Meet The McCombs’ MBA Class of 2018

Ashley Hemphill

The University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business

Hometown: New Orleans, LA

Pre-MBA Location: Shanghai, China

Fun Fact About Yourself: Working as a Sr. Financial Analyst for Disney was actually not my first job with the company. I started my career in high school part-time as a character performer at Walt Disney World in Florida!

Undergraduate School and Major: Louisiana State University, International Trade & Finance Majors

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: Walt Disney (Shanghai, China), Senior Financial Analyst – Expat Assignment

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:  I worked for five years on the development of the new Shanghai Disney Resort, by far one of the most culturally ambitious and largest investments in The Walt Disney Company’s history. Working directly with a diverse team of imagineers and company leadership to bring this vision to life has been the most fulfilling accomplishment in my career to date. Being able to see guests experiencing, enjoying, and making memories at a place I had a part in developing will motivate me for years to come. It was an honor to get to work with such an innovative and hardworking team at Disney Imagineering, and having the opportunity to see the park open and operating was a highlight of my career. .

What advice do you have for applicants in actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf?

Do Your Homework: Know your target school and know yourself! Understand what your goals are post MBA and be able to clearly articulate how obtaining an MBA from your target school will help you get there.

Essays: When brainstorming essay responses, seek guidance from family members as well as those co-workers who know you best. Pick personal experiences that will set you apart from other applicants, but also make sure you are giving a consistent and strong message to the admissions committee as to why you are a good candidate for their program.

Interviews: I prepared a number of anecdotes that would showcase different strengths and weaknesses and that could easily be leveraged to answer a variety of behavioral questions. Also, start following news releases and social media posts from your target schools so that you can stay current on events. If you are like me and are unable to visit a school prior to submitting your applications, staying current with a school’s activities will give you a good point of reference during the interview and it even helped me formulate a few questions I wanted to ask my interviewer.

Letters of Recommendation: Be purposeful in selecting your recommenders and do not be shy in discussing with them your reasons for wanting to obtain your MBA and why you are targeting specific schools. You want to ensure you are giving a consistent message to the admissions committee, and making sure you and your recommender are on the same page will only strengthen your message.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA?  I wanted to attend an MBA program that had a strong experiential learning component. I felt that the best way to gain that experience was to live in a city that had a variety of company headquarters and startups of interest. I wanted to be in close proximity to companies I could learn from and network with, and the McCombs School of Business in the heart of Austin, Texas provided just that. Moreover, when I finally had the opportunity to visit the school for the Women’s Forum, I realized how unique McCombs’ culture was. The students and faculty I talked with were so passionate about the program and ensuring everyone’s success. I really loved the energy and excitement at McCombs and the opportunities the city of Austin presented.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? My definition of a dream job is evolving, especially now that I have started at McCombs and am learning more and more about different opportunities that exist. Currently, my dream job would allow me to leverage my passion for learning about different cultures in order to bridge gaps that exist for US companies operating or planning to operate abroad. I have experience successfully working in Asia and plan to utilize these skills in navigating different international business cultures with my future employer. My ambitions are to work in a strategic planning or corporate strategy role and eventually become a high-level executive at a large US corporation.

After living in China, my perspective of what is possible in today’s global economy has been expanded exponentially and it is with this optimistic outlook that I will be approaching the pursuit of my dream job.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? After spending two years growing and evolving with my school peers, I hope I am remembered as an adaptable and forward thinking leader who was devoted to getting things done for the good of the team. For me, the best way to accomplish this is to develop relationships with my peers and learn from their beliefs and experiences. Specifically, I want to be known for my ability to empathize with a diverse group of backgrounds, in order to bring people together and accomplish great things. I am motivated by learning about new cultures and practices and look forward to getting to know my new classmates.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? I want to leave McCombs as a well-rounded business leader who can easily adapt to a variety of scenarios one may face in today’s ever- changing global economy. I hope to develop strong and mutually beneficial relationships with my classmates so that we can learn from each other’s diverse backgrounds and experiences and eventually make our mark in the world!