Meet Washington Foster’s MBA Class of 2019

Rachel E. Johnson 

University of Washington, Foster School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Energized by exchanging ideas that disrupt the status quo to create a brighter future.

Hometown: Murfreesboro, TN

Fun Fact About Yourself: To stretch my mind, I like to attend the ballet or opera because it allows me to think in a different way than I do most days.

Undergraduate School and Major: Trinity University, Political Science and Communications

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: Periscope Holdings, Inc.; Business Consultant and Project Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:  While I’m proud of my work on client implementations, I believe the project that had the biggest impact was an internal one. Before the project was initiated:

  1. The headcount of our practice had almost tripled in the past 18 months.
  2. The individual perspectives and experiences of project managers largely determined how clients were served.
  3. There were indicators that our project approach was producing inconsistent results both internally and for clients.

Luckily our team was experienced, with managers with strong backgrounds in client service and smart and hard-working analysts. I collaborated across our team to develop standard project methodologies and deliverable templates for projects. These frameworks allowed the team to spend more of its time working with the client to understand problems and develop solutions, rather than re-inventing the wheel when it came time to document. The project had a significant impact on our team’s ability to deliver implementation services in a consistent, rationalized, and value-based manner. Ultimately, the success of the project meant a greater level of success for our clients.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? Start thinking early about your essays. Write and re-write them to focus on your most important themes. Have at least two people who know you well review them. Talk to people who have applied to B-school in the past two to three years. Ask them about their process to write the essays, and what they wish they had done differently. This is your opportunity to personalize your application – outside of your GMAT and GPA. And unlike your recommendations, you are in control of the narrative.

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? My decision was made when I visited the school for my interview.  The interview was scheduled on a Saturday morning after a Friday night career changes panel, which included current students answering questions about Foster. Overall, the current students conveyed that they were there to support and champion each other. One student even recalled a story where another student received a summer internship that she had pursued but didn’t get. The other student received another offer, and when she rejected the summer internship, she told the other company why her classmate was the best choice to take her place. It worked! The student on the panel received an offer and accepted the internship. The interview on Saturday reinforced the collaborative culture at Foster. That’s when I knew it was the right decision for me. I know that at Foster, I will be set up for success, not only by the school’s staff, faculty and alumni, but also by my classmates.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? Working closely with committed clients and a creative team in a large consulting firm. I’m most excited about working with talented people on hard problems because I think you can learn so much when you collaborate to solve unique problems. And I believe that if you are not learning, your career can become stagnant and unexciting. Ultimately, I want to grow into a position where I can have a significant impact on people – both employees and customers or clients. I am constantly imagining how things could be better. So I want to be in a position to turn those ideas into real change.

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