Mei Yee Chew

“I’m from Malaysia and have 10 years of working experience in the education sector”

Hometown: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have lived in 8 cities across 3 continents.

Undergraduate School and Major:

• University of the Ozarks, BS in Mathematics and Secondary Education
• Teachers College, Columbia University, MA in International Education and Development

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Teach For Malaysia, Head of Leadership Development

What has been your favorite part of the Twin Cities so far? What has made it such a great place to earn an MBA?

The people and the lakes, there is a wealth of wisdom from the faculty and students who are so open to sharing their knowledge/experience; and the lakes represent the wealth of nature to unwind and live a holistic life amidst the hustle and grind while going through the MBA.

Carlson MBA spend a year in hands-on Enterprise programs for Consulting, Branding, Ventures, and Funds. Which program do you intend to enroll in? What excites most about your Enterprise program?

I will be in the Consulting Enterprise, I’m most excited about learning from the experience of the directors and applying everything I have learned in solving a real business problem.

Aside from your classmates, experiential learning, and location, what was the key part of the Carlson MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you?

The flexibility of the program in choosing our electives allows us to really shape the kind of journey that we want based on our future careers and interests.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:

During my time at Teach For Malaysia, I persevered through a time where the program I was leading was at risk of being suspended due to lack of approval from the Ministry of Education. I led my team and the participants through this challenging period and found an alternative approach to the program, which has led to the continued sustainability of the organization for that cohort and future cohorts.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far:

Finding the fine balance between all the responsibilities I carry: academics, 1^st Year DEI representative within the MBA Association, Managing Partner of Graduate Volunteer Consultants. It really comes down not doing everything to perfection but identifying what’s important in each responsibility (80/20 rule) and always checking in on my capacity, not comparing myself to what others are doing.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far?

Spontaneously deciding to drive 1.5 hours north to try to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights with 15 classmates; for me, it represented comradery and how we are collectively chasing something as we pursue our MBA. What’s important isn’t necessarily the outcome (we didn’t get a strong sighting) but that we did it together.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into the Carlson MBA program?

 Be clear about your motivations about joining Carlson and reach out to people to make a personal connection. There are many people who’d be happy to share insight and experience with you!