2016 MBAs To Watch: Ohemaah A. Ntiamoah, Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)

Ohemaah Ntiamoah-Tepper-PoetsAndQuants_MBAsToWatch2016

Ohemaah A. Ntiamoah

 

Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business

Age: 27

Hometown: Chandler, Arizona

Undergraduate School and Degree: Loyola Marymount University

Where did you work before enrolling in business school? EDMC, South University Online – Finance Counselor (prior: Admissions Representative)

Where did you intern during the summer of 2015? Kraft Foods, Chicago, IL

Where will you be working after graduation? Mars, Graduate Leadership Development Program

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: Arjun Gokhale Award Recipient; Consortium for Graduate Study in Management fellow and mentor; On-site volunteer at 2015 CGSM OP; President – Tepper African Business Collective; VP – Tepper Marketing Club; VP – Tepper Christian Business Association; Keyboardist at North Way Christian Community; Winner – Best Performance at CMU Hack-A-Song; Tepper tour guide; Choreographer – African Dance for International Festival; Teaching Assistant; Volunteer – Women’s Day, Diversity Weekend, and Welcome Weekend

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I am most proud of winning the first case competition of my first year. I had an awesome team and we came together to solve a challenging problem for ADRA Mozambique nonprofit. Out-of-the-box thinking and cooperation paid off in a big way!

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Turning a severely dissatisfied student who “wouldn’t recommend us to a cockroach” into a happy graduate. The process taught me good listening skills, empathy, and an ability to come up with creative solutions and get results quickly.

Who is your favorite professor? Dr. Ron Placone because he sees and indulges the sense of humor in all of us!

Favorite MBA Courses? Marketing Management, Accounting II, Gaining Advantage Through Sales, Organizational Change, Pricing Strategy

Why did you choose this business school? I chose Tepper for its emphasis on quantitative analysis, its leadership in the Consortium, and its small class sizes (which I thrive in).

What did you enjoy most about business school? I really enjoyed taking classes that challenged me in areas I knew little or nothing about, such as coding and optimization. I enjoyed the collaboration and camaraderie that I experienced in this community.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from business school? Push yourself and don’t allow failures or disappointments to cut deep.

What was the hardest part of business school?  The Optimization midterm. And at times, feeling overwhelmed by the course load.

What’s your best advice to an applicant to your school? Be ready and willing to be pushed and challenged in every way, and take advantage of our faculty and staff. Don’t simply get in and then mentally check out after a few months — truly make the most of this!

“I knew I wanted to go to business school when… growing up, I saw the opportunities it afforded my mother.”

“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be… working a job that under-utilizes my brainpower.”

Which executive or entrepreneur do you most admire? Carla Harris, because she has accomplished what I aspire to do — be a kick-butt business woman and an accomplished singer/record producer.

What are your long-term professional goals? Be a successful brand manager and develop others along the way.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? God and my parents because they believed in me always, saying “Ama — God gave you several talents. Study hard and the doors will just open. You can succeed anywhere.”

Fun fact about yourself: I’m a recording artist. Some of my work is available on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify.

Favorite book: The Brothers Karamazov

Favorite movie: Sister Act 2

Favorite musical performer: Adele

Favorite television show: “The Big Bang Theory”

Favorite vacation spot: Australia. I need to get back there!

Hobbies? I love being in the recording studio, playing piano/guitar, pretty much anything to do with singing/songwriting/performing on stage, watching Bollywood movies (just ask my classmates!), hanging out with friends, dancing, traveling, big family gatherings, getting pedicures with my mom, and going on road trips with my dad.

What made Ohemaah  such an invaluable addition to the class of 2016?

“Ohemaah Ntiamoah is an amazing woman. Sure, she has many accomplishments, but the real story is who Ohemaah is as a person. She is smart, but many people are smart. Not as many are wise. When analyzing a business case in class, she gets right to the heart of the issues, cutting through the clutter and making it look easy.

“Ohemaah is also a gifted communicator. When speaking in a group, she has that remarkable balance of confidence and sensitivity, confidence in herself yet sensitive and responsive to those who are listening. She also seems free of a self-agenda. She clearly works hard, consistently prepared for class and meetings, yet she doesn’t seem to be looking too much to her future. Rather, she appears to be fully engaged in life in the present tense. She also encourages attention on others, praising the ideas and accomplishments of those around her.

‘Certainly, Ohemaah is a gifted person, but the most wonderful outcome is that she becomes a gift to everyone around her. I hope you get to be around her someday.”

Peter Boatwright

Carnegie Bosch Professor of Marketing, Tepper School of Business

Co-Director of Integrated Innovation Institute, Carnegie Mellon University

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