Humans of Tepper

Welcome to another episode of Humans of Tepper with your hosts, Ben and Kara. Joining us today is Erik Steeb, a full-time, second-year MBA student and classmate. Erik grew up just outside Minneapolis, MN, and studied at UCLA. He joined the Marine Corps right out of college and worked in supply chain and financial management in North Carolina.

He also gained an Energy Policy degree part-time before deciding to break into the energy industry. Erik focused on schools that offer strong energy and electricity programs, and Tepper has an energy business track as well as a close integration with the CMU Scott Institute. He describes a track as a group of classes within a specific core curriculum and allows you to structure your degree around a specific interest area.

At Tepper, there are five different tracks: Business Analytics, Energy Business; Entrepreneurship; Technology Management and Strategy; and Management, Innovation, and Project Development. Each allows students to take classes and connect with professors in those specific areas. In addition, the amount of collaboration and cross-listed courses means you're able to meet students from outside the business school in some classes. For example, Erik has worked with students studying subjects like Electrical Engineering in classes designated as part of his Energy Business Track.

His favorite part about studying a track is that you're able to take classes that might otherwise be outside of your degree and make connections with Ph.D. students as well as peers from other programs. Erik encourages prospective students to do considerable research into the schools they're considering and not focus solely on the rankings or job numbers. Meet and talk to current students and professors to get an idea of the environment and curriculum. You can go anywhere from any school, so the best place for you is the place you'll fit in best.

What You Will Learn:

1. Background on Erik and what brought him to

Welcome to another episode of Humans of Tepper with your hosts, Ben and Kara. Joining us today, Kimberly Chan is a part-time, online, hybrid MBA student and Class of 2022. Beyond being a student at Tepper, Kim is an avid learner, and she applies that curiosity to everything she does in life. That curiosity is what ultimately led her to pivot her career from Operations into the Marketing Field.

One thing that drove her to Tepper was the location. She worked several years in a position that involved a lot of travel, and she enjoyed that time seeing much of the world. However, she missed out on a lot of family milestones. She needed a school where she could go part-time, keep her job, stay close to her family, and be part of a program where she'd get the best experience. The people who go to Tepper are serious about getting to know one another and building relationships. There is such dedication to learning at Tepper, which Kim didn't see in many other schools.

Kim wanted a program that would allow her to continue to work, and that's what she found most attractive about Tepper's part-time programs. You're remote most of the semester, but you come to campus once every few months for Access Weekend. During that time, no matter what class you're in, everyone comes together on campus to attend courses and spend time getting to know each other. Kim has had great interactions remotely, but nothing beats having the ability to meet face-to-face.

Kim is also the First Marketing Officer of the part-time GBA. The Graduate Business Association, or GBA, works as a conduit for the students and staff administration and acts as a voice for part-time students within Tepper. Being on the board means making recommendations as to how the school can improve the experience of their part-time students. In prior years, the part-time program was a lot smaller, and when Kim came into her role on the board, it was clear they needed a lot more representatives to act as the voice and bridge the gap between part-time students, full-time students, and faculty.

Lastly, Kim advises incoming students to say "yes" more often. Tepper is a great place to be and will present you with a lot of opportunities. Of course, you won't be able to say yes to all of them, but try to say yes to as many as you can. You'll meet a lot of people who will surprise you, and you'll find yourself doing things you never thought you'd ever do.

What You Will Learn:

1. Background on Kimberly Chan and what drew her to Tepper
2. How the Graduate Business Association works to represent part-time students
3. How to make the most out of your Tepper experience

Welcome back to the Humans of Tepper Podcast. Joining hosts Ben and Kara this week Pete Park and Alejandra Rovirosa to talk about the Ninety-Nine Tartans. Pete is originally from New Jersey. Like Ben, he received his undergraduate degree from Syracuse University. He started in healthcare consulting before coming to Tepper for his MBA. Alejandra was born in Miami, Florida, and attended Boston University for undergrad. She started in insurance, focusing on equity-backed businesses.

