Tag: alumni

The Non-Traditional MBA Candidate

The following was written by Samantha Frapart, Texas McCombs MBA ’17, and originally posted in June of 2017. 

I thought I couldn’t get into business school. With my double-major in English and Ecology, five years in non-profits, and my natural aversion to words like “Nasdaq” and “synergy,” how could I convince admissions teams that I belonged in their MBA programs? Well, after graduating from McCombs in May of 2017, I’m here to happily debunk one of the greatest myths of business school: The non-traditional candidate.

Contrary to popular belief, business programs aren’t looking for human calculators. They are looking for students eager to foster strong teams, willing to negotiate & compromise, and ready to share diverse perspectives. In management classes, I was able to add a unique viewpoint to discussions on anything from government regulations to corporate social responsibility. Though I looked to my study-team for help with my finance homework, I was able to offer equally important business lessons like proper brief-structure and design thinking.

We all have something to offer, it’s just a matter of figuring out what that is and letting it shine through.

Though I assure you “non-traditional” is a thing of the past, I know this process can feel daunting. So with the Full-Time MBA application currently open for the next class, I’d like to share some helpful tips from my experience (before and during business school) in hopes that it might ease your worries about applying and prepare you for the fantastic two years ahead.

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Texas MBA Love Stories

This post was written by Jolene Ashcraft, Head of Marketing, Texas McCombs MBA Programs.

This Valentine’s Day, we checked in with some of our MBA alumni who found love at McCombs and have tied the knot in the last year. Find out how they met and what they’re up to now.

Michelle Sutton ’16 and Javier Armenteros ’16

Wedding Date: October 21, 2017

Wedding Location: Chapel Hill, NC

How We Met: By chance, we were seated next to each other at the MBA Orientation Banquet on our very first day of the program, but we did not get to know each other well until our second semester when we traveled to Park City, Utah on the Graduate Business Adventure Team (GBAT) Ski Trip and then to South Africa as part of the McCombs Global Connections Study Tour program.

Currently: We live in Dallas, TX, where Michelle is an Associate Brand Manager at Dr Pepper Snapple Group, and Javi is an Associate Finance Manager at PepsiCo Frito Lay. We are both proud Longhorns and are involved in MBA recruiting for our respective companies.

“We loved having such a strong contingent of McCombies at our wedding!”

Christie Sutton ’15 and Patrick McConnell ’15

Wedding Date: October 14, 2017

Wedding Location: San Francisco, CA (We originally planned for Healdsburg in Sonoma County, but due to the Northern California fires, we made a last minute move to San Francisco with the help of many of our McCombs friends.)

How We Met: We met in Austin during one of the McCombs Adventure Program (MAP) Day Trips, which take place before school officially begins. We sat next to each other on the bus to the wine tasting tour in Fredericksburg, TX and were friends from the start.

Currently: We currently live in San Francisco, CA and both work at Apple. Christie works in market development for the Corporate Retail division, and Pat works as a program manager on the new product launch team.

Christie and Pat with MBA classmates at their wedding

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Alumni Spotlight: Blanca Lesmes, Texas Executive MBA ’11

Everyone has something they’re passionate about, and for Blanca Lesmes it’s increasing the accessibility of healthcare to women. Blanca graduated from the Texas Executive MBA Program in 2011 and has used her degree to propel this passion and save the company she co-founded, BB Imaging & Healthcare Consulting, ensuring increased access to ultrasound services for women in the Austin area.

We recently caught up with Blanca to see what she’s up to and to learn about her reasons  #WhyMcCombs.

Why did you decide to pursue an MBA and why did you choose McCombs?

In 2009, my organization was struggling to remain afloat during the recession. I knew that I needed to expand my toolkit to ensure the survival of the company. After visiting a class at McCombs, I knew I wanted to be in an environment that encouraged as much learning from professors as from the talented professionals in the class.

What was the most valuable lesson — inside or outside of the classroom — you learned while completing your MBA?

Oh wow, this is tough. I learned that success in business requires surrounding yourself with amazing people.

How has your McCombs MBA experience helped shape your success?

I have a better understanding of the business cycle. I am incredibly grateful for the network of people I now call my friends. They continue to challenge my assumptions and encourage my personal growth.

