Real Humans - Alumni

Published: April 21, 2022

Real Humans of Microsoft: Marcus Morrissette, Cambridge Judge MBA ’17, Customer Success Manager

Microsoft’s Office 365 is used by an estimated 1 million companies worldwide. As of early 2022, Microsoft Teams had 145 million active users each day. These software are just a part of Microsoft’s Modern Workplace, which is a bundle of services to promote communication, smooth operations, and encourage collaboration within organizations. Marcus Morrissette, Cambridge Judge MBA ’17, draws on his MBA experience everyday in his role as a customer success manager for Microsoft’s Modern Workplace. In this edition of Real Humans: Alumni, Marcus explains how the Cambridge Judge MBA program developed his skill set Read more

Published: April 20, 2022

Real Humans of Google: Karin Bailey, CMU Tepper MBA ’17, Solutions Consultant

Karin Bailey, Carnegie Mellon Tepper MBA ’17, had reached a pivotal point in her career in manufacturing, and she needed to decide to go all-in or switch things up. In this edition of Real Humans: Alumni, Karin talks about how business school empowered many changes, including a switch to tech and full-time job at Google. Karin Bailey, CMU Tepper MBA ’17, Solutions Consultant at Google Age: 35 Hometown: York, Pennsylvania Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of Pittsburgh, B.S. Industrial Engineering Graduate Business School, Read more

Published: April 18, 2022

Real Humans of Microsoft: Casey Murphy, HBS MBA ’21, Business Planner

Casey Murphy, HBS MBA ’21, made his way through several pre-conceived notions–what others thought about business school, what others thought about his chances to get in, and even what he initially thought about a particular program–to find the yellow brick road to his dream role. At Harvard Business School, he not only learned the business skills to become a business planner for Microsoft’s Azure division, but also refined his vision and sense of values when it comes to work. Find out more about his journey and what business school can offer below in this Read more

Published: April 14, 2022

Real Humans of Microsoft: Jessica Goldberg, Booth MBA ’19 Product Marketing Manager

Chances are, your first interaction with Microsoft was at a desk, on a computer with a monitor that probably seems comically large now, your leg room narrowed by a tower to power up as well as to store data. That tower now functions in the “cloud”–that mystical platform for data storing and sharing that transcends borders and makes global business seamless. Jessica Goldberg, Chicago Booth MBA ’19, serves as a product marketing manager for Microsoft’s cloud platform, Azure. She identifies key cloud trends, seeks to understand the customer, and contributes to Azure strategy projects. In this Read more

Published: April 13, 2022

Real Human of Apple: Najma Yakob, NYU Stern MBA ’21, Environmental Program Manager

As this generation faces a climate crisis, Najma Yakob is on the offensive, helping tech giant Apple in their mission to become carbon neutral by 2030. In this edition of Real Humans: Alumni, Najma, NYU Stern MBA ’21, talks about how the NYU Stern MBA program empowered her transition to tech, the community she found in business school and more about becoming an environmental program manager at Apple. Najma Yakob, NYU Stern MBA ’21, Program Manager at Apple Age: 29 Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota Undergraduate Institution and Major: Brown University — Economics and Sociology Read more

Published: April 11, 2022

Real Humans of Google: Akshay Sriprasad, Columbia Business School MBA ’20, Product Management

Akshay Sriprasad is on a mission. Multiple missions, in fact. He believes technology can save the world–and you will, too, after reading his story. For Akshay, business leaders have a responsibility to solve the world’s greatest problems and an MBA from Columbia Business School added some fuel to this work. In this Real Humans: Alumni, Akshay talks about the importance of a life/work balance, how CBS supported his dreams and why he has pursued product management at Google, along with a lot more. Akshay Sriprasad, Columbia MBA ’20, Product Management at Read more

Published: April 7, 2022

Real Humans of Bank of America: Brendan Crowley, Wharton MBA ’20, Investment Banking Associate

