Meet The Berkeley Haas MBA Class of 2019

Michael Devlin 

U.C.-Berkeley, Haas School of Business 

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Although I’m not the most talented, I make up for it with relentless determination.

Hometown: Laytonsville, Maryland

Fun Fact About Yourself:  I spent this past summer individually running across the country from San Francisco to New York City raising over $40,000 for ALS research with Project ALS.

Undergraduate School and Major: Boston College, Carroll School of Management, Business Management

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Analyst, Citibank (Corporate & Investment Banking Division)

Associate, Sixpoint Partners

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: During my time at Sixpoint Partners, I was leading a transaction that required a unique structure to accommodate multiple investors. We were able to create a structure that allowed fatigued investors to exit the transaction, provided fresh capital from new investors, and created the successful purchase and transition of the asset’s ownership. It was an incredibly delicate transaction that required balancing the needs of the different parties involved and was recognized as one of the deals of the year by the private equity community.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants?  For the essay portion of these applications, there is often a question that calls for defining your future career and, in some sense, your life. This is a great opportunity to really create a plan and a vision for the impact you would like to make in your career. I hadn’t really understood how beneficial this process would be in eventually choosing the right program for me. My advice would be to take the time to really think through how each school’s particular programs, teaching staff, location, or extracurricular groups will help you accomplish this vision.

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? There are a number of factors that led me to choosing Berkeley-Haas, but a critical factor in my decision was one of the four Defining Principles for the school: Beyond Yourself. The decision to go to business school is significant financially and as a part of your career trajectory. I wanted to make sure that in making this decision I would be able to build a skill set and network that could help me achieve my vision and make a positive impact on this world. The culture and individuals at Berkeley-Haas clearly demonstrate this principle and gave me the confidence that this was the right school for me.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? After my first year of business school, I hope to have fully immersed myself in the culture and community of Berkeley-Haas. I’d like to a build a network and foundation of skills that will help me challenge myself, take news risks, explore newly-discovered passions and form lasting relationships with new friends who will challenge me to think differently.