Tell us about BB Imaging & Healthcare Consulting. Why did you decide to start this company? What is your role?

BB Imaging & Healthcare Consulting provides ultrasound services and business solutions in healthcare. In 2004, there was a need in the obstetrical market for ultrasound solutions in communities surrounding Austin, this was the impetus for our inception. I am currently the President of the organization. I focus on business development In addition, our organization is a Federal Contractor and my role is to expand into providing consultancy services outside of Texas.

What do you love about your job?

MY TEAM!!! I am so lucky to be able to enjoy the folks I call my team. They are incredibly skilled and masterful at what they do. I couldn’t have imagined working with a kinder bunch.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I am passionate about working to increase accessibility of healthcare to women. Currently, I am on the board of an educational non-profit and a non-profit dedicated to providing women in Malawi (Africa) access to care. I love brainstorming new business ideas and problem solving. On a personal note, I have a tween and a teenager who keep me busy and fulfilled.

What advice do you have for future Texas MBAs?

Just jump! Do not overthink this decision. Many people do what I call “self de-select”. Meaning, applicants don’t even submit applications to the admissions committee because they determine themselves under-qualified. I challenge new candidates to present their best application and attempt this amazing journey. The worst that can happen is not enrolling in the fall which is the same outcome if one doesn’t apply. I say deal with “potential” disappointment and just jump.

Entrepreneurship at McCombs: Austin Startup Week

The McCombs School of Business, ranked #6 for entrepreneurship by U.S. News & World Report, offers many unique resources in one of America’s most innovative cities to prepare students for new business ventures. Many Texas MBA alumni have gone on to run successful startups not only here in Austin, but across the country. Check out some of the companies our awesome alumni have started as we gear up for Austin Start Up Week on October 3, 2016.

Sock Club: Noah Lee, MBA ’16

Sock Club offers a monthly sock subscription and customizable sock designs, with delivery straight to your door. 

  • Founded: 2012sockclub-847b3fcd4214f607a3f5e426e9e175b4
  • Advice to current students: Half the battle is getting started. You will never know if the idea will succeed unless you try it.
  • Favorite part of current position: Every day brings a new challenge.
  • Biggest challenge as an entrepreneur: Finding the time to get everything done and finding good help.
  • How did you and your partner Dane come up with the idea for Sock Club? We read a Forbes article on a subscription sock company that shipped black Italian dress socks, we liked the idea of a reoccurring revenue model, and thought it would be better to do it with colorful socks. Away we went.
  • How did McCombs and the Texas MBA Program help you in running your business? Running a new company requires managing your mistakes and opportunities, and is impacted by how effectively you can react to the results of your economic activity. The Texas MBA Program didn’t necessarily teach me how to do things. It taught me how to think about things and make decisions.

Nicely Noted: Perry Nelson, MBA ’10 

A stationery subscription service that delivers a curated collection of letterpress cards and stamps to your mailbox every month.

  • Founded: 2011xnorsrpc
  • Advice to current MBAs: Take risks while you have the safety net of being in school. You have unique access to almost anyone in the business community by approaching them as a student; take advantage of it.
  • Favorite part of current position: Wearing many hats! Every day is different, and the challenges run the gamut from working with developers, training interns, and pitching press for editorial coverage to assembling the monthly mailing, and more.
  • Biggest challenge as a business owner: Prioritizing and keeping the core value proposition at the forefront of all your efforts.

Beatbox Beverages:  Aimy Steadman, Justin Fenchel, Dan Singer, & Jason Schieck, MBA ’13

A ready-to-drink mixed alcohol beverage, prepared in Austin. 

Justin Fenchel says:beatboxlogo_retina

  • Founded: 2011
  • Advice to current MBA students: Take a chance — you have two years to explore what you really want to do. Try not to get caught up in the chaos of who has a job and who doesn’t. Take the time to find out what you really want to do because you’ll never have a better opportunity.
  • Favorite part of current position: Working doesn’t feel like work.
  • Biggest challenge as an entrepreneur: Stress and fear from starting a business in an industry that we effectively have no experience in.