The MBA is a popular bridge to careers in finance and Brendan Crowley, Wharton MBA ’20, sheds light on how Wharton was uniquely supportive in changing his career trajectory. In this edition of Real Humans: Alumni, Brendan explains how the Wharton MBA helped him pursue a role at Bank of America (BofA), the second-largest banking institution in the U.S., offers insights into his internship there and gives advice for current MBA students. Brendan Crowley, Wharton MBA ’20, Mergers & Acquisitions at Bank of America Age: 34 Hometown: Wooster, Ohio Undergraduate Institution Read more

Published: April 6, 2022

Real Humans of Apollo: Maria Fernanda Yglesias, Northwestern Kellogg MBA ’21, Healthcare Credit Associate

Founded in 1990, Apollo is one of the largest asset managers serving many of the world’s most prominent investors. Having worked in banking previously, joining the company was an easy decision for Maria Fernanda Yglesias, Northwestern Kellogg MBA ’21, when she was offered a full-time position. In this edition of Real Humans: Alumni, Maria talks about how the MBA program at the Kellogg School of Management prepared her for the role at Apollo. Maria Fernanda Yglesias, Northwestern Kellogg MBA ’21, Global Corporate Credit Associate, Healthcare, at Apollo Age: Read more

Published: April 4, 2022

Real Humans of Apple: Ruth Adu-Daako, Stanford MBA/MS, Closed-Loop Program Manager

In this edition of Real Humans: Alumni, we hear from Ruth Adu-Daako, Stanford MBA ’18/MS ’19, who explains how her degrees prepared her for her role at Apple. She also offers insights into her non-Apple internships and how those experiences now inform her work as a closed-loop program manager. Ruth Adu-Daako, Stanford MBA ’18/MS ’19, Closed-Loop Program Manager at Apple Age: 30 Hometown: Kumasi, Ghana Undergraduate Institution and Major: The University of Cape Coast, Bachelor of Commerce Graduate Business School, Graduation Year and Concentration: Stanford Graduate Read more

Published: March 31, 2022

Real Humans of J.P. Morgan: Brian Guo, Cornell Johnson MBA’ 19, Investment Banking

Given Cornell Johnson’s strong job placement in the finance industry, Brian Guo, Johnson MBA ’19, found it to be a natural stepping stone from asset management to investment banking at J.P. Morgan. In this edition of Real Humans: Alumni, Brian talks about his experiences at Cornell Johnson, how the MBA prepared him for investment banking and his advice for current MBA students. Brian Guo, Cornell MBA ’19, Investment Banking Associate at J.P. Morgan Age: 31 Hometown: Whippany, New Jersey Read more

Published: March 30, 2022

Real Humans of Morgan Stanley: Gabrielle Alves, Michigan Ross MBA ’20, Investment Banking Associate

Morgan Stanley, one of the world’s largest investment banks, has three business units: institutional securities, global wealth management, and investment management. In this edition of Real Humans: Alumni, Gabrielle Alves, Michigan Ross MBA ’20, talks about how b-school helped her land a role there. Though Gabrielle very recently moved to Gap Inc., she talks about the Morgan Stanley recruiting process, what it took to transition from retail to investment banking and more. Gabrielle Alves, Michigan Ross MBA ’20, Investment Banking Associate at Morgan Stanley Age: 30 Hometown: Montclair, New Jersey Read more

Published: March 28, 2022

Real Humans of Disneyland Resort: Casey Brown, USC Marshall MBA ’19, Marketing Strategy Manager

Challenging journeys are a common theme among the Disney classics–Moana, Finding Nemo, Mulan to name a few. Just as Disney characters set out on daring missions, Casey Brown also had a tough dream to achieve: Marketing at Disney. How does one change industries, but also earn the chops for a spot at the best-known resort in the world? In this edition of Real Humans: Alumni, Casey, USC Marshall MBA ’19, explains how the MBA program prepared her for a pivot to marketing, how she earned the marketing strategy role at Disney and what she wished she Read more

