Bettye Rose Igbenebor, Chicago Booth MiM Class of 2026
Age: 22
Hometown: Overland Park, KS
Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of Chicago, B.A. in Economics
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
I spent a lot of my time in college unsure about what I wanted my career to look like. Because of that uncertainty, I spent much of my time in college exploring different intellectual interests and acquiring new experiences to better understand both what I enjoyed and where my strengths lay. I took a very wide range of classes across many departments including art, anthropology, philosophy, and more. I played on the varsity volleyball and tennis teams, studied abroad to learn Spanish, and joined multiple student organizations.
I knew that I was always interested in fashion. I liked to read and keep up with fashion news and theory, I would sew and sketch designs in my free time, and have always cared very much about personal style. While continuing to be uncertain and exploring in college, I decided to narrow my focus towards fashion. I attended fashion design school full time before my senior year, and for a while planned to apply to design school after graduating.
As my graduation approached, however, I began to lean away from that path as I thought more critically about my own core skills and how I work best. While I love the creative side of the fashion industry, I realized that what pulled me in most from a career standpoint was the business and management side. I became especially interested in how companies brand and market themselves, make strategic decisions, and build and maintain relationships with their consumer base (99% of what makes a fashion brand is everything outside of the clothes themselves!). I found that I was most energized when thinking analytically, working in teams, and connecting creative ideas to broader strategic goals. So, business school emerged as the right next step for me. It was an opportunity to deepen my understanding of management and strategy and to prepare me for roles where I can exercise these core strengths.
Why did you choose Chicago Booth? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I chose Booth for a few reasons, the first being the very positive experiences I had prior to deciding to apply for business school. As a UChicago student, I was able to take business classes through Booth in my undergraduate. I found them to be very insightful, and to this day, the way that I think and approach problems is shaped by the things I learned in those classes. Outside the classroom, I knew from my research how many resources and opportunities resources had–Case competitions, the Innovation Lab in London, and more, that Booth could also help connect me to hands-on experiences and opportunities to accelerate my career development.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the class?
I think that my open minded and outgoing nature has been a core part of what I contribute to the Booth community and what differentiates me within my class. I genuinely enjoy working with other people and engaging in intellectual conversations. I like to be someone who leads others toward wanting and pursuing more, and who keeps people open minded to new opportunities, whether for themselves or in collaboration with others.
I recognize the benefit in my own life of not limiting myself and of being willing to try new things, and I always try to encourage that same mindset in others. I am constantly looking to team up with Boothies both in and outside of the classroom, whether it is for a case competition, a group project, or career exploration. Even when it is not about my own interests, if I know someone who would be interested in or well suited for an opportunity, I make a point to encourage them to explore it, connect them with others, or simply share information that I know they would find interesting or useful.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I am a fashion model! I work with an agency in Chicago, and model outside of school. It helps me stay connected to the fashion world and community, now that my career focus has shifted away from that. It is not necessarily something that screams academic excellence specifically, so it was not included in my application, but it is something I enjoy doing very much.
Post-MiM career interests:
Strategy consulting, product management/strategy roles within the fashion (or other creative) industry.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
Don’t focus too much on markers of what makes you a ‘qualified’ candidate for business school and neglect how important it is to be personal. I think talking about your personal strengths/development, being able to exemplify how you are with others, your values, your perspective about the world/how it informs your decisions and work, is just as important and valuable and informative as your academic strengths and experiences!
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I think I would have approached the application much differently going back. I think I was thinking through why I wanted to apply, and my unique position/circumstances, as I was applying. Going back, I would have taken much more time in advance to self-reflect, asking myself the right questions, being intentional and thoughtful about where I was and what I wanted, so that I could come into applications with a much more cohesive vision of what I wanted to say.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
The video recording was the hardest part for me! I didn’t want to come off like I was reading a script, and I wanted to showcase my speaking and story telling skills. The question asked “ How have you changed throughout college?”. I was able to get through it by really solidifying the story I wanted to tell and the points I wanted to make throughout it, so that the rest could flow naturally through the recording (also I did probably 4 or 5 takes!).
What is your initial impression of the Chicago Booth students/culture/community?
My initial impressions of the community were that it was full of individuals who were not only passionate and driven about what they wanted to do, but people were so open to making connections and lifting each other up. I think the Booth community is one that wants to see everyone succeed, and I love the intellectual conversations I am able to have with my peers, and the support that Boothies have given each other, whether or not that reaching out to collaborate on projects/work, or just to share information about news, events, or professional opportunities.
What is one thing you have learned about Chicago Booth that has surprised you?
One thing that stood out to me immediately was the size and interconnectedness of the alumni network. There are so many Boothies to reach out to and connect with across virtually any industry/role you could be interested in. I was surprised at the strength and size of this community, and how many Boothies are outgoing/wanting to connect and share their experiences with those still in school!