Ninety-Nine Tartans was founded in 2017 by Rob Myer. Their mission is to find CMU-founded startups and connect them to alumni for mentorship, and, to date, there are over 240 alumni who are part of the group. Kara compares it to Tepper's version of Shark Tank! Companies looking to connect can fill out an application on the group's website and meet with an MBA partner to discuss their work and timeline. The minimum requirement is that there's a full-time CMU affiliate on the team. There is an investor application as well. The group looks at industries from across the board and has unique investors from many different backgrounds.

What really attracted Pete to Ninety-Nine Tartans is the amount of autonomy you have as a member in interacting with alumni and mentors interested in the group. MBA is known for its ability to establish a network, and Ninety-Nine Tartans is just another way to do that. The exposure to different industries is really unparalleled, and the avenues to different career options are opened. Alejandra came in a little later, in her second year, and was really drawn to the opportunity the group offered.

The whole concept of MBA students running Ninety-Nine Tartans is actually fairly new and operated a lot like a startup company in itself. It took problem-solving and thinking proactively to figure out how to operate optimally. Moving forward, Pete is very excited to see what they're able to build upon the foundation they've established. Alejandra is also excited to hone in on how to better meet their investors' needs and actively look for startups instead of relying on applications.

The diversity within the group is a fantastic aspect. Alejandra advises to come in with an open mind and go for it in terms of advice for incoming students. When she first started her MBA, she didn't realize how many opportunities were out there that she would have missed had she not been open to exploring them. Try out different activities, see what you like, and see what works. Pete also advises prospective students to check out the club fairs held at many colleges to explore what's out there and what might interest them.

What You Will Learn:

1. What drew Pete and Alejandra to pursue their MBA at Tepper.
2. What the mission of Ninety-Nine Tartans is.
3. What the Ninety-Nine Tartans has to offer CMU-affiliated startups and investors.

Welcome back to the Humans of Tepper Podcast. Joining hosts Ben(He/Him) and Kara(She/Her) this week is Kovi Shlomchik (They/Them), full-time MBA candidate at Tepper School of Business. Kovi is from Connecticut originally, studied in Chicago, and has a background in the medical field. They really wanted to pursue outside of pharmaceuticals, which ultimately led them to Tepper.

Kovi has a big interest in health tech. They already lived in Pittsburgh when they applied to Tepper and the idea of staying local in their "goldilocks city" was a huge draw for Them. They're on the leadership team for the graduate business associate and acts as the diversity, equity, and inclusion officer. GBA is an elected student body government and is the bridge between students and administration. Their role is to help the student body and connect them to as many resources as possible. Kovi's role as diversity inclusion officer means being a support system for students of all backgrounds and takes part in mixers and dinners.

They believe that it's important for ally clubs to come to the forefront because it's a huge deciding factor for many people. Knowing that genuine people are looking to connect is one of the biggest reasons Kovi decided on Tepper. They are very active in LGBTQ+ clubs where people can ask genuine questions and can get genuine responses. The support and sense of community found at Tepper are very special, and Kovi is looking forward to in-person events.

Kovi advises prospective students to follow their gut when choosing a business program. They love the support they can offer and the support they can get from their classmates. Doing your search and knowing what's important to you while looking at schools will help pick a school that's the best fit for you.

What You Will Learn:

1. What led Kovi to pursue an MBA at Tepper
2. A look at the LGBTQ+ social clubs at Tepper that allow students to connect with like-minded individuals.
3. How student-elected boards work to bridge the gap between students and administration

Welcome to another episode of Humans of Tepper with your hosts, Ben and Kara. Today, joining us is Justin VanNoy, a full-time MBA candidate. Justin is from Atlanta and has a background in healthcare. He studied business for his undergrad. After graduating, he went to New York City to focus on marketing and advertising. After several years of working, Justin decided to broaden his horizons and decided to look to Tepper to get him there.