Published: March 24, 2022

Real Humans of BCG: Lilian Izuorah, Duke Fuqua MBA ’21, Consultant

In this edition of Real Humans: Alumni, we jump back into the consulting sector to leading consulting firm, Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Lilian Izuorah, Duke Fuqua MBA ’21, wasn’t quite sure where she wanted to land for her post-MBA employment when she matriculated at b-school. Read on for how the Duke Fuqua MBA exposed to her a variety of career paths and prepared her for life as a consultant. Lilian Izuorah, Duke Fuqua MBA ’21, Consultant at BCG Age: 29 Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of Benin Read more

Published: March 23, 2022

Real Humans of Bank of America: Chris Shoemaker, Carnegie Mellon Tepper MBA ’16, Investment Banking VP

Get a glimpse into the lifestyle of investment banking, as Chris Shoemaker, CMU Tepper MBA ’16, shares his story of pursuing a role at Bank of America (BofA) through business school in this edition of Real Humans – Alumni. BofA is the second largest banking institution in the U.S. It was founded in San Francisco, though Chris works at the New York headquarters. Read on for his account of the dedication a profession in investment banking takes, tips on landing a role in the industry, how Tepper prepared him for his position and more. Read more

Published: March 21, 2022

Real Humans of Citibank: Anoop Kinjavdekar, Cambridge Judge MBA ’20, Management Associate

Today’s edition of Real Humans – Alumni introduces a management associate at Citibank , Anoop Kinjavdekar, Cambridge Judge MBA ’20. Citibank is one of the “Big Four” banks in the U.S. and a subsidiary of Citigroup. Founded as the City Bank of New York over 200 years ago, the bank now has 2,649 branches in 19 countries. Anoop shares his story from a Citigroup base in Singapore. Below he offers a peek into MBA life at Cambridge Judge, a sense of the work culture at Citibank, and reflection on how he managed to move from semiconductor Read more

Published: March 17, 2022

Real Humans of Deloitte: Alex McNair, Emory Goizueta MBA ’18, Consultant

Deloitte, perhaps best known as a “Big Four” accounting firm, is also the largest healthcare consulting company in the world by revenue. So when Alex McNair, Emory Goizueta MBA ’18, decided to pivot from higher ed fundraising to consulting, the firm was a natural destination. He now advises life sciences and healthcare clients. In this edition of Real Humans – Alumni, Alex talks about how the MBA prepared him for his new role and why he loves working at Deloitte. Alex McNair, Emory Goizueta MBA ’18, Consultant at Deloitte Hometown: Frederick, Maryland Read more

Published: March 16, 2022

Real Humans of Google: Ryan Yu, HBS MBA ’21, Product Manager | Google Cloud AI

MBAs are a vehicle for transformation–whether for your industry, function, geography or whatever else you can dream up–and that’s just what Ryan Yu went to business school for: A new path. Pivoting from consulting to tech, Ryan talks about how Harvard Business School helped him make this change. He also offers insights into landing a product manager role at Google in this edition of Real Humans: Alumni. Read on for his story, career advice and more. Ryan Yu, HBS MBA ’21, Product Manager at Google Age: 29 Hometown: Manila, Philippines Read more

Published: March 14, 2022

Real Humans of Bain: Sanchita Shandilya, INSEAD ’21J, Consultant at Bain & Company

Nearly 50 years ago, William Bain, Jr. left BCG to launch what would become another Big Three consulting firm: Bain & Company. In this edition of Real Humans: Alumni, we hear from Sanchita Shandilya, INSEAD MBA ’21, who also embarked on a new adventure to a leading one-year MBA program to launch her career in consulting. Read on for how INSEAD heightened Shandilya’s skills and prepared her for the exciting life of a Bain consultant. Sanchita Shandilya, Insead MBA ’21J, Consultant at Bain & Company Age: 29 Hometown: Read more

