2017 MBAs To Watch: Farzeen Tejani, Georgia Tech (Scheller)

Farzeen Tejani

Georgia Tech, Scheller College of Business, Georgia Tech

“My sense of curiosity has me in the constant pursuit of my next big adventure.”

Age: 28

Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Fun fact about yourself: I’m an adrenaline junkie. Most recently, I went volcano boarding in Nicaragua.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Georgia Institute of Technology, BS of Architecture with Architecture History Certificate

Where did you work before enrolling in business school? ExpandLab, Account Manager

Where did you intern during the summer of 2016? ScottMadden Consulting, Atlanta, GA

Where will you be working after graduation? ScottMadden Consulting, Associate

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

• Athletic Chair for the MBA program – Encouraging students to remain active through intramurals and local runs as well as engaging students with GT and Atlanta sports
• Education/Engagement SouthEast Lead for Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) USA, 2013-2016 – Coordinating, designing, and building the interactive Village in Action where attendants of the Annual AKF Walk/ Run could learn about the AKF and the projects being executed around the world
• South East Ismaili Student Network Regional Manager – Coordinating the campus leads for all college campuses in GA, NC, SC, TN, and AL to keep their Ismaili classmates connected to local resources; organizing regional events to keep Ismaili students engaged with the larger Ismaili community while away from home
• Student Ambassador and Interviewer – Working with the Scheller admissions team to recruit and interview potential MBA candidates
• MBA Peer Coach – Coaching three First Year MBA students about how to better navigate Scheller classes and internship recruitment
• Graduate Research Assistant for VentureLab, the Georgia Tech Start-Up Incubator – Working to pair start-up mentors with teams that require guidance to commercialize their innovations; coordinating the 2016 VentureLab Start-Up Competition
• Volunteered for Scheller Day of Service – Packing care packages for soldiers overseas
• Volunteered for St. Bernard house re-building project in New Orleans, LA
• Team Lead for Several Practicum Classes – Primarily engaging with the client to ensure a successful consulting project that can actually benefit the client long-term. Consulting projects include a Six Sigma project for Emory Physician, a sustainability project for Bank of America, a strategy project for Home Depot, and an operations project for Mister Migs.
• Member of Consulting Club, Operations Club, and Scheller Women in Business, as part of the National Association of Women MBAs.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school?

My second semester, I worked on a Pro-Bono consulting project for Mister Migs, a non-profit that employs marginalized employees to create unique, denim dog clothes. We were tasked with streamlining the warehouse to make it easier to find materials and make it a more conducive work environment. I was able to use my architecture background to bring some design thinking into the project and my team and I actually implemented our idea and physically reorganized the warehouse. We spent an entire Saturday with the Mister Migs team, sorting through their inventory, moving shelving, color-coding each section and we had a blast doing it all. We were able to see the finished result and the client was able to give us feedback on how it worked. I am proud to have made a real impact to a non-profit with knowledge I acquired during other classes.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? While I was an Account Manager at my last company, I was one of eight employees. This meant I wore multiple hats, acting as account manager for 13 clients, task manager for the development team, quality assurance technician for all work being published, and office manager. This was a growth period as I was able to manage all of these tasks and learn how to keep the work moving forward at all times.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Professor Morvarid Rahmani teaches the core Operations Management class and her excitement for the subject easily translates through her curriculum. She is engaging and truly cares to make sure students are able to keep up with the material. She offers and provides extra help, not only to better understand the material but has also helped several students with their recruitment process for operations careers. Professor Rahmani has a wealth of knowledge that she is willing to share and is an asset to Scheller.

What was your favorite MBA Course and what was the biggest insight you gained about business from it? The Sustainability Consulting Practicum was my favorite course because I learned how and why companies choose to integrate sustainability into their business practices. By working with a unit within Bank of America to decide whether and how to expand an existing sustainability program, I was able to learn exactly what goes into this decision, not just their urge to do good, and how it can impact the company in the long-term.

Why did you choose this business school? The MBA Career Services team. Scheller has an extremely high MBA post-graduation employment rate. I was interested in a career shift to consulting and my career advisor, Barbara Lindquist, interviewed me and spoke about how the career services team could help me pivot my experience to land my dream job. I can say that I have landed my dream job and career services made it possible.

What did you enjoy most about business school in general?

