to be one and the same. Revolutionizing how someone thinks about their business and employees is amazingly rewarding. I was also part of our own company’s restructuring discussions that gave me the opportunity to have real impact on day-to-day management and allowed me to spearhead a mentorship program to help employees define their career paths.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? Don’t be intimidated if you’re coming from a non-traditional background. I knew going in that I didn’t have a typical application – I came from design, was a little older, and wasn’t looking at traditional career paths post-grad school. Don’t think about outliers in your application as negatives/ Think and talk about them as potential differentiators. That means taking the time to really figure out what you want to do with your MBA and to build your application around how your experience is informing where you ultimately want to end up. Schools will appreciate that self-awareness and clarity of purpose. And really let your personality show through in your essays.

Think of the application process not just as a way for schools to decide if they want you, but for you to determine if the school is the right fit for you as well. You want to end up somewhere that has the classes, culture, and student population that is in line with what you want out of the MBA. That means being honest with yourself during the application process and while writing your essays. The process of applying really helped clarify what I was looking for and the school that’s the right fit for you will similarly recognize how your background and strengths will benefit them.

Lastly, if it’s been a while since taking standardized tests, take a class if you’re able – test taking is a skill and definitely one you can learn. A class can help you break down the portions you find difficult into something manageable, particularly if you create a study schedule and stick to it. And give yourself a little more time than you think you’ll need so you aren’t panicking if there are unexpected work deadlines, trips, etc.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA?  Georgetown really fit what I was looking for in location, student body, and caliber of program. The school prides itself in its diversity. Coming from New York and the arts where being different is a real strength, it was important to me to be part of a program that truly values varied thought and experience. McDonough also has a strong background in strategy and organizational behavior, which is a particular interest and focus of mine. I also appreciated Georgetown’s connection to DC, which is a city whose population is continuously changing and which therefore has become host to a multitude of brand strategy firms that merge business and design. I thought I could learn a great deal from a school and professors accustomed to the need for adaptability in both culture and infrastructure.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? Ultimately, I want to establish a new typology of strategists who can address the relationship between design, organizational structure, and management. As someone trained in architecture, I absolutely believe that environment affects the way in which we interact with the world and our thought processes. As a manager, I’ve seen first-hand how organizational structure influences the effectiveness of working within that environment to take advantage of those thought processes. This means I firmly believe that a company’s success is rooted in its people, policy, and place — by which I mean that the way in which a firm’s employees interact with each other, their environment, and the organization are all intrinsically tied to each other and to a firm’s product. By getting my MBA, I want to use my background in both design and business to merge these cornerstones into a fluid way of thinking for firms in flux – and to help them build an adaptable infrastructure that’s respectful of the firm’s culture, process, and desired output. I am a big proponent of putting together teams of people with varied backgrounds and ways of thinking to create a unique approach, so I would love to eventually create a “motley” team of strategists that really push how we think about the workplace.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program?  That I brought a fresh, sometimes quirky, way of thinking to the classroom that changed the way they thought about management and business.

Navin Thawani

 

Georgetown University, The McDonough School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: I’m my parents’ second favorite son. I only have one sibling. I don’t blame them.

Hometown: Toms River, New Jersey

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’m terrified of clowns. It stems from watching Stephen King’s “IT” without my parents’ knowledge when I was 9 years old. I wouldn’t go in the dark by myself for the two years after.

Undergraduate School and Major:  University of Delaware, Political Science

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Director, EMEA Collateral Management – Morgan Stanley (London, UK)

Associate/Director, North America Collateral Management – Morgan Stanley (New York, NY)

Analyst, Prime Services – OTC Derivatives Client Clearing – Barclays Capital (New York, NY)

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: With regard to career progression, I’m proud to have been promoted to a Director in the Collateral Management Division in the New York office at Morgan Stanley at a very young age, and to have been the company’s choice to manage our London division; however, my biggest accomplishment has been the impact that I’ve able to have on my employees on both sides of the pond.

