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Kogod School of Business
Graduate Student Ambassador Blog Sponsored by the Office of Graduate Admissions
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Gaining an international perspective
Over the last five years, I have had the opportunity to manage nearly $100 million dollars in energy projects. Not all projects have been successful, and some were more successful than they deserved to be. However, in life, leadership, and business, hindsight is often 20/20.
Six months ago, I walked into the office on my 28th birthday. I expected it to be like any other Monday. My cellphone was glued to my ear and the typical Monday morning fires had already begun. Once through the front door, I was met in the hallway. I was told to put the proverbial fire extinguisher down. I was being laid off. Being laid off, on my birthday, nonetheless, was a great moment of clarity for me. It was the sledgehammer I needed to breakthrough my own comfort zone to pursue what I knew was next for me and my career.
I began exploring MBA programs in the summer of 2019. I knew then that I was ready for change. I wanted to pivot my career from an operations focus to a more strategic role. After numerous interviews with different companies over the past year, I came to understand there was a disconnect between my past work experiences and what I knew was my new path forward. An MBA was never in my plans and frankly quite opposite from my desires. In evaluating my options and mapping out potential paths, I explored the MBA route almost as a last resort. In that process though, I quickly realized that an MBA was not a stodgy piece of paper but could become anything you made it to be.
This realization freed me to layout the bridge and path I needed to connect my past work to my new future. In bouncing my thoughts off other professionals and mentors, I came to see an MBA as an opportunity to invest in myself. To pause, reflect, reset, and find the space to carve out my path in a new, changing economy. At American University, I found that space.
I chose American’s dual MBA/MA in International Economic Relations as it reflected the best bridge forward for me. Built on the foundation of an MBA’s focus and paved with the global insight of an MA, the dual degree program seemed best prepared to equip me to lead in both the private and public sector. This was key to me because I see the private and public interests increasingly intertwined. Multinational firms are facing more barriers to their business from trade uncertainties, immigration and workforce complexities, and explicit, State-level power competition. For me to develop holistic strategies, to step into these issues confidently, and to lead at all levels, I felt the dual degree program offered the most diverse network, seeded a unique perspective, and provided multiple, credible frameworks to navigate global issues. When coupled with its Washington, DC location, the epicenter of international policy and business, I knew American is where I wanted to be.
With my first set of finals now complete, hindsight again is 20/20. When I was laid off, it was an inflection point. My personal experience reflected the greater change happening in lives all around the world. Having the blessing and opportunity to choose to work, invest, and spring forward my career is not lost on me. My short time at American, though, has made this transition easier and affirmed that my work here is laying the groundwork for my next chapter.
- Brent Bowles, MBA/MA
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Giving back to DC
Kogod Women in Business and Net Impact at Kogod share similar values of providing social good through leadership. Both organizations put together monthly panels and social events that educate and bring together our communities. As an executive board member of both clubs, I suggested that we collaborate for the month of November. With Thanksgiving around the corner, the VP of Event Planning for KWIB, Chiara Cooper, coordinated with Bread for the City in order for E-board members to volunteer for their Food Pantry initiative.
Bread for the City is a is a front-line agency that serves the underprivileged communities in Washington DC by offering them services including food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services. Their mission is to seek justice through community organizing. This was the perfect fit for both organizations! This Bread for the City’s nutritional support program provides healthy groceries, including fresh fruits, veggies and meats to more than 8,400 families in need.
My colleagues and I were humbled to volunteer for their Food Delivery Program. The regular volunteers had already started the bagging process when we arrived at 9 am. We helped assemble and fill hundreds of bags with fresh produce offered from local Farmers Markets. These bags were later delivered to the families by the delivery service. As we handed out the groceries to those waiting in long lines, we reflected on the situations of some of these people. Fresh produce is just a grocery run away for us, but a privilege to those in need. Those who don’t have the means to buy fresh food rely on organizations like Bread for the City.
It’s an honor to know that a couple of hours of my day can help put food on the table for hundreds of families. We all ended the service with a warm feeling inside and the desire to keep coming back to help.