Published: March 10, 2022

Real Humans of Disney: Stephanie Sorensen, Chicago Booth Evening MBA ’20, Senior Associate

From humble beginnings as the “Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio,” The Walt Disney Company (Disney) has grown into a multinational entertainment and media conglomerate. Disney has woven magic and wonder into global culture. Do you remember your favorite movie or cartoon character as a kid? Now, imagine, as an adult, what it would be like to work there. In this edition of Real Humans – Alumni, Stephanie Sorensen, Chicago Booth Evening MBA ’20, delves into her part-time business school experience and reflects on what helped her become a senior associate at Disney. Stephanie Sorensen, Chicago Booth MBA ’20, Read more

Published: March 9, 2022

Real Humans of McKinsey & Company: Cortne Edmonds, NYU Stern MBA ’21, Associate

McKinsey & Company is the oldest and largest of the “Big Three” management consulting firms and they routinely recruit MBAs for associate positions and more. Within this enterprise of 30,000+ employees, what does it mean to “make your own McKinsey?” In this edition of Real Humans – Alumni, Cortne Edmonds, NYU Stern MBA ’21, explains this concept and much more about becoming an Associate at the leading consulting firm. Cortne Edmonds, NYU Stern MBA ’21, Associate at McKinsey & Company Age: 32 Employer & Title: McKinsey & Company, Associate Hometown: New Read more

Published: March 7, 2022

Real Humans of Microsoft: Nathalia Borges, Duke Fuqua MBA ’21, Product Marketing Manager | Cloud Business

Satya Nadella, current CEO of Microsoft, is credited with turning the culture of Microsoft around, to a “growth mindset.” The tech giant’s mission statement is now, “empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.” This, among other features of the multinational corporation, drew Duke Fuqua MBA ’21, Nathalia Borges, to pursue her internship and post-MBA job there. In this edition of Real Humans – Alumni, Nathalia shares how the Team Fuqua b-school experience prepared her to become a product marketing manager at Microsoft, insights into her summer internship there and more. Nathalia Read more

Published: March 3, 2022

Real Humans of Apple: Jon-Matt Hopkins, CBS ’20, New Product Launch Manager

How long have you waited in line for the new iPhone? How many Apple products are helping you run your life seamlessly? In this edition of Real Humans – Alumni, we hear from an MBA alum making sure these products reach you. Jon-Matt Hopkins, Columbia Business School MBA ’20, tells us about his business school experiences that helped him become a New Product Launch Manager at Apple. Jon-Matt Hopkins, CBS MBA ’20, New Product Launch Manager at Apple Age: 31 Hometown: Morristown, New Jersey Read more

Published: March 2, 2022

Real Humans of BCG: Steve Neumann, Georgetown McDonough MBA’ 2019, Project Leader

Boston Consulting Group (BCG)—one of the Big Three of the top consulting firms known as MBB—has offices in 50 countries, and therefore no shortage of opportunities to pursue a diverse and lively profession. In this Real Humans – Alumni, we meet Steve Neumann, Georgetown McDonough MBA ’19, who talks about setting his sights on joining BCG and how McDonough empowered him to do so. Steve Neumann, Georgetown McDonough MBA ’19, Project Leader at BCG Age: 30 Hometown: Newtown, Pennsylvania Undergraduate Institution and Major: Georgetown University — Marketing major Read more

Published: February 28, 2022

Real Humans of Google: Malvi Hemani, Kellogg MBA/MS ’21, Google Product Manager

In Real Humans – Alumni, recent MBA graduates discuss how business school prepared them for the next phase of their careers. In this edition, Malvi Hemani, Northwestern Kellogg MBA ’21, talks about landing the role of Google Product Manager at Google. Google was created in 1998 in Menlo Park, California, and it currently has nearly 150,000 employees and receives more than 125,000 internship applications every year. Read on for how Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management prepared Hemani for the exciting life of a Google Product Manager, her advice to current MBAs and more. Malvi Hemani, Read more

