Meet Cornell Johnson’s MBA Class Of 2019

Ogbemi Ekwejunor-Etchie 

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

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Constantly seeking out opportunities to put myself in growth environments and evolving from them.

Hometown: Alameda, CA, and Lagos, Nigeria

Fun Fact About Yourself: I travel like Anthony Bourdain. My most rewarding experiences, have been the most unscripted.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Pennsylvania, Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: 

Corning Incorporated, Mechanical Engineer

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: In 2013, my company completed the full acquisition of another company based in South Korea. It was made clear that a rapid and successful integration of the acquisition was critical to strengthening our core capabilities and revenue growth. I was among those selected to lead the integration with a team of Korean and American engineers and technicians in the development of a process for a new innovative product line in Korea. This opportunity to lead a cross-functional team of foreign engineers was not only professionally intimidating but also personally formidable. I not only overcame the technical challenges of creating new processes in a dynamic environment, but also overcame the language and cultural barriers.

My expatriate assignment required resilience and determination, which I drew upon from previous experiences in my life. In order to galvanize the team to our common objectives, I had to use every experience up to then on cross-cultural team building and negotiation.

I resolved to delve into Korean culture as much as I could. I found that the easiest way to learn about the culture was through cuisine. Through the stories that accompanied each dish, I gained a deeper understanding of the perspectives my colleagues held. From the experiences of sampling homemade kim-chi to sannakji (live octopus), I leveled cultural barriers and showed that I was willing to do whatever it took to forge strong relationships, which was then reflected in our future interactions on the floor and in meetings. I believe this seemingly unimportant mindset, creating a dynamic team atmosphere, and investing time to understand the culture contributed to the successful completion of the objectives of executing our strategy.

Though we were successful in delivering and solving the technical challenges of this new line, acquiring patents and other intellectual property along the way, I believe that the true accomplishment was measured by the successful integration of the team and the strength of our friendships. To this day, I am still in frequent contact with my friends in Asan, South Korea.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? My advice would be to accept the things that make you different. This is much easier to do with positive attributes, but sometimes negative experiences can be the differentiator. What separates applicants are the experiences they have and how they use negative experiences as opportunities to learn and grow. Do you run away from difficult situations or do you embrace them? Being able to show that you are not afraid to take on challenges and succeed or learn something from your failures is critical in telling your story. Make sure to reflect on your stories — do not be afraid to leverage a powerful learning experience even though the outcome may not have led to all-around successes.

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? One key factor in my decision was the immersion programs. The opportunity to directly apply classroom knowledge to real-time problems and get hands-on experience in my chosen field appealed to me — being able to walk into an internship already possessing the skills needed to do the job.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? Success after my first year would be the satisfaction of personal and professional growth in my leadership capability. Success will be cultivating a network of leaders and peers across industries as I continue to tackle opportunities ahead.