Growing up, Justin's parents were very into traveling, and so throughout his teenage and college years, his family vacations took him all over the world. Justin talks about the scholarship program at Tepper that was born from alumni at his previous college. Another big part of coming to Tepper was the MLT program, which links students to fellow, like-minded individuals.

The commitment to diversity at Tepper and to continue to improve upon that diversity is very impressive. The amount of not only support but the importance of having allies. The clubs focus on bringing in those allies and not just sectioning themselves off into one group. Justin's program works a lot with other schools, such as Harvard's African Business School and Forum, to put on various cultural fairs. Black History Month is another opportunity to highlight current students at Tepper and host various mixers.

Justin reflects on how crucial it is to spend time with your second-year student while they're here because people come in and out at different intervals, whether to graduate or to study abroad. You never know who you'll meet or the wealth of knowledge they have to offer. He also encourages prospective students choosing a business school to look at the school rankings and see why they're at the rank they are. It can be a very lonely ride, so taking the initiative to connect with like-minded individuals will help immensely. When you come to business school, you should already have a list of your focus. It'd all about the mindset you have while you're there.

What You Will Learn:

1. Background on Tepper MBA Candidate Justin VanNoy and what led him to study at Tepper.
2. How dedicated Tepper is to diversity and what clubs are available to support the POC community
3. Advice for prospective students considering going for their MBA in business

Welcome to another episode of Humans of Tepper with your hosts, Ben and Kara. Today, joining us is Catarina Oberlander, a full-time MBA candidate finishing up her first year at Tepper. Catarina did her first semester remotely in Brazil before moving to Pittsburgh to finish her second semester. For the last six years, Catarina has worked in the tech industry in Brazil, mostly as a data scientist. She also has some background in social and digital marketing. She always knew she wanted to pursue an MBA, and while working in Brazil, she always felt like she wanted to do something bigger and better.

She was looking for a program that would help her grow more in her industry and knew Tepper would be a perfect fit. What drew her to Tepper was the dual focus on analytics and leadership development. She also is a big fan of the food in Pittsburgh. Catarina talks to a lot of prospective students looking to study internationally. She always advises them to first look at their long-term goals and how attending business school will fit them. It's important to look at the schools individually, their focuses, where their strengths and values lie and see if it aligns with those goals.

One thing that drew Catarina to Tepper was the smaller class sizes. Looking at the statistics of each school, surveying each school's website, and reaching out to past or current students can give you a good idea of what the school is like. She knew from the very beginning that she wanted to get very involved with the clubs on campus. She is president of TWIP (Tepper Women in Business) and very involved in the Marketing Club. In terms of club events, Catarina highly recommends the leadership conference held by TWIB, which is a full-day event with a ton of alumni that come to speak. She's also a big fan of the smaller, more intimate events.

All the clubs offer some form of internships, so it's helpful to get a mentor or point of contact to help walk you through the more nuanced aspects of the school and get you on the track you want to be on. Catarina moved from Brazil with her husband and is also involved in the Tepper Partner's Club, which is a great resource to anyone coming to Tepper both domestically and internationally to help connect your partner with others who have been in similar situations. They're great for connecting you with almost any resource you need, even for simple things like finding a dentist, since the experience can be quite difficult for both partners.

What You Will Learn:

1. Background information on second-year MBA Catarina and Tepper will help hone her skillset to reach her future goals.
2. What coming to Tepper internationally is like and advice for prospective international students
3. A close look at several clubs available at Tepper and what each of them has to offer.

Welcome to a new season of the Humans of Tepper Podcast with cohosts Ben Fontana and Kara Buggy. Ben and Kara are MBA class of 2022 students, and our guest is Chris Szymanski. Chris is a part-time MBA student at Tepper as well as on active duty in the Navy. Chris graduated from United States Naval Academy in 2015. His undergraduate degree is in engineering, but he couldn't see himself doing that for the rest of his life. He changed paths to learning about nuclear power before working on nuclear reactors worldwide during his deployment. After deployment, he decided to pursue his MBA.

What really stood out about Tepper to Chris was the part-time program being the same as the online program, which offered him flexibility. The staff and faculty are also very willing to work with students to meet their needs. Chris found the access weekends and camaraderie it opened with other students very surprising and not something he was expecting. The courses give a great base knowledge, despite how much work they can be. The courses are scheduled for different times at night, which allows for flexibility no matter where students are located. Faculty is very accommodating, whether it be for time changes or extensions for assignments.

Chris attributes his work in the military to giving him the ability to work with people from different backgrounds. It gives a unique ability to "speak another person's language" because many of these peers are international. Working in the Navy has also done wonders for Chris's time management. The more senior you get in the military, the more you become a teacher to those coming in.

The Tepper Veteran's Association provides a unique mix of veterans from different backgrounds. It's a great place to network, exploring new ideas, and overall creating camaraderie that is much needed after transitioning out of the military. They will help translate your military skills into business and civilians skills in your resume and interviews. Business school is a great way to transfer out of the military because it helps translate and build your leadership skills to a new environment. Business school also opens up so many doors later on. Chris invites anyone looking to transition to business school to reach out to them through their Tepper Veteran's Association website.

You Will Learn:

1. Chris Szymanski's background in the military and how it led him to Tepper Business school
2. Why business school is a great option for people looking to transition out of the military
3. How Tepper offers flexibility and resources to part-time students

Welcome back to the Humans of Tepper Podcast, a show about the MBA experience at Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business. Cynthia and Rohit will be transitioning the show over to two new co-hosts, Ben and Kara. Kara is a Pittsburgh native. She studied business management and, from there, started working in market research and healthcare companies. Ben is originally from Upstate New York and studied broadcast journalism at Syracuse University with dreams of breaking into sports broadcasting. Eventually, he transitioned into digital marketing before moving on to study at Tepper.

Kara wasn't entirely sure how or when she'd pursue her MBA, and Cynthia asks what inspired her to finally make the jump. Kara explains there's so much experience to obtain from working in the real world, and she wanted to ensure she was getting the most out of her MBA. It mostly came down to when she felt ready.

Tepper's community really jumped out to Ben and the exposure to diversity and different backgrounds it offered. He really appreciates the ability to form a community, despite the hybrid experience of online and in-person classes. The amount of support he's received from peers and staff has been phenomenal. Kara agrees, stating that it played a surprisingly massive role in her recruiting journey. Kara is also looking forward to working with the marketing and healthcare club boards. Community and club involvement form the backbone of Temper and provide excellent opportunities for networking and experience.

Ben will be taking over as marketing club president. He plans to continue exposing the club to companies that use marketing as a core function. Many of those companies are local, so there are many opportunities to go to those businesses and show classmates how marketing works on a ground level. In-person events are something he's looking forward to next year, and he is excited to impact the next class coming in.

Cynthia asks Ben and Kara what brought them over as co-hosts to the Humans of Tepper Podcast. There might be instances where students can't be in-person, and Kara has experienced many challenges with experiencing the culture of Temper without being there firsthand. This podcast allows her to bridge that gap and do a deep dive into that culture. For Ben, it stems from his radio background and that it's something he can have fun with. He also wants to encourage other students with his story and remind them that every path is unique.

What You Will Learn:

1. Background on Ben and Kara, the Humans of Tepper Podcast's two new co-hosts
2. What sets the community of Tepper apart
3. What goals, aspirations, and impacts Ben and Kara hope to achieve

Welcome back to Humans of Tepper, the student-run podcast focusing on real stories from students and alumni of the Tepper MBA program. Today, hosts Cynthia and Rohit talk with second-year MBA student Blaine Dunham. Blaine is a student who comes from a career in electrical distribution wholesales but who chose to pursue an MBA in order to get into a more technically advanced career field. He explains that not only was he looking for that next career accelerant but that he was also inspired by the birth of his goddaughter to pursue his own dreams so that one day he can encourage her to do the same.