Published: February 23, 2022

Real Humans of Amazon: Stéphane Vukovic, HBS ’21, Country Lead at Amazon Prime Video

In Real Humans – Alumni, we meet recent MBA graduates to discuss how b-school prepared them for the next phase of their careers. In this edition, Stéphane Vukovic, HBS MBA ’21, talks about landing a Country Lead position at Amazon Prime Video. Read on for how Harvard Business School prepared Vukovic for the dynamic life of an Amazon Country lead, his advice to current MBAs and much more. Stéphane Vukovic, HBS MBA ’21, Country Lead at Amazon Age: 29 Hometown: Paris, France (Currently based in London, UK) Undergraduate Institution and Major: HEC Read more

MBA Applywire

April 15, 2026 12:57pm ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, Chicago Booth, Columbia Business School, Cornell / Johnson, Emory / Goizueta, Georgetown / McDonough, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, Penn / Wharton, Stanford GSB, UCLA Anderson, UVA / Darden

Pre-MBA Career: Big4 Deals Consulting

Post MBA Career: Consulting, Finance, Commercial Banking, Diversified, Corporate, Management Consulting

GMAT: 675

GPA: 3.72

Location: Marietta, GA

Post MBA Location: New York City

Notes:

Applying to deferred programs this year, would love to hear thoughts on my application.

675 GMAT Focus, 3.723 at Non Target Undergraduate, Finance Major. Decent extra curricular on-campus, for internship experience started college with internship at a small ABL shop, interned sophomore summer/junior school year at a large publicly traded mortgage company doing Risk, interned after junior year at a Big4 doing Risk Consulting for FSOs. Returning FT to same B4 in Deals practice.

Would love to hear thoughts. Thanks.

April 14, 2026 10:15am ET

Applying: Harvard Business School, INSEAD, Lauder Institute, London Business School, Penn / Wharton, Stanford GSB

Intake Year: 2027

Pre-MBA Career: Orthopedic Surgeon

Post MBA Career: Consulting, Technology, Management Consulting, Healthcare, McKinsey

GRE: 328

GPA: 3.5

Years of Work Experience: 13

Location: UK

Post MBA Location: US, UK, Switzerland, HK, Europe

Notes:

Orthopaedic surgeon with cross-border training/work exposure i.e. UK, HK & Pakistan
• Strong involvement in research, publications, and innovation-related work
• Interested in the intersection of clinical medicine, healthcare systems, digital health, and business
• Long-term goal is to move from being a clinician to a broader leadership role where I can help build, scale, or evaluate healthcare solutions

April 12, 2026 10:23am ET

Applying: London Business School, Oxford / Saïd, SDA Bocconi

Intake Year: 2026

Pre-MBA Career: Civil Engineer with PPP experience and certification

Post MBA Career: Finance

GPA: 4.48

Years of Work Experience: 10

Location: Uganda

Post MBA Location: London, UAE or Europe

Notes:

African female - after 7 years at an international engineering consultancy and 3 in public sector, looking to get into infrastructure finance through an infrastructure focused MBA and internship pipeline. Certified PPP practitioner but not ao much leadership experience. Hoping to join a big 4 infrastructure advisory or infrastructure fund post MBA.

