The Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Business has a tight-knit, collaborative community in a vibrant, affordable city, plus hands-on career support, which drew this Owen class to Nashville. In this Real Humans: MBA Students, we meet some new Owen MBAs who are channeling diverse paths into purpose-driven leadership.
To start, Ameesha Munjal fast-tracked in finance at TresVista and a Silicon Valley AI startup and is pivoting to front-office, deal-driven roles in investment banking. Then we meet Emma Ye, who is an MD/MBA candidate and startup co-founder pairing clinical training with venture creation to redesign healthcare delivery, leveraging Owen’s deep healthcare ecosystem and cross-campus integration. Taylor Tjosaas brings 15 years of life-and-death rescue leadership (USAF Pararescueman and flight medic) to pursue strategy in consulting/healthcare, drawn by Owen’s military-friendly benefits, Bass Scholarship, and accessible faculty. We also hear from Chiedozie Nwachuku, who blends nuclear/oil-and-gas engineering with Wall Street capital markets, and aims to drive innovative, equitable energy solutions through finance, consulting, or entrepreneurship. Former professional actor turned wealth-management banker, Kyra Gerber, adds a people-centric lens to internal strategy/consulting ambitions, choosing Owen for its welcoming culture, small classes, and Nashville’s creative energy. Finally, Logan Hicks returns home to Nashville after six years in public accounting/consulting to shift from reporting to strategic problem-solving, citing Owen’s collaborative culture, hometown network, and strong industry ties.
Together, they reflect Owen’s hallmark mix of humility, ambition, and hands-on leadership. Click through the following pages for their stories and admissions advice.