- Ani Khachikian, MBA ‘21
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From AU to Microsoft
Getting the Interview:
I attended the National Black MBA Association conference in early Fall. For each company I was interested in, I made a cheat sheet with company highlights, talking points, and why I was interested in the position. This helped calm my nerves when going up to recruiters while also ensuring my questions and comments were unique to the company and position.
Acing the Interview:
There were two series of interviews. One at the conference and another on-site, interview day in Seattle. The interview day consisted of three rounds of interviews. Preparation for both was similar. This included, deeply knowing what was on my resume and having talking points for anything that was on it. As my interview date quickly approached, I was constantly practicing my interviewing skills with the Office of Career Engagement and Big Interview, scheduling informational meetings with Microsoft employees and past interns, and creating questions to ask during the interview. Lastly and (maybe most importantly), I would meditate before each interview. It can be a stressful and nerve-wracking experience. But with adequate preparation you are ready!
The virtual internship experience:
This year was a whole new experience. The internship would have been in Seattle but was made into a virtual experience. Microsoft did a great job of trying to create a fun and educational community. We were assigned cohorts of other interns that were from different parts of the country and working in different areas at Microsoft. It was very interesting to see what others were working on! In our cohorts, we had weekly drop-in sessions to talk about or ask any questions. They also sponsored group activities like virtual escape rooms!
Working on a virtual team on the other side of the country was a challenge. There was a time difference and making a connection with others was harder without meeting everyone in person. However, my team members and other Microsoft employees I reached out to were always open to scheduling time to talk. I made it a goal of mine to chat with at least one team member and/or other employees every week. Conversations between managers and interns were required. We set goals at the beginning of my internship that gave me a clear indication of what I needed to do to succeed.
Though we all would have preferred to be in person, I was still able to make connections and get an idea of what working at Microsoft as a full-time employee will be like when I return after graduation.
-Trinity Sheppard, MBA ‘20
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“Attitude Makes a Difference”
Bachelors degree? Check.
First job? Check.
As I walked through the doors of Uber for the first time, I was in amazement. I thought to myself, am I ready to start my career? I guess we will find out! I started my first post-undergrad job as an account manager for Uber Eats, in charge of onboarding enterprise brands in the North American market.
As someone who’s always willing to explore room for growth, I was not just settling for managing accounts on a daily basis, but also constantly found myself exploring the data-rich reports that were shared with our team. I was indeed intrigued by all the advanced functions incorporated in a report that makes a report dynamic. I remember that I would go home and study those reports until I fully understand how and why a certain function is being used.
My team’s mission was to automate as much manual labor as possible to expedite the processes. One of the most exciting projects I spearheaded was communication email automation. I integrated all stages of communications emails for the North American market, which were originally sent out manually by each account manager. This project enabled the on-boarding team to save at least 3-4 hours of labor on a daily basis.
For the first time, I had a taste of the feeling “fulfilled” from a job. I was grateful to be chosen. If I can share one thing I learned the most from my experience at Uber, it would always be curious about the unknown and never settle for what we know already. Because most of the time, our growth starts from being uncomfortable with the unfamiliar.
My role in the process optimization team was definitely a turning point in my career interests. I explored myself feeling excited whenever it comes to dealing with data at work, which is exactly why I chose to apply for the MS in Analytics (MSAn) program at AU. I chose this program because its core is business-oriented, where the courses are balanced between business and statistical analysis. As someone from a business background who had been exploring technical skills, it’s a perfect match.
After graduating, I want to land a job at an organization where I am able to apply my skills to the fullest extent. I always want to make sure what I do makes an impact on people in a positive way. There are a lot of ways to help make the world a better place, and my goal is to practicing data in an ethical way to optimize the lives of others, either directly or indirectly.
-Rui Huang, MS in Analytics ‘20
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(Net) Impact in Action
Net Impact Kogod is our American University chapter of the global Net Impact organization. This organization connects undergraduate, graduate, and professionals around the world who are interested in finding the intersection between profitability and positive social impact.
Our Kogod chapter serves the cohort by providing direct access to this massive network of business-minded folks from all industries and markets. Specifically, we provide students with social and learning events to examine how much American University students can push themselves to become more civically engaged and aware of critical national initiatives such as Sustainability, Impact Investing, Climate Justice, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practices.
As part of this incredible organization - I was able to attend the Net Impact Leadership Conference this past September. This event connected graduate students and professional chapters from all over the world - reaching mission-driven individuals in over 20 different countries! Our daily activities included hands-on workshops and panels from sustainability thought leaders and advocates.
These learning opportunities and connections are so critical in digital and remote times - reminding us that we all have much more in common than we have apart. Not only does Net Impact Kogod reach a wide audience of students and advocates outside of campus - our cohort has committed to contributing to our local community as well!
As of this fall, Net Impact will be the official home of the AU Sustainability Club and is a partner of the AU Office of Sustainability providing attendance and support to their important student-centric mission.
-Stephanie Holzinger, MBA ‘20
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“Out of this World” Consulting Experience
The Global Consulting Project is one of the hallmark projects as an MBA student in the Kogod School of Business. For an entire semester, students are placed in a group with other members of your cohort and work in a consulting capacity for real international businesses in order to solve an issue that the company may be facing.
When my team was assigned to consult for Satellite Applications (SA) Catapult we were given only a seven-word prompt to describe the journey we were about to embark on “Feasibility analysis of commercial production in space.” “Space?” I asked myself. “Like, outer space? Commercial production in space? Like manufacturing stuff for sale in space? Um, I’m having enough trouble trying to study finance, now I have to learn about space stuff… the great unknown?” It was overwhelming, but we had to start somewhere.
That initial step was to talk to SA Catapult and figure out who they are and what they expected from us. We quickly learned that SA Catapult is one of nine technology centers established by the United Kingdom to help facilitate economic growth through various industries. SA Catapult’s mission is to contribute to the UK’s Space Agency’s goal of capturing 10% of the global space market. To do so, they will provide government funding to new innovations and endeavors in the UK that focus on space and satellite operations.
“Ok, but how can I help your business? I don't know anything about space!?"
We connected with Michael Curtis-Rouse, the Head of Manufacturing for Space at SA Catapult and our main point of contact for the project. He explained to us the various experiments taking place on the International Space Station and noted that because of the environmental elements of microgravity found in space, there’s a benefit to producing certain items in space rather than here on earth.
The objective now became clear: is there a business model for a product that can be manufactured in space, returned to Earth, and be sold for great profits?
We explored a slew of options: solar panels, pharmaceutics, and medical devices among others. However, one product stood above the rest - a fiber optic cable called ZBLAN, that although can be manufactured on earth, its full capabilities can only be realized when produced in space. We started scouring the internet, reading anything and everything we could find about their product and analyze their company in every aspect we could. Let’s get to work.
One month later - COVID-19 hits Washington, D.C.
As the positive cases begin to rise and AU transitions to online learning, we realize that traveling to the UK isn't going to be an option this year and transitioned our presentation to a virtual format.
On the day of our presentation, we were no longer a group of MBA student-consultants, we were now the knowledgeable consultants our client expected, and most importantly, needed us to be. When it was all said and done, our client was thrilled with our findings, even telling us that our presentation “was the best they’ve ever seen on the subject.”
This project taught me so many things, but the most important thing I learned was with enough hard work, there isn't a subject that can’t be tackled by students who work hard, work together, and work towards a common goal. Believe me, it was a lot of hard work but now reflecting back on it, it was one of the best parts of the MBA program.
- Kevin Gold, MBA ‘21
Real Estate Certificate | Data Analytics Certificate
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“Zooming” into an Online Semester
Although the final semester of my undergraduate degree didn't turn out the way I envisioned, the transition to online learning wasn't too overwhelming. At first, it was challenging with new technology, environmental changes, and little preparation but after the official announcement that we would be online in the Fall, I was able to re-design the way I study, where I study, and how to better organize myself.
In my classes, my professors use features like video streaming, breakout group sessions, and live polling within the class to create class engagement that makes it feel like we are back in the classroom. This gives us a chance to work on the problems in class and get real-time feedback from our group members and faculty.
Being that I completed my undergraduate degree in Accounting here at AU, I can testify to the strength of the business curriculum here at Kogod. Honestly, I was a bit hesitant when I first found out that I would be starting my MS degree via Zoom, but the courses have been engaging, my cohort and I have found new (and virtual) ways to connect, and I am excited to see what is in store for me in the future
.-Gabrielle Vella, MS ‘21
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Sky-High Marketing Dreams
My team and I worked with Etihad Airways, the UAE’s national airline based out of Abu Dhabi. Etihad asked us to provide them with recommendations to improve their customer experience (CX) in the next 3-5 years. This project was challenging yet, rewarding as it allowed us to think critically, expand our knowledge in marketing and CX, while also learning more about the airline and travel industry.
Due to the nature of the project, we held weekly meetings with key representatives in different departments in the organization before we arrived at Abu Dhabi- from Marketing to Enterprise Analytics and Etihad Guest (their loyalty program). Once we were in Abu Dhabi, we also met with Etihad’s Digital Team, Legal, and Guest Satisfaction to finish polishing our recommendations.
Meeting the client was an interesting experience in and of itself. Before we went to the UAE, we had representatives from their embassy visit Kogod to share insights about the Emirati business world and the way business is conducted there. Coming from a latinx culture, I remember taking notes to make sure I was respectful of their culture. Note to self: never underestimate the power of the word “shukran” or thank you.
The Kogod faculty was very supportive throughout the course of this project. Not only did we get guidance from our Professor, but we also reached out to collaborate with other professors in the Marketing and Information Technology & Analytics departments.
I found this project very useful as I prepared to pivot into marketing roles post-MBA. It was an exciting and real way to put many of the skills we develop and the concepts we learn in class into practice. The experience of working with an international client addressing an important business problem was one of the highlights of my MBA experience at Kogod. Not to mention, it also gave me great talking points for interviews!
- Carlos Aguirre, MBA ‘20
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Best of Both Worlds
In college, my desire to strengthen my cross-culture understanding led me to pursue my degrees in Political Science and Latin American Studies. However, studying in rural Minnesota, where subzero temperatures accompanied half the school year, did not exactly attract multitudes of international students. Despite this, I sought out every available intercultural exchange opportunity as an undergraduate student and became increasingly aware of a gap between theoretical effects of international policy and its real-world effects on an individual level.
After three years with the Peace Corps and various on-the-ground experiences, I realized that I did not yet have all the tools necessary to be effective in addressing the root causes of development issues. After doing some research on different programs and school options, I chose to pursue the MBA/MS Dual Degree in Development Management with Kogod School of Business and the School of International Service at American University to better understand the economic factors behind behavior change and develop financial analysis skills for organizational management.
I can already sense that during my time in the MBA/MS program, I will gain a much stronger understanding of how private investment can be used generate community-led development. My professional goal is to manage a development organization that guides and empowers rural community members on personal finance and business plans, which would generate income and enable them to invest more money into their children’s education.
- Anna Cron, MBA/MS ‘23
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Ocean Spray to MBA
This summer, I completed my summer internship virtually with Ocean Spray Cranberries as a Brand Marketing Manager Intern. Although I was not able to spend my summer in Boston as originally planned, I did however, really enjoy my virtual experience.
My summer project for my internship was to present an analysis and recommendation for a new direct to consumer model for Ocean Spray’s Lighthouse Innovation brand. During this experience I was able to network with individuals throughout the company and even present my findings to the Global Chief Innovation Officer, the Senior Leadership Team, and Brand Managers.
I learned so much about the cranberry business, innovation, and the food and beverage industry as a whole through this summer experience. As I start the new semester, I have a better sense of confidence in myself and am very excited about the opportunities waiting for me upon graduation.
- Carmisha Louis, MBA ‘21
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