April 6, 2026 12:21pm ET

Applying: Penn / Wharton

Intake Year: 2026

Pre-MBA Career: MBB Consulting

Post MBA Career: Finance, Investment Banking, Private Equity, Brookfield Asset Management

GMAT: 675

GPA: 3.76

Location: South Korea

Post MBA Location: U.S., Seoul, Singapore

Notes:

Only applying to Wharton "Deferred" Program (Due to eligibility)

Demographic: Asian Male, 26

Academic Background: B.S. & M.S. in Nuclear Engineering @ Top school in S.Korea

GPA: B.S.(3.76/4.30), M.S.(3.93/4.30)

GMAT Focus: 675 (Q-96th, DI-95th, V-56th)

Pre-MBA Employer: Recieved FT Offer @ Bain (expected start: July 2026)

Post-MBA Goal:
- Short: Banking
- Long: Infrastructure PE

Internships: Internship @ BCG

Research Experience:
4 conferences and several papers under review about Nuclear Fuel Materials, Nuclear Plant Economics & EPC, Nuclear Reactor Core Design

Extracurricular Activities/Leadership:
- Led a consulting project for a nuclear energy company in S.Korea
- Honor Society, College of Engineering
- VP of the student council @ UG department
- Soccer/Baseball team(non-varsity)

Awards:
- 2 x Minister's Award (1st place in Nationwide competition in Energy Sector)
- 5~10 x Minor Awards mostly in Energy & Nuclear Engineering

Honors:
- U.S. Army Commendation Medal
- Presidential Science Scholarship(Awarded by the President of the Korea, one of 25 recipients nationwide) - Fully funded during UG
- Korea Defense Veteran's Association (KDVA) Scholarship
- Honor Society of the College of Engineering

April 3, 2026 8:48am ET

Applying: Emory / Goizueta, Georgetown / McDonough, IE Business School, Rice / Jones, UCLA Anderson, USC / Marshall, UT Austin / McCombs, UVA / Darden, Vanderbilt / Owen, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2027

Pre-MBA Career: Technology - Software Developer

Post MBA Career: Kearney, LEK Consulting, McKinsey, Oliver Wyman, PWC Strategy&, Consulting

GPA: 8.3

Years of Work Experience: 2.8

Post MBA Location: United States

Notes:

Hi All,

Location: India YOE:2.8 yrs Industry: Software Role: Senior software developer

I have been working in a software Mnc and recently got fired. I had initially planned to apply for MBA programs for 2027 intake. But given the recent layoff I'm not sure what to do next. I didn't yet take the gmat. And confused if I should do a job hunt now or prepare for gmat, since I wanted to apply for round 1s by sep.

I definitely want to go for a good International MBA for 2027 intake.

What should I do next, follow are the choices I can think of-

1. Prepare for a good gmat score, finish it in next 2-3 months, I also have a small startup idea that I would like to in parallel experiment/try out, not sure how far it will succeed.

2. Prepare for gmat, complete in next 2-3 months then do job hunt(might or might not be able to get a job by the time I apply for round 1s)

Please suggest what is better for my mba applications.

View or Submit Entries

MBA LiveWire

April 18, 2026 5:04am ET

Accepted to NYU Stern

Round: Round 3

Received via portal April 18, 2026

Standardized Test: GMAT

GPA: 3.6

GMAT: 695

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Application Location: South Korea

Juno Member: Yes

April 17, 2026 6:37pm ET

Interview Invite to Stanford GSB

Round: Round 3

Received via email April 17, 2026

Standardized Test: GRE

GRE: 322

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Post MBA Career: Other Industries

Juno Member: Not yet

April 17, 2026 11:28am ET

Interview Invite to Penn / Wharton

Round: Round 3

Received via email April 17, 2026

Standardized Test: GMAT

GPA: 3.8

GMAT: 675

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Post MBA Career: Healthcare

Juno Member: Not yet

April 17, 2026 10:07am ET

Interview Invite to Berkeley / Haas

Round: Round 3

Received via email on April 15, 2026

Standardized Test: GRE

GRE: 329

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: General Management

Juno Member: Not yet

April 17, 2026 9:57am ET

Rejected at Penn / Wharton

Round: Round 3

Received via email April 17, 2026

Standardized Test: GRE

GRE: 332

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Post MBA Career: Finance

Juno Member: Not yet

View or Submit Entries

Live
Wire