Meet Maryland Smith’s MBA Class of 2018

Rakita Garner         

University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: I am unstoppable when I believe in myself and successful when I never give up.

Hometown: Gaston, North Carolina

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am a diehard Law and Order SVU fan and I spend an embarrassing amount of time watching reruns in my spare time.

Undergraduate School and Major: North Carolina State University –Business Administration, Marketing/Human Resources concentration

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Hanover Research- Manager, Talent Acquisition and Retention

Hanover Research- Recruiting Specialist

SPARKS Personnel- Staffing Supervisor

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I’ve had a lot of great accomplishments in my career but I’m most proud of getting into and being a part of the Smith MBA program. Business schools are incredibly competitive and at times during the process I was unsure of the outcome. But I stayed focused on my goal and didn’t allow obstacles to deter me from what I wanted so I’m most proud of this accomplishment.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? Looking back on my experience, I would advise future students to start early. This includes researching programs, networking with admission teams and students, and following up regularly with admission reps. I received more positive feedback from programs that I engaged with regularly through email and phone conversations than programs that I didn’t. I also would advise all students to really evaluate what you want to gain out of your MBA and how that particular program could benefit you in your long-term career goals. From my own search, I learned pretty quickly that MBA programs come in all shapes and sizes and just like in your job search it boils down to “fit” for both you and the program.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I chose Smith over other programs because I really wanted to be a part of a school that valued minority and women perspectives in not only the classroom but within business as a whole. Smith sees the value in creating equal opportunities and it really shined through in my interactions with the admission committee and alumni. In addition, I also wanted to ensure that I was a part of an intimate class structure that allowed me to really get to know my peers and professors one on one.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? My dream job would be a role in which I could pair up with different business units within an organization to study their hiring and retention strategy and provide insights and recommendations on how those could be more efficient. I would also like to be a part of mentoring and training employees to perform optimally in the workforce and help build out programs like diversity and inclusion and organizational design to make organizations more effective. A role like this would allow me to leverage my analytical skills while also focusing on the people who make these businesses work.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program?   I would like my peers to say that I was not only just a great classmate, but a wonderful friend who will definitely make an impact in her profession because of her drive and commitment to succeeding no matter what.