Meet Toronto Rotman’s MBA Class of 2019

Cadence Peckham 

University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management  

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: If my personality were an activity, it would be summer camp.

Hometown: Walnut Creek, California

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve hiked Half Dome three times (1,600 meter elevation gain), twice of which starting at 12pm midnight.

Undergraduate School and Major: Bachelor of Music, Horn Performance

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: 

Delta Gamma Fraternity Executive Offices – Collegiate Development Consultant

Novo Group, Inc. – Associate Recruiting Consultant, Recruiting Consultant

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I had the opportunity to significantly impact the recruiting process and overall satisfaction of my employer’s largest client. Through careful evaluation, process development, and relationship building, I refined and implemented an efficient, more cost-effective, and highly-rated recruiting experience for the North American Sales and Marketing Commercial Division of a major, global CPG manufacturer.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? Work backwards in your MBA search. Start with what you want to do and where you want to do it. Then, work backwards from there to uncover if the MBA is the right path for you. If it is, determine which MBA program best matches the experience and academic and recruiting opportunities that you are looking for. You may surprise yourself; I certainly did!

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? As I narrowed my search, it became apparent that there were a handful of schools that could offer the academic and professional recruiting experience I was looking for in an MBA program. For me, the deciding factor among those schools came down to something less tangible. As an American, Rotman posed a unique opportunity to not only venture to a new city, but also to broaden my international horizons.

Having lived in Switzerland as a child, a large part of my identity comes from the experiences I had and the friendships I forged during those four years. Visiting Toronto, I was struck by the diversity of the city and further excited to see that that diversity extended into Rotman’s student body. Diversity was a cornerstone of my international childhood; I had friends from almost every continent. Stepping onto campus at the University of Toronto and at Rotman, I was reminded of my time in Europe. Ever since I returned to the US from Switzerland, I have missed that international community. Accepting my offer to attend Rotman felt a little like promising life back to my dormant roots. My decision encompassed both ‘the data points’ and the non-tangible, my gut.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? To me, success after my first year of business school would be landing my dream internship as a Human Capital Consultant with one of the big four. It would also be walking away with plans to travel with my classmates and the opportunity to mentor incoming Rotman students the following fall!