You’re Invited to McCombs Entrepreneurship Night!

Smart People. Big Ideas. New Connections.

What happens when you combine Austin Startup Week with McCombs’ renowned faculty, world class students and alumni, and Austin’s hottest tech startups? McCombs Entrepreneurship Night!

Come meet successful McCombs entrepreneurs from the Texas MBA and Texas MSTC programs showcasing their startups. You’ll have the opportunity to network with current students, alumni and local entrepreneurs from the growing Austin Startup scene. Join us for discovery, a great time, and complimentary food & drinks.

Register for McCombs Entrepreneurship Night

Meet Us During the ATX Startup Crawl!

The ATX Startup Crawl is a celebration of technology and entrepreneurship in Austin! The Texas MBA Program will be present during the event to answer answer questions and share with you how an MBA degree from The University of Texas at Austin can help you increase your potential and jump start your career.

RSVP today to grab your spot to network with more than 90+ Austin startups and don’t forget to stop by our booth!

Thursday October 6, 2016 5:00pm – 10:00pm
800 Congress Ave, Austin TX 78701

RSVP HERE

Check out more startups started by McCombs alums: http://www.today.mccombs.utexas.edu/2013/12/mccombs-alumni-product-guide

Alumni Spotlight: Maggie Row, Texas MBA at Houston ’07

maggie rowSince graduating from the Texas MBA at Houston Program in 2007, Maggie Row has been helping to provide high-quality cancer care to patients around the world through her work at MD Anderson. Her MBA education provided her with new insights into the healthcare industry, and not only gave her the skills to become a better leader, but a better healthcare provider as well.

 

We recently caught up with Maggie to see what she’s up to and to learn about her reasons  #WhyMcCombs.

What were you doing before you decided to pursue an MBA?

I was the medical director for the Emergency Center at MD Anderson Cancer Center and a practicing emergency oncology physician.

Why did you decide to pursue and MBA and why did you choose McCombs?

Upon completion of my residency in 1994, I decided to pursue an MBA. I always enjoyed business, in fact, I did the accounting for my dad’s business while I was in high school and college. At MD Anderson, I’ve been given many different leadership opportunities and I felt that the additional skills I would gain would help me to be a more effective leader.

I chose McCombs because of the excellence of the program and the opportunity to stay in Houston –the program was literally two blocks from my house.

What was the most valuable lesson — inside or outside of the classroom — you learned while completing your MBA?

Time management. My children were in kindergarten and first grade when I started my program at McCombs and I was also working full-time at MD Anderson. I had to be very disciplined, so I was able to be a mom, while at the same time being a wife, a student and a physician leader.

How has your McCombs MBA experience helped shape your success?

I think a business background is essential for a well-rounded clinician. The knowledge I learned in business school has been useful in every faucet of my job, even with direct patient care. This expansion of my skill set allows me to see medical issues, both business and clinical, from a different viewpoint. The ability to understand the financial and economic aspects of health care decisions has been a valuable asset.

What is your current position at MD Anderson?

I am currently Vice President of Operations for the MD Anderson Cancer Network. Our network works with hospitals and health systems around the world to help provide high-quality cancer care to patients in the communities where they live. In my role, I’m responsible for making sure that the exceptional care we provide here at our Texas Medical Center campus is integrated into our network member sites.

What do you love about your job?

I love that I’m helping cancer patients receive better care by extending the knowledge from MD Anderson to oncologists worldwide.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I spend time with my family – Jim, my husband, and children, Catalina (16) and Billy (15). We are either traveling, running, golfing, going to movies or just hanging out at our pool in Houston.

What advice do you have for future Texas MBAs?

Enjoy your undergraduate experience and learn as much as possible about life and the opportunities available for your future. I didn’t know what I was going to be doing when I graduated from college. Taking the time to work and obtain additional education helped me gain the tools I need to navigate my career.

Alumni Spotlight: Becky Bui, Texas Evening MBA ’09

Since graduating from the Texas Evening MBA Program back in 2009, Becky Bui has joined the team at Facebook and relocated to Dublin, Ireland to head up their Mobile Gaming team for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In the pursuit of taking risks to find success, she co-founded FocalPop, an online marketplace, during her time in the MBA program. Now, when she’s not exploring the world with her family, she’s working on developing Facebook’s business with companies such as Social Point, Game Insight and Pretty Simple.

