Testimonials

Devon Douglas
MBA/MS 2009
Associate Marketing Manager for Sustainability
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Bentonville, Ark.

“Success in business requires interdisciplinary skills and an ability to work with multiple stakeholders,” says Devon, who graduated from Ross and the School of Natural Resources and Environment through the Erb Institute. Crossing between programs, Devon enjoyed a level of flexibility in her curriculum unique to the University of Michigan. “You can’t just learn business skills and be in a silo today,” she says. “Ross gives you a competitive edge because the University offers so many resources that enhance your systems-thinking approach.” During an internship in sustainability marketing at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Devon was recruited to a team where she was mentored by Ross alumna Lei Duran, MBA ’07. After graduation, she accepted a full-time offer there. “It was unexpected because I came from a nonprofit background and the environment,” Devon says. “But I had such a great experience and an amazing mentor.”

Anurag Gupta
MBA/MD 2009
Resident in Emergency Medicine
Beth Israel Medical Center
New York, N.Y.

Anurag, a dual-degree student in business and medicine, was part of the winning team in the Ross Leadership Initiative’s 2008 Crisis Challenge. The real-time simulation cast students as corporate executives coping with operational, ethical, and medical concerns in the wake of an emerging crisis. “After the challenge, I joined the RLI advisory board,” Anurag says. “We met regularly with the dean to talk about how Ross could best encourage a curriculum that fosters a milieu of leadership and development.” As a result, RLI launched a 360-degree peer feedback tool online. “We all have room for improvement, especially when it comes to communication, teamwork, leading others — even having the ability to be led. You’ll only become a leader by acting like a leader, making mistakes, and taking the time to identify those mistakes and figure out, ‘What can I do differently the next time I am faced with that situation?""

Sherri Gwizdala
MBA 2009
Operations Management Rotational Program
The Boeing Company
Seattle, Wash.

As a chemist prior to business school, Sherri was looking to leverage her skills in science and technology toward a career in management. She spent the summer at Pfizer in Sandwich, England, working in a facility that manufactures drugs for FDA clinical trials. “I applied to the Tauber Institute after I was admitted to Ross because I knew it would set me apart and give me a strong base in operations that I couldn’t get anywhere else,” Sherri says. A major selling point was the fact that Tauber links Ross MBAs with students in U-M’s College of Engineering. “Plus, I knew that most of the companies I was interested in working for had a relationship with Tauber, and I wanted to be where they were recruiting.” An unexpected bonus?  “As a scientist, I was used to learning a set series of facts. But Ross was so interactive: I began to learn in an entirely new way, think in a new way, and go to a whole new level.”

Abby Hillyard
MBA 2009
Senior Consultant in Strategy and Operations
Deloitte Consulting
Chicago, Ill.

After completing the Multidisciplinary Action Project course (MAP) at the end of her first year, Abby had a revelation. She’d returned from Cambodia where she helped develop a market entry strategy for serving the local population with a nutrient-dense product that treats malnutrition. “I had been in client situations before, but never in a developing country and never in a social enterprise,” she says. “We did a ton of interviews with non-governmental organizations, government workers, and other businesses. MAP helped me understand how the core concepts of business are applicable across geographies and industry sectors.” Before Ross, Abby wanted to work for a corporate foundation focusing on childhood obesity in the U.S. Now she is re-focused on the issue of malnutrition in developing countries.

Karima Holland
MBA 2009
Associate Brand Manager
Neutrogena Corp.
Los Angeles, Calif.

Karima maximized the opportunities that came her way at school. She was a member of the Marketing Club, co-chair of the Prospective Student Committee for the Up Close Recruiting Weekend, and co-chair of the Black Business Students Association’s 2008 conference, which hosted filmmaker Spike Lee. In addition, Karima was on a team that won a national marketing case competition sponsored by Procter & Gamble. Meanwhile, in May 2008, she joined an independent initiative directed by the campus-wide Arts Enterprise, which raised funds and traveled to New Orleans to consult with an organization promoting the arts in school districts ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. “We each developed our roles as we went,” says Karima, who handled public relations. “Being able to make your own plan and figure out what’s needed – that’s something I learned at Ross. Just being able to think on your feet and be self-directed.”

Jason Lin
MBA/MA 2009
CEO and Co-founder
Hitchsters.com

Jason launched the rideshare service Hitchsters.com prior to business school. In 2007, the company was lauded by Time magazine as having one of the “Best 50 Websites” of the year. “I can’t imagine something more exciting or relevant at business school than actually running a business,” Jason says. “Theoretical concepts filtered through life experience are so much more tangible. Plus, the feedback, exposure, and funding we secured through the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies helped us advance to the next level. I’ve also gotten great support from Ross alumni. An early strategy was to secure a partnership with an online budget travel site, and I discovered the CFO of one company was a Ross grad. I sent him an email, and within days he connected me with the appropriate people.” Jason pursued a dual degree in Chinese studies with the ultimate goal of transitioning his career to Asia.

Brent Morgan
MBA/MS 2010
Summer Associate, Renewable Energy Leadership Program
General Electric Co.
Schenectady, N.Y.

Brent is working on a dual degree through the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise. He’s had a variety of environmentally focused careers, from serving as a wildlife research assistant in the Utah desert to working for the U.S. Green Building Council. “I was pleasantly surprised to meet other students with diverse backgrounds – from professional chefs to Peace Corps alumni,” says Brent. “I’d mention I lived on a remote farm in Costa Rica for two years and no one even batted an eye. The demographic and professional diversity make Ross an interesting community with connections to many industries. It’s great, because energy is of real interest to me. It lies at the crossroads of economics, policy, and environmental issues. Thanks to Ross and Erb, I landed an internship with E.On Climate Renewables in Austin, Texas, where I got some really valuable on-the-ground experience as a wind developer – a great career starter. This summer I’m diversifying my experience by working with GE.”

Dara Moses
MBA 2009
Associate, Higher Education Practice
Huron Consulting Group
Ann Arbor, Mich.

Dara was in a panic. The summer internship interview process was in full-swing when she decided to switch to a consulting position. “My classmates had been preparing for case interviews since mid-summer, and I had never done one,” she says. “Within two weeks, MBA2s who had gone through the process gave me multiple case practices. One particular guy must have spent 15 hours or more coaching me. I really owe much of my ability to get the internship to those who took time to tutor me. It’s something you don’t get from any resource other than someone who’s been through it before.” Her peers’ helpfulness triggered Dara’s desire to reciprocate. “The value in supporting others is not only in the goodness of our own hearts. By supporting others at Ross we elevate the school’s brand and raise the success our classmates will have in world. This increases our own success,” she says. “I think that attitude is something that is unique to Ross."

Jose Robles
MBA 2009
Product Marketing Consultant
Dell
Austin, Texas

Coming to Ross from a telecommunications career in Lima, Peru, Jose had corporate experience working in cross-functional teams. But he was amazed to see the critical role they played in the student experience at Ross. “From a career perspective, some of the most valuable recruiting resources are run by students who share their experiences and really commit to the success of their peers,” Jose says. “They conduct industry and functional forums to help first-years target their career interests. They also perform one-on-one coaching, mock interviews, and resume reviews, and they share networking strategies, interview tips, and key issues for career success.” Student collaboration also extends to extracurricular activities, from starting a club to taking a leadership role. “This unique culture allows students to be active participants in their MBA experience and excel by co-creating their education,” he says.

Anamaria Sarbu
MBA 2009
Associate
McKinsey & Company
Chicago, Ill.

Ana hails from Bucharest, Romania, where she worked in market strategy and planning for Procter & Gamble. She decided to transition to consulting and focused her efforts on an MBA in the U.S., which she describes as “the center of the business universe.” Ross moved to the top of her list once she spoke with a P&G colleague who also was an alumnus. “She told me about the classes, all the simulations, how applicable and exciting everything was,” Ana says. “Then, once I started talking to people at the school, I felt Ross was the perfect fit for me. People at Ross are very open, very friendly. What struck me most was when we were going through recruiting, people were coming out of interviews and giving tips like, ‘Make sure you do this. Make sure you say that.’ We were competing for the same job and still helping each other. That is one thing that really defines Ross.”

Eric Satler
MBA 2009
Associate
UBS
New York, N.Y.

2008 was a tempestuous year for Eric, who launched his career switch to finance prior to the economic meltdown. He received a full-time offer from UBS in New York City after interning through the summer in media investment banking. “I felt extremely fortunate, and I know the reason I got the offer is due to what I learned at Ross – all the teamwork, everything,” says Eric. He felt confident in interviews based on the combination of coursework and fieldwork he’d already acquired in his first year. “We got to things earlier, quicker at Ross than other programs,” he says. “The curriculum set me up well. At UBS, I was able to use the experience that I had just gotten from my [Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP)], which was in social media at Microsoft. MAP gave me an edge when it came to strategy and marketing that interns from other programs didn’t have.”

Siddharth Sinha
MBA 2009
Consultant
Bain & Company
Chicago, Ill.

Siddharth is a Los Angeles native who appreciates the Ross School’s active West Coast presence. For his Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP), Siddharth worked for Lion Cells, a Bay Area startup founded by Ross alumnus Jeff Depew, MBA ’81, to advance technology in lithium ion cells. In 2008, Siddharth was co-director of the West Coast Forum, which brought about 150 Ross students together with firms in high tech, investment banking, healthcare, venture capital, energy, and sustainability. “People used to think of business schools as places that fed talent primarily into Wall Street and consulting,” Siddharth says. “While those will always be great career options, the focus of business schools has expanded considerably. They have become portals of innovation with a focus on changing the world. Business is more highly integrated with other fields and disciplines today than ever before. In that realm, U-M sits at the top with so many highly ranked graduate programs across campus.”

Renata Soares
MBA/MS 2009

In researching American MBA programs from her home in Brazil, Renata relied on opinions of trusted faculty. She’d been working in sustainability and wanted to learn more about the field. So she queried her former professors. “They said, ‘You have to go to Michigan because they have the Erb Institute, and that is the best.’ And though I am interested in sustainability, I really like business, so Ross was the perfect choice,” Renata says. “I emailed Professor Gautam Kaul because he teaches sustainable finance. He wrote me right back, and I was thrilled.” Kaul’s passion motivated Renata to join the student-run Wolverine Venture Fund, where Ross MBAs evaluate entrepreneurs and invest in startups. “I knew how to write a business plan, but I wanted to know how to approach an investor and receive funding. It was incredible. We dealt with $3.5 million in real money, and I was surrounded by really bright students.”

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