Business school offers a plethora of opportunities to make your mark during your two years. The experience is highly customizable. I spent my time focused on practicums, case competitions, and athletics. I especially remember loving the challenge of competing in case competitions. My first was the 2015 AT&T Connected Car Case Competition, and my team earned second place. I went on to compete in four more competitions during my time at Scheller, placing in two competitions.

What was the most surprising thing about business school for you? While competitive, Scheller is a collaborative environment and, in any situation, your classmates are rooting for your success. This is a fraternity of sorts and it is empowering to be a part of this community.

What is your best piece advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s MBA program?

Scheller has a lot of opportunities and we want to make sure you are going to capitalize on these opportunities. Show how you hope to leverage them to achieve your goals.

What is the biggest myth about your school? Georgia Tech is seen as a nerd haven. We are nerdy, it’s true, but we are also friendly, passionate and highly capable. In the end, what could be cooler than that?

What was your biggest regret in business school? My biggest regret is not applying to the Technological Innovation: Generating Economic Results (TI:GER) Program. The program offers MBA students the opportunity to work with Emory law students and Georgia Tech PhD students to commercialize new technologies and deliver innovative products to the marketplace. With Georgia Tech being the home of a large technology start-up ecosystem, TI:GER epitomizes how Scheller taps into the community to be the intersection of business and technology.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Chris Willey is another classmate who was looking to pivot to a consulting career. His dedication to case interview prep was unparalleled and he actively participated in classes and activities that would help him better his chances. Rather than being overwhelmed with this task, he superbly balanced the recruitment process with academics, spending time with his family, working on cars, participating in Scheller extracurricular activities, and remaining active at his church. To top it off, he is a great friend and I am glad to know him.

“I knew I wanted to go to business school when…I decided I was ready for my next big challenge!”

“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…an archeologist.”

If you were a dean for a day, what one thing would you change about the MBA experience? As dean, I would expand existing partnerships with the other departments on campus. I have the unique experience of having studied architecture at Georgia Tech and would work to offer students more opportunities to collaborate on a larger variety of industry projects.

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? My goal is to have my own firm that helps start-ups and other smaller companies achieve their goals and make their name in the world.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? I want to thank my mom. She has always urged me to do more and to better myself. She has supported me through all my decisions and that support gives me the confidence to keep pushing myself.

In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you? I want my peers to remember me as that short one with the huge personality (I’m 4’10… and a half).

Favorite book: Atlas Shrugged

Favorite movie or television show: Psych

Favorite musical performer: Imagine Dragons

Favorite vacation spot: Lazing on the beach in Goa, India

Hobbies? I am an active squash and racquetball player, I love taking road trips, and I do at least one crossword every day.

What made Tejani such an invaluable addition to the class of 2017?

“I have been Farzeen’s career advisor for her tenure in the MBA program and I have come to appreciate her boundless energy and her commitment to the program, her classmates, and to the multiple social and philanthropic causes she supports. When Farzeen first started in the MBA program at Scheller, she had some ongoing projects that she had committed to finish with her prior employer. Amidst her onboarding activities and demanding class schedule, she worked to complete those projects while totally engaged in the program. I was amazed by her dedication and ability to embrace so many new challenges.

Farzeen was very focused when she came to the program on pivoting to a career to consulting. She targeted the company she wanted to work for and started networking immediately. Her hard work resulted in her securing her dream job with a consulting firm here in Atlanta. Farzeen is genuinely interested in listening and understanding others viewpoints which is a characteristic that I’m sure her new firm recognize and appreciated. Those are some of the characteristics which will make her an effective consultant.

Her focus and drive has enabled her to take on multiple leadership positions in the program. She led several teams to successful participation in case competitions and was the Athletic Chair for the program. She has been a highly engaged student ambassador and worked with our admissions team to interview perspective students.

Farzeen is selfless in her support of fellow classmates and has mentored three first year students to successfully adapt to the program and prepare for the job search. Her philanthropic focus has led her to volunteer for many activities within the college but also outside of the program

She may be small in stature but her impact and compassion for helping others achieve their goals is huge!”

Barbara Lindquist

Corporate Relations Manager, Jones MBA Career Center

Scheller College of Business, Georgia Tech

 

DON’T MISS: MBAS TO WATCH: THE STORIES OF 100 EXTRAORDINARY GRADUATES FROM THE CLASS OF 2017