We recently caught up with Becky to see what she’s up to and to learn about her reasons  #WhyMcCombs.

What were you doing before you decided to pursue an MBA?

I had spent most of my career in advertising agencies, consulting brands on their marketing and advertising strategies.

Why did you decide to pursue and MBA and why did you choose McCombs?

My career had been going well but I felt I needed a more well-rounded view of the business world in order to better understand my clients’ businesses and to open up additional opportunities in the future. McCombs was an obvious choice for an outstanding education as well as access to a strong MBA alumni network. The Texas Evening MBA Program was especially appealing, because I wanted to continue working full-time in Austin while pursuing my MBA. I applied to other programs, but halted the process as soon as I received early acceptance to McCombs!

What was the most valuable lesson — inside or outside of the classroom — you learned while completing your MBA?

The importance of taking risks. I am naturally pretty risk-averse and, in hindsight, I had not grown as quickly in my career because I had always played it safe and avoided failure. At McCombs, I was able to explore the New Venture Creation program and started a company with my classmates, which was an incredible experience. I also watched my classmates regularly take risks with confidence and have pushed myself to do the same ever since.

How has your McCombs MBA experience helped shape your success?

As mentioned, the New Venture Creation program and Texas Venture Labs helped me to launch a start-up called FocalPop coming out of school. This was an incredible learning experience and helped me take an entrepreneurial approach to my work, both professionally and personally. Having the McCombs MBA on my resume also helped me to move into a leadership role at Facebook, an incredible opportunity that likely would not have happened without the Texas MBA.

What have you been doing since getting your MBA? What is your current position?

FB-f-Logo__blue_512For the majority of my time since getting my MBA I’ve worked in leadership positions within the Global Marketing Solutions group at Facebook. I spent four years leading retail and eCommerce teams in the U.S. and the last year leading the Mobile Gaming team for EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa).

What do you love about your job?

There are many things I love about my job, but if I have to narrow it down to a few:

1. I love working for a company that is having an incredible impact on the world. When I started, Facebook had around 700 million monthly active users and now we have nearly 1.7 billion.
2.
I have really enjoyed being on the front-lines of a fundamental shift in marketing, particularly in the mobile space.
3.
In the last year I’ve had the opportunity to live abroad, travel to 20+ countries, and truly learned how to conduct business with a global lens.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I enjoy exploring the world with my husband, Ben, and my three-year-old, Berkeley. (And soon a baby boy will join the adventure!) Together, we started the Dublin chapter of Little Helpers, a service organization for families, so we spend time planning service events and volunteering with the kids. I also just launched a podcast in order to highlight stories of successful female leaders. It’s called She’s a Boss Podcast and is available on iTunes and the Stitcher Radio App. Follow the show on Facebook to be informed of new shows or to suggest more amazing women I should feature.

What advice do you have for future Texas MBAs?

Make time to invest in relationships with your professors and classmates. Your network will always be important throughout your career and the Texas MBA Program provides a unique opportunity to form relationships with a diverse group of talented people. Take advantage of it and make the effort to stay connected after your graduate.

Alumni Spotlight: Justin Key, Texas MBA ’16

Despite having just walked the stage two months ago, recent Texas MBA graduate Justin Key is already well on his way to leaving his mark on the tech world. Prior to his time at McCombs, Justin had an idea for an app that would allow friends to compete against each other while watching Netflix by answering trivia questions pertaining to a specific show or movie. As a part of the Class of 2016, Justin was able to make Plot Guru a reality. AAEAAQAAAAAAAAR4AAAAJDRmZGE5Zjc3LWI1YjctNGViYi1hMGZhLTJmOGQ3ZjUwZmRkOAHe and the rest of the Plot Guru team launched the app in November 2015 and have already had tremendous success. In order to continue to develop his entertainment tech skills, Justin recently made the move to Seattle, WA to embark on a new exciting adventure and join the team at Amazon.

We recently caught up with him to see what he’s been up to since graduation and to learn about his reasons  #WhyMcCombs.

Why did you decide to pursue an MBA and why did you choose McCombs?

After six years in consulting I was ready for a change. I had been working on a startup idea on the side for some time, and was looking for a program where I could pursue a top-tier graduate education while also pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors. I found the experiential opportunities at McCombs to be just what I was looking for. After visiting the campus and getting a sense for the student culture I was hooked – no pun intended!

What were you doing before you came to McCombs for your MBA?

I was a strategy consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers for about six years. I spent the latter three years based in their Zurich, Switzerland office, and was based in Washington, D.C. prior to that.

What was the most valuable lesson — inside or outside of the classroom — you learned while completing your MBA?

Two things: The value of hands-on experience and the importance of networking. Both are instrumental in getting a job and succeeding once you’re there.

How has your McCombs MBA experience helped shape your success?

The MBA Program gave me the opportunity to explore new career paths, including entrepreneurship, while I was still in school. The classroom experience was important, but the opportunities that McCombs gave me outside the classroom really helped prepare me for the next stage in my career.

Tell us a little bit about Plot Guru. How did you come up with the idea for it?

Plot Guru is all about making the television-viewing experience more interactive. Our app syncs with the show you’re viewing online and sends you games and trivia in real-time based on what you’re watching on-screen. The idea for Plot Guru started during a weekly gathering of friends to watch one of our favorite shows. Before the episode started we would always compete to see who could guess what would happen next in the show. At some point my wife suggested, “What if we made a game out of this?” The rest is history.

What is your role at Amazon and what will you be working on?

AmazonVideoDirect_200I recently started a new job as a Sr. Product Manager at Amazon. I’m working on a new platform called Amazon Video Direct, which is a self-service program for content creators, such as independent film makers, to make their content available to stream online through Amazon Video. I’m really excited to use my experience in strategy, technology and entertainment to help small film producers get their content in front of millions of viewers on Amazon Video.

What else have you been up to since you graduated from McCombs, outside of work?

I’ve been pretty busy with the move up to Seattle, starting the new job and continuing to work on Plot Guru in my spare time. Besides all that, I always make time for travel. In the past couple months I’ve visited seven states and two countries!

What advice do you have for future Texas MBAs?

Figure out what you’re interested in and get as much hands-on experience in that area as possible! Take on MBA+ projects, fellowships, internships, and independent studies. You’ll never have a better chance to try out new things like you will during your time at McCombs.

Exploring Career Paths with Texas MBA Career Management

From Michelle Hardy, Director of MBA Employer & Alumni Engagement

Each year, Texas MBA Career Management leads Treks to various cities to visit the main offices of different companies, giving students a great opportunity to learn more about their industry of interest and allowing them to become more familiar with the culture at these companies. Visits typically consist of presentations, Q&A sessions, and numerous opportunities for networking with alumni and executive management.

Texas MBA students at the Google corporate office during the 2015 Bay Area Trek.

Texas MBA students at the Google corporate office during the 2015 Bay Area Trek

I have been on the Texas MBA Career Management team since 2007. My first role was as a Career Advisor for the  Texas Full-Time MBA program. On my second day of work, I found myself on a plane to San Jose, California with 30 students from the Class of 2009 for a Bay Area Trek. That was one of two treks planned in that school year–the other was a fall trek to New York City for Wall Street Investment Banking and Financial Services. Fast forward to Spring 2016: I am now on the MBA Employer Relations team (formed in 2010) and we have planned 15 student Career Treks for the 2015-2016 school year.

Clearly, we have seen a lot of change in the past eight years. One of the biggest trends has been an enormous increase in student career interest in the West Coast. When I started at McCombs, 9% of our graduates landed jobs on the West Coast–we’ve nearly doubled that percentage with the class of 2014! Interest in technology companies has exploded, making it a large area of focus for our Employer Relations team.

Complementing those two trends, West Coast tech companies have been opening offices and/or growing their corporate presence in Austin i.e., Facebook, Google, Apple, Cisco Systems, eBay, PayPal, VMware and Electronic Arts just to name a few. We continue to build our relationships with these firms, as well as seeking new opportunities.

