Meet Cornell Johnson’s MBA Class Of 2019

Christine Mbaye Muchemu 

Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University 

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: I am a proud Kenyan and Canadian citizen who is passionate about empowering women.

Hometown: Nairobi, Kenya, and Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Fun Fact About Yourself: I love to run. I have run two half marathons, two marathons, one trail marathon on the Bruce Peninsula (which was really an ultra-marathon due to the challenge of the terrain), and a 50K trail race called Vulture Bait, in which I placed second overall female.

Undergraduate School and Major: Bachelor of Science, Engineering Chemistry with Professional Internship

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Bruce Power Nuclear L.P.

Aug 2014 to June 2017, Engineer in Training, Corrosion Analyst and Inspections Project Manager

Sept 2009 to July 2014, Field Operations, Nuclear Operator

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest accomplishment in my career so far has been in leading highly skilled individuals toward the completion of major projects that were targeted at improving equipment reliability in the nuclear industry. This was a challenging endeavor as I was often the only woman on the team and had less industry experience than others on the team. It was only by both being comfortable with being “uncomfortable” and by admitting when I did not know something that I was able to effectively lead and gain the respect of all the team members.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? I would advise anyone considering applying to business school to spend some time reflecting and figuring out why they are applying to business school and what they want out of it. Passing the GMAT, writing the application essays, gathering the recommendations, or excelling in the interview — I consider these the mechanics of the application process that can be mastered by anyone. However, having a true sense of purpose is much harder and arguably more important.

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? The Johnson full-time MBA is like no other in that it allows me to truly make the two-year MBA experience my own. There are numerous opportunities to explore and dive deep into areas that I am most interested in. This is important to me because it will allow me to expound on and try out ideas that I have in a safe space, thereby leading to both a richer learning experience and to a career that I can truly be passionate about.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? In my first week at Johnson, I received training on how to set goals and the tools and frameworks that I need to apply to implement these goals. Therefore, success to me would be to achieve these goals, which I have broken down into first-year and second-year goals. In addition, I would consider myself a success if I have built true and meaningful networks both at Johnson and the greater Cornell University community.