Tyrone Sampson

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Capitalist & marathon runner who loves to take action and make things happen.

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Fun Fact About Yourself: Completed a 55-mile Ultramarathon called The Comrades Marathon in South Africa.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Business Administration

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: East Point Investments, Investor & Portfolio Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Starting a company.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Community. Students a willing to go above and beyond to help others and the small MBA class size means you develop deep, meaningful relationships.

Aside from your classmates, 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? Professors. Smaller MBA class size means students also develop closer relationships to professors to help facilitate the learning process. This was important to me because I will be return to Finance, so I’m seeking to obtain specific leadership and technical abilities to enhance my career.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Center for Alternative Investments, Hedge Fund Competition, and Finance Club

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career?  Focus on enhanced leadership & technical skills

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? Cost benefit analysis.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Applied to a select few MBA programs.

I prioritized academics, size, school culture, and professors. The tools I used to evaluate schools were MBA surveys, speaking to alumni, and in-person visits to each campus I considered. I researched culture specifically by speaking with current and prior students. I knew these schools fit with my career goals by exploring the MBA curriculum and where alumni have gone on to work after earning their degree.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? One day, while working at my first job directly out of UNC-Chapel Hill, I was sitting at my computer wondering what my next 50+ years of life would look like if I continued my current path. I was not satisfied with that, so I became to push myself by taking on more and more personal challenges.  Since then, I have explored the world, worked in different industries, started my own company, served on the board of a non-profit, and got into endurance and extreme sports such as skydiving, scuba diving, and running marathons.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I plan to work within the finance industry.

Where do you see yourself in five years?  I see myself as working toward becoming a finance executive.