We have also seen every facet of student interest in entrepreneurship increase, from coming into the program already running a firm, or founding a company in business school, to working at a startup or fast growing company post-graduation.

Texas MBA Students at the Intel Corporate Office as part of the 2015 Bay Area Trek

Texas MBA students at the Intel corporate office during the 2015 Bay Area Trek

In response, we have created many unique opportunities for MBA students to network with and connect to the startup community. We now host a biannual McCombs Entrepreneurship Night, which showcases startups founded by McCombs MBA students and/or alumni.

That event is held in conjunction with Austin Startup Week in the fall and during SXSW Interactive in the spring. We capitalize on SXSW, hosting a student-run booth during the SXSW trade show, allowing those students access to the 400+ companies showcased during the week-long event. The contacts we make during these events are invited to our Entrepreneur Society (ES) events during the school year, such as the Pitch Party in the Fall and ES Connex in the spring, a networking night for local startups looking to hire interns or full-time candidates.

The one thing that holds true across my tenure with the Texas MBA is the importance of our alumni as the key to companies opening their doors to our students.

We created a new team last year under the MBA Employer Relations umbrella to focus on MBA alumni engagement with both current and prospective students. We have come a long way and are excited about the future employment opportunities that await our Texas MBAs!

The Texas MBA Career Treks scheduled for the 2016-2016 school year include:

Texas

Houston Energy Finance
Houston CleanTech
Houston Investment Banking (Twice!)
Houston Consulting

Dallas Marketing
Dallas Consulting
Dallas Asset Management

Austin Marketing
Austin Asset Management
Austin Startup
Austin Big Tech

New York

New York Investment Banking

California

Bay Area

Washington

Seattle

Texas MBA at Mexico City Alumni Spotlight

The internationally-ranked Texas Executive MBA at Mexico City Program is a part-time, two year program designed for mid-career professionals and executives who want to stay close to home, but still earn a U.S. MBA. This dual-degree program awards an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s of Administration from Tecnológico de Monterrey – Campus Santa Fe.

Daniel Galvan DuqueAlumni Spotlight: Daniel Galvan Duque

A recent graduate from the Texas Executive MBA at Mexico City Program, Daniel Galvan Duque, has worked his way up through PepsiCo Mexico. As the Senior Marketing Manager for the Gatorade division in Mexico, Daniel is in charge of building and executing the strategic marketing plan for the sports brand. By conducting data analysis on consumers’ behavior and market trends, Daniel and his team develop the marketing campaigns that we are exposed to in our day-to-day. However, Daniel did not start his career on the Gatorade account.

In the beginning stages, Daniel worked on the bottler side of the business, working on implementing marketing activities in the field. His time on that side of the business “was interesting and educational” as he began “to understand the difficulties of implementing a marketing strategy at the consumers’ touch points,” Daniel recalls. Moving forward in his career, Daniel was given the opportunity to manage the marketing strategy for the Pepsi brand. This was especially challenging and exhilarating for him as he implemented his strategy in Mexico against large and tough competitors. Excelling in this position brought Daniel to where he is now, Gatorade, the perfect fit for our sports-loving alumni.

What was the most valuable lesson — inside or outside of the classroom — you learned while completing your MBA?
I loved the fact that there were a lot of smart people in the classes and that the weaknesses of some were the strengths of others and vice-versa. I was able to understand how important it is to work with the right people. You really do not need to know everything, you just need to make sure you are in a group of people that complement each other and the results can be amazing.

How has your McCombs MBA experience helped shape your success?
I think McCombs gave me a higher level view of business, it gave me perspective. I am much more capable of having more senior conversations with top management, which is really beginning to put me more in the spotlight. I still need to continue working on becoming a better advocate, but I do strongly believe that the program helped shape me into a better leader and a more balanced businessman.

What was your favorite memory of Austin Intensive?
I really enjoyed all of the intensives. It was a glimpse of living the Austin life. I always wished they lasted longer or that there was one every semester instead of just once every year. From walking around the 40 Acres to hitting the Gregory Gymnasium for an early run, from the case competition that kept us awake until 4:00 a.m., to going for a burger at Hopdoddy on South Congress. I would do it again anytime!

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