Maura Liebendorfer 

University of California Los Angeles’ Anderson School of Management

“Soft-spoken realist. