Maria Arnold
MBA 2011
Associate Marketing Manager
The Clorox Co.
Oakland, Calif.

With a bachelor’s degree from U-M, Maria knows the power of the Michigan network. When she was seeking a job in the sports industry, she contacted the board of the U-M Alumni Club of Boston, near several key companies. Among the responses was a Law School alum, putting her in touch with a client who was a VP at Reebok. The connection ultimately opened the door to a full-time offer. When Maria began looking at MBA programs, she knew the academics would be comparable at any top 10 school. “The people would be the real differentiator,” she says. “I knew the people at Michigan are the ones you can call 20 years after graduation.” At Ross, Maria continued to see alumni involved in the job search process through corporate recruiting. “The vast majority of recruiters at Ross are alumni. That really shows the strength of the Michigan network — people want Ross alumni working with them because they know the caliber of talent,” she says. The alumni network hits even closer to home: Three of Maria’s brothers graduated from Ross (Thomas, MBA ’01, Mark, MBA ’02, and John, MBA ’03).

Roxann Belle
MBA 2011
Assistant Brand Manager
S.C. Johnson & Son Inc.
Racine, Wis.

Roxann sees many similarities between her previous career as a highway engineer and her newfound interest in brand management. “Both are focused on an end-user,” she says. “I’m trying to figure out their needs so I can make their lives better.” Brand management wasn’t even on Roxann’s radar until she started thinking about business school, but she received multiple offers from top companies thanks to a successful internship at General Mills Inc. Her role as co-chair of the speed networking event during Ross’ annual Marketing Symposium helped position her with recruiters. “To come in as a first-year student and have access to all these companies was amazing,” Roxann says. “It really helped get my name out there.” When she visited Ross during the UpClose diversity preview weekend, Roxann appreciated how current students got their name out to her. She co-chaired the event in 2010 because it made such an impact on her own decision to enroll. “Everyone was so friendly and helpful,” she says. “I knew I would need that kind of support since I was moving so far away from my family in California and entering a new career field.”

Andrew Burgess
MBA/MEM 2011
Program Manager
The Boeing Co.
Seattle, Wash.

An engineer by training, Andrew wanted to learn the business side of his field. But when he decided he wasn’t ready to completely forego technical training, the Tauber Institute for Global Operations was the perfect fit. “Only a few schools offer a formalized program in engineering and business, and some were too regimented for my liking,” he says. “I loved the flexibility that the program at Michigan offered.” Part of that flexibility lies in the backgrounds of his fellow dual-degree students. “In the Tauber Institute, students can tailor the direction of their studies within the scope of operations,” Andrew says. “It allows people from all backgrounds to bring their experiences to the table, which enriches everyone’s education.” Andrew also valued his experience at BorgWarner through the institute’s summer project program. Although his project was based in North Carolina, Andrew spent the majority of the summer spanning the globe — from Europe to China to India and back again — as he examined ways to bring cast iron or cast aluminum products from Asia to European manufacturing sites. His team found annual savings of more than $1 million for the firm. “It was action-based learning at its finest,” he says.

Josianne Caceres
MBA 2011
Finance Manager, Food & Beverage Division APLA (Asia Pacific Latin America)
Ecolab Inc.
Minneapolis, Minn.

“I was amazed that Ross professors could teach strategy based largely on class discussion,” says Josianne, who was used to the lecture-based format of her native Peru. “It created a dynamic educational environment.” She put the new way of learning to the test in the school’s signature Multidisciplinary Action Projects (MAP) course, which took her outside the classroom to consult on an actual business issue for a sponsoring firm. For seven weeks, Josianne worked with a team on a healthcare project that delivered insights into an entirely new function, industry, and culture. “MAP took me out of my comfort zone in every possible way,” she says. “I had no background in healthcare, and my teammates were all American.” The students traveled to Spain, which further enhanced Josianne’s cross-cultural experience. “I learned to work with the beliefs, values, and deadlines of my American teammates, which sometimes were very different from mine.” Josianne knows the added experience will help her adjust to life in the working world. “Many American companies are growing rapidly on an international basis,” she says. “They really value perspectives like mine.”

Zeynab Diakite
MBA 2011
Senior Consultant
Deloitte Consulting LLP
Chicago, Ill.

“Clubs at Ross are something where the sum is greater than its parts,” says Zeynab, who participated in the Finance, Consulting, and Emerging Markets clubs, as well as the Black Business Students Association. And when this Cote D’Ivoire native identified a gap in Ross’ club roster, she helped start the African Business Club. “At Ross, we’re all business leaders, but individuality isn’t suppressed,” she says. Collaboration between clubs at Ross is common, and Zeynab soon saw how topics of interest to the Emerging Markets Club might influence the Marketing Club or Michigan Business Women. Experiencing that interplay helped Zeynab merge her own interests in finance with base of the pyramid (BoP) issues. “Being from what’s considered a frontier country, I was interested in Ross professors’ work with BoP before I even applied,” she says. Zeynab’s internship in global treasury at Eli Lilly opened doors to several full-time offers that combined her interests. “I got tapped by companies just because they saw that internship on my resume.”

Colm Fay
MBA/MS 2012

“I was attracted to Ross because it offers an environment that nurtures innovation and collaboration,” says Colm, a dual-degree student in the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise. Erb links Ross with U-M’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. It’s the ideal place for this Ireland native to leverage his love of natural resources into a full-time career. But Colm says he didn’t fully grasp how the drive of his fellow students would enrich his experience until he arrived on campus. He partnered with Cynthia Koenig, MBA/MS ’11, to launch Wello, a nonprofit social venture focused on increasing access to potable water in developing countries. Wello manufactures and distributes the WaterWheel, a rolling barrel that makes it easier to transport large amounts of water over long distances. To secure funding for the startup, Colm and his partners competed in the Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition, where they won the Global Health Award. They also were one of the winners of the Dow Sustainability Challenge and earned the Social Impact Award at the Michigan Business Challenge. “You can’t just measure your Ross experience by credit hours,” Colm says. “There’s so much here that happens in the ether because of the interconnectivity of the students. That’s one of the most valuable aspects for me.”

Daria Izvarina
MBA 2011
Consultant
Bain & Co.
Moscow, Russia

Daria remembers one aspect of life at an American business school that was quite different from her home in Moscow — networking. “To foreigners,” she says, “it seemed like theater: all these people surrounding these interviewers, trying to ask questions.” She worked with coaches in the Office of Career Development and the Consulting Club, and ultimately networked her way into a full-time position. “It’s about developing your communication skills and being more eager to present yourself,” Daria says. “It was a challenging but useful skill to develop.” Daria also cultivated her leadership skills during her time at Ross, which again caused her to shift cultural paradigms. “In Russia, it’s not common to work in teams, especially at school. I used to be focused on my own position, but after working in Ross’ collaborative environment, I understand how important it is to look at a problem from different perspectives. I now see there are no simple problems and simple solutions, and a variety of perspectives produces the best option.” She appreciated that other international students at Ross were navigating similar situations. “Ross is such a multicultural place,” says Daria. “I have friends from all over the world, and they enriched my experience with their insights. It broadens my perspective for my career and beyond.”

Mark Jensen
MBA 2011
Assistant Developer
The NRP Group
Cleveland, Ohio

“The core of action-based learning,” says Mark, “is seeing a void, sensing an opportunity, and making things happen.” That’s how this former president of the Ross Real Estate Club came to help launch the inaugural Revitalization and Business Conference in January 2011. He aligned with other U-M students who shared his interest in urban renewal, and together they created a two-day event that kicked off in downtown Detroit. “We wanted to showcase the innovation and new businesses being created in the city,” Mark says. Ever the advocate, Mark went one step further to initiate a stipend program at Ross that supports real estate internships. “Real estate is not a typical internship track at Ross, and we argued that a school-matched program would go a long way toward selling companies on hiring interns,” he notes. Ross invested $25,000 in the program, which was matched by companies to fund 10 internships in 2011. “There aren’t too many other business schools that would be receptive to making something like this happen so quickly.”

John Leu
MBA 2011
New Business Development Manager
Google Inc.
New York, N.Y.

“When you first see how many smart, ambitious people are at Ross, you’re shocked,” John says. “But once you realize you can be just as successful, it inspires a lot of self-confidence.” That confidence convinced John to serve as team leader of his Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP) for Leo Pharma A/S. The team surveyed doctors in six Asian countries to formulate a market entry strategy. For John, directing and motivating his peers “helped me build relationships while delivering results, which is what I’ll need to do throughout my career.” John worked for Google Inc. prior to Ross, and he returned after graduation to join the company’s new business development team in New York. The company may have been the same, but new business development was a completely new function for him. He decided to pursue that path after building even more relationships — this time, with alumni experts in the field. “When alumni overwhelmingly say they love Ross, you start to wonder,” John says. “But all the alumni I spoke to were so helpful. As an alum, I’ll definitely pay that back over time.”

Chad Marchewka
MBA 2011
Senior Financial Analyst, Merchant Services
Amazon.com Inc.
Seattle, Wash.

Managing millions of dollars is a high-stakes proposition, and it’s one Chad eagerly embraced as a member of the Wolverine Venture Fund (WVF), part of the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies. The student-led investment fund celebrated a record $2 million exit in 2010 and now has $5.5 million under management. As a member of the WVF, Chad evaluated deals, performed due diligence, and identified which startups to fund. “Many people wouldn’t even get this experience in the real world, since venture capital is such a challenging field to enter,” he says. The knowledge he gained as a leader on the fund’s clean tech team is sure to pay dividends throughout his career. “I learned to examine the whole business model to critique an investment. That’s important whether I’m in venture capital, entrepreneurship, or inside a company allocating resources.” Chad landed a full-time job at Amazon with guidance from Ross’ Office of Career Development (OCD). He also mentored fellow MBA students as an OCD peer counselor. “Going through the process turns you into an expert in a short amount of time. It was gratifying to lead others down the path that’s right for them,” says Chad.

Trang Pham
MBA 2011
Equity Analyst
Fortress Investment Group
Singapore

MBAs aren’t common in Trang’s native Vietnam — which is why she wanted one. “I knew I must differentiate myself from the talented people in Vietnam’s financial sector,” she says. Ross’ focus on strategy will set Trang apart by giving her a broader perspective, something she experienced during her internship at Fullerton Fund in Singapore. “I still look at companies and valuate them. But now I don’t just look at numbers; I look at strategy to make sense of those numbers,” she says. Trang was determined to look at the big picture of what Ross offered as well. She joined the Toastmasters Club, volunteered on the M-Trek core team, and served as VP for the annual Asia Business Conference (ABC). “ABC is valuable even if you’re not interested in doing business in Asia,” Trang says. “Because Asia is growing so rapidly, you may someday compete with an Asian firm or have a contract with an Asian company.” She also enjoyed Ann Arbor. “People were so nice — from a stranger giving me an umbrella when I got stuck in the rain to a neighbor’s help when moving in. It made life away from home much easier.”

Anthony Woodward
MBA 2011
International Business Development Specialist
Medtronic Inc.
Miami, Fla.

Anthony worked in healthcare strategy for the U.S. Army before Ross, integrating the care of wounded soldiers into combat and operations plans. “In Iraq, I saw healthcare in its extreme,” he says. “I liked making an impact.” When Anthony arrived on campus, he customized his MBA experience to further pursue healthcare. While interning at Medtronic Inc., he was pleased to discover that a customer for his product line was the army medical center near his former base. Anthony now is in a rotational program through Medtronic’s Latin America office, and says he likes knowing his new career will continue to support the armed forces. At Ross, he also supported his fellow students — as VP of corporate relations for the Healthcare and Life Science Club and as a career counselor for the Office of Career Development. The roles showed him both sides of the recruiting picture, as he heard students’ perspectives on what they’re seeking in an employer and vice versa. “I was a mediator between the two groups,” Anthony says. “That allowed me to strengthen relationships and improve hiring within the healthcare community at Ross.”