Blaine shares with listeners that he chose to attend Tepper's program because of the program's strong reputation and emphasis regarding the connection between business, data, and technology. He also cites the city of Pittsburgh as being a large draw, as he found the city to be the perfect balance of feeling at home while still pushing himself outside of his comfort zone.

After sharing why he was interested in Tepper's program, Blaine then goes on to discuss his experience with applying to Tepper. As someone who applied late to the program, Blaine explains that there is no perfect way to go about the application process. Instead, he stresses that what's important is knowing what your goals are and dedicating yourself to those.

Finally, Blaine transitions into talking about Tepper's orientation program and his involvement and leadership in Tepper's Business and Technology Club and Tepper's Basketball Club. Regarding orientation, Blaine advises that all new students need to breathe, allow themselves to make mistakes, and say yes to every opportunity. However, what he encourages most is for students to invest in their relationships, asserting that those are the single most valuable thing they can take away from the program. Blaine found this to be true not only during orientation but still today with his involvement in Tepper's clubs and the opportunities they offer him to connect with not only Tepper students and alumni but also MBA students at other universities.

What You'll Learn in This Podcast Episode:

1. About one student's experience with the Tepper application process
2. Advice for making the most out of Tepper's orientation
3. Why investing in relationships is so vital to one's Tepper experience
4. About Tepper's Business and Technology Club and Basketball Club

Helpful Links:

Check out Tepper's Business Technologies page for more information about the program: https://www.cmu.edu/tepper/faculty-and-research/academic-areas/business-technologies/index.html

Learn more about Tepper's Business and Technology Club at: https://sites.google.com/view/tepperbnt/home?authuser=0

Learn more about Tepper's Basketball Club at: https://tepper.campusgroups.com/basketball/home/

Welcome back to Humans of Tepper, the student-run podcast focusing on real stories from students and alumni of the Tepper MBA program. Today, hosts Cynthia and Rohit talk with MBA candidate Elliott Hasenkopf. Elliott has a background in chemistry and material science and spent five years working in the paints, coatings, and plastics industry before deciding to pursue an MBA. Despite spending six years in Nashville and applying to a number of different MBA programs across the country, Elliott chose Tepper's program because of how easily he clicked with the other students during his time visiting the school. He advises that when choosing a program, it's important to find a good fit personality-wise, as this both helps to make classes better as well as helps with networking.

Elliott then moves on to discussing what surprised him most about Tepper's program when beginning his first year in the program. Because he is originally from the Pittsburgh region, Elliott always knew that Carnegie Mellon was a top university, but since starting the program, he's realized how much Tepper contributes to the Pittsburgh community, a relationship that became especially highlighted by the school's response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Elliott also stresses that one of the best parts of Tepper is that it brings in people with unique backgrounds, drawing from the global community.

As someone aiming to go into healthcare, Elliott also shares with listeners his involvement with healthcare at Tepper. He talks about Tepper's Healthcare Club and how it has provided him the means to learn more about the industry and how to succeed and advance within it. He also talks about the future of healthcare at Tepper and how he foresees the school continuing to develop a strong curriculum around healthcare.

Finally, Elliott ends his interview today by sharing with us some of his experiences as a member of the MBA Soccer Club at Tepper. He explains that the club has been both a source of relaxation and a way to not only meet other MBA students across the program but also connect with Tepper alumni and other MBA programs across the country.

What You'll Learn in This Podcast Episode:

1. About Tepper's Healthcare Club and the school's continuing involvement with the healthcare industry
2. How Tepper gives back to the Pittsburgh community
3. How joining one of Tepper's many clubs can become a great way to relax while networking

Helpful Links:

Check out Tepper's Healthcare Club here: http://tepper.campusgroups.com/healthcare/about/

Check out some of Tepper's other MBA Student Clubs here: https://www.cmu.edu/tepper/programs/mba/life-at-tepper/student-clubs-and-organizations.html