By putting abundant emphasis on employee development, building trusting relationships with my staff, and creating value by taking individual strengths and motivations into consideration with each decision made, I’ve been able to have success in increasing team productivity, and, most importantly, helping others to build a foundation for future career growth.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? I recently read the transcript of a commencement address given by venture capitalist Fred Wilson to a New York City high school’s graduating class in which he stated that the secret to success in a person’s career comes down to three things — to “take risks, work hard, and get lucky.”  I’ve been a subscriber to the Wilsonian philosophy long before realizing that it was the Wilsonian philosophy.

Pursuing a full-time MBA is a risk. It requires a substantial amount of time and effort, as well as financial commitment. For most people, it requires putting aside good career trajectory for the potential of greater opportunity. Similar to any investment, thorough research needs to be done to best mitigate that risk. You need to find opportunity potential within a program that most closely aligns with your career aspirations, in both industry focus and geographic placement. The opportunities that will arise with each program vary significantly, and they may not always be so obvious by looking at the schools’ websites or combing through the blogs and rankings (no offense P&Q). I found many websites to be amalgamations of broad statements promising a better future by providing international experience, a foundation to be a leader of tomorrow, and a unique immersion learning experience. Those all sound great, but do they ring true?

If you’re considering a two-year full-time MBA program, you owe it to yourself to look under the hood of each program that you’re considering. If feasible, visit every school and speak to as many students and alumni as possible. I found current students to be the best resource, as they’re most in tune with the present realities of the program and are generally very forthcoming. From those conversations, you may just find a hidden gem that you would have never otherwise known to exist. If I hadn’t made the trip from London to visit each program on my list, I may have just gone to the highest-ranked program, which is pretty crazy considering how arbitrary the rankings can be. It’s ok to start your search with the rankings but make sure to end it with fit.

Also, make sure you give yourself enough time to put forward your best application possible. While that sounds obvious, I was surprised by the amount of time the entire application process took. Plan to take the GMAT or GRE multiple times. Even if you do as well as you hope to the first time, studies show that you’re likely to do even better the next time around. A higher score not only increases your chance of admittance, but for scholarship opportunities as well. Also, make sure to sit down with your recommenders early in the process to give them plenty of time to submit their letter before the deadline. Be authentic in your essays; don’t write what you think the school wants to hear.

Finally, once that arduous application process is completed and you’ve selected your school, you owe it to yourself to take a little break. However, don’t become complacent for too long. Start leveraging the network that’s now available to you because of your association with the program. Start engaging with individuals in industries that interest you and start building a network that can prove invaluable to your career search. Your .edu address can provide you with a certain level of credibility, or a sort of familial bond, in the case of alumni, that your .com address cannot.

As recruiting cycles start increasingly earlier and the competition continues to grow, you want to avoid being bereft with your approach. Attending pre-MBA networking festivals that facilitate visits to various companies and enable you to meet with recruiters and executives is an important part of making the most of your business school experience. Additionally, I believe that pre-MBA internships will start to become more the norm and less of an exception in years to come. The more effort that you put into the process early on, the “luckier” you’ll end up getting later on.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? While there were many reasons why I chose Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, none were more persuasive than the opportunities that were presented in my areas of interest, as well as the quality of people associated with the program at every level.

I had the good fortune of being accepted to a few of my target programs. However, I felt the greatest connection with Georgetown from early in the process. I developed a good rapport with our Assistant Dean of Admissions, Katelyn Rosa Stephenson, during her recruiting visit to London last fall. Katelyn exposed me to many new initiatives at Georgetown and also introduced me to a large contingent of Georgetown’s MBA alumni living in London, a few of whom became my best resources for information on the program while also welcoming me into Georgetown McDonough’s tight-knit community with open arms.

Additionally, Washington, D.C., is increasingly becoming a leading center for venture-capital investment, and the venture community recognizes the essentiality of retaining local talent – much of it lying within this program – for the continuance of its growth. This recognition has led to increased collaboration between the city’s businesses and school, which I found to be particularly advantageous for my career goals because of the unique opportunities it presents to someone who plans to work in M&A with an investment bank or a venture capital/private equity firm post-MBA.

Through the Georgetown MBA Venture Fellows Program, I’m able to spend a year with a leading venture capital or private equity firm while in school. Through the InSITE Fellowship, I’ll connect with a regional community of venture capitalists and like-minded graduate students from the other member schools – MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, and NYU.  I was also able to start building my network early on while work along-side and learning from some of the most well-respected entrepreneurs in the region through the pre-MBA internship I found with help of the Georgetown network, working as an M&A Market Analyst at Advantia Health, an early-stage healthcare services company.

Finally, I returned from London to attend Welcome Weekend for admitted applicants last January. After meeting with Jeff Reid, the founding director of the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative, the current students, and my future classmates, I confirmed what I had hoped to find: For the next two years, I’d be surrounded by a diverse community of intellectually curious people who shared one common trait, which is the desire to have a deeper, lasting impact on one-another and on a program that has only scratched the surface of its potential, all while residing in the nexus between business and government.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? Working as an Oreo taste-tester for Nabisco.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? That I was able to have a positive impact on each of their lives in one way or another during our two years together. And that if I didn’t accomplish that, that I was at least able to make each one of them laugh at some point, either with me or at me.

John Wenstrand

 

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: A big sushi roll of ingenuity, perseverance, and passion for driving positive change.

Hometown: Menlo Park, CA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I played the violin in Carnegie Hall when I was 12 years old.

Undergraduate School and Major: Gonzaga University, History Major

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Juniper Networks (networking products company) University Recruiting Specialist

Birst Inc. (business intelligence software company) Lead Development Representative, Manager of Lead Development, Director of Lead Development

Altify (sales acceleration software company) Director of Business Development

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: At Birst, I scaled the business development function successfully and hired, enabled, and led over 35 business development professionals in Singapore, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The biggest accomplishment in my young career has been helping many young professionals start successful careers in enterprise software sales.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? Over prepare for your interviews. Practice with someone beforehand and be sure to come up with well thought-out questions for your interviewer that are genuine and show both an in-depth understanding of the school and your high level of interest. Also, speak to current students and recent graduates before interviewing, as it will show your initiative as well as allow you to engage with your interviewer at a deeper level.

If you have strong work experience and have shown the ability to lead and drive change, be confident and follow through with the applications to your dream schools. Even if you lack in another area like your GPA or GMAT scores, you may be surprised how much a strong business experience and a track record will do for you in the application and interview process.

What led you to choose this program for your fulltime MBA? I went to a Jesuit high school and attended a Jesuit University for my undergraduate degree. The Jesuits taught me that cura personalis, men and women for others, and finding the place where your greatest talents meet the world’s greatest needs were all ideas that would guide my professional and personal life. Continuing my experience at a Jesuit University where I knew I would get a values-based education was a key factor in my decision to choose Georgetown.

When considering MBA programs, it was also a priority to find a school and a location that would allow my wife to thrive during my time in the program. I did not want her to feel like she was just supporting me but also that she was able to develop professionally and personally. After attending a panel discussion at an event sponsored by the Georgetown Partners Association and learning about the vibrancy of Washington, D.C., and the many job opportunities here, I knew that Georgetown would allow us to both thrive individually and together.

As a part of my due diligence, I also spoke with a few recent graduates from the MBA program and instantly felt a strong connection with them. They were eager to pay it forward by speaking to me as many times as I needed and through their words of wisdom regarding the application process. Joining the thousands of Georgetown MBA graduates and the huge network of the broader Georgetown alumni who prioritize looking out for one another was very attractive.

I wanted to find an MBA program that shared my desire to increase diversity in American business, especially in Silicon Valley where the underrepresentation of Black, Hispanic, and Native Americans has been well documented. I knew I would find alignment on this mission at Georgetown because it is a member of the Consortium for Graduate Studies in Management, holds an annual Diversity Day, and generally emphasizes the importance of diversity in business.

Finally, the strong entrepreneurship focus was important for me. Startup Hoyas, recent winners of the Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC), and a group of very impressive entrepreneurs in residence are just a few examples of the opportunities for people like myself who want to pursue entrepreneurship at Georgetown.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? My dream job is to be an entrepreneur and start a high-tech company that changes the way the world works. Whether in the areas of education, healthcare, or another area, I want to build a valuable company that also helps improve the quality of people’s lives. This would be my dream job because I enjoy leading and building things. I also feel that by running a business that has a positive social impact, I will be living the Jesuit values that I so closely identify with.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? That I was a caring and supportive classmate and that I was able to inspire them to find their passion and be their best.