Rosa Glenn

MIT, Sloan School of Management

Describe yourself in 15 words or less:  Classically trained weaver, come product and materials designer looking to make an impact in retail.

Hometown: Dublin, Ireland

Fun Fact About Yourself: For a brief period in college, I was raising silk worms in my studio locker. It was a complete disaster – there were worms everywhere. I didn’t get any usable silk, but I learned SO much about fiber production. I have never looked at a silk blouse the same way since.

Undergraduate School and Major: Rhode Island School of Design, Textile Design BFA

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: Anthropologie owned by Urban Outfitters (retailer), Associate Designer, Technical lead on fabric development home furnishing group.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I managed the decorative textile line at Anthro (all rugs, curtains and upholstery) from the design side. Collaborated with vendor and in house partners to create a series of best-selling assortments that turned around chronically underperforming categories.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants?  Really spend the time figuring out why it makes sense to get an MBA – not just the logical, career trajectory portion, but the emotional reasoning too. Try to connect as a person, not just as a polished resume.

What was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you?  I chose MIT because of its commitment to innovation. As a product designer, I’ve always worked in creative teams. I wanted an MBA program that embraced analytical thinking along with design thinking – creativity is in MIT’s DNA.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school?  I would love to have a deep understanding of the analytical tools needed to solve business problems. Having the creative side alone can only get you so far in most companies. Success would mean leaving the school year with the confidence and ability to have a broader impact.