Meet The Berkeley Haas MBA Class of 2019

Sarah Wallingford McKee

U.C.-Berkeley, Haas School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Farm raised, always smiling, and consumer obsessed

Hometown: Maysville, Kentucky

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am a graphic designer in my spare time. I design logos, websites and print materials for friends, family, small businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Undergraduate School and Major: Duke University – Visual & Media Studies and Markets & Management

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

In reverse chronological order –

  • Frito-Lay
    • Associate Marketing Manager, Doritos Brand
    • Senior Marketing Analyst, D3 Studios Creative Agency
  • Regus Group
    • Senior Manager, Digital Marketing
  • 360i
    • Account Manager
    • Associate Account Manager
    • Account Coordinator

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: When Fritos partnered with Garth Brooks to launch his new single, I had the opportunity to lead the team tasked with producing video content for the promo. The project was a first-ever opportunity for Frito-Lay’s internal ad agency, but we were faced with a very short timeline and a minimal budget to execute a quality video. Even more challenging were the conflicting personalities on our creative team. Despite this, we managed to find a director, write a script, film and edit the video in just five days. I am most proud, though, of how I led our team through the stress of the project.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? Take the time to do the self-exploration to help you truly understand what you want out of your graduate school experience. Having that big picture view of your ultimate goal will help you get through the very stressful application process. It will also help you immensely when the time comes to decide which school to attend.

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 applied to Haas because of its location, class size and reputation in tech and marketing, but what sold me was the genuineness of the students. When I reached out to a Haas ambassador to learn more about the program, she and I had a long, honest conversation about the program and the people. She stressed the investment Haas students have in their classmates’ growth and success, which aligned to my desire to find a school with a truly positive and collaborative environment. She connected me to two other students who were also very generous with their time and interested in helping me. Finally, when I came to campus to interview, my interviewer truly seemed to represent the school’s Defining Principle of “Confidence Without Attitude” and I knew Haas was where I belonged.

 What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? Because one of the reasons I chose to attend Haas is the small class size, I’d like to know all of my classmates by the end of my first year.

 

Related Stories In Our Meet The Class of 2019 Series: 

The Pioneering MBAs In The Class of 2019

Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business

Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business

Vanderbilt University’s Owen School of Management

London Business School

University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business

Notre Dame University Mendoza College of Business

UC-Berkeley’s Haas School of Business

New York University Stern School of Business

University of Texas-Austin McCombs School of Business

 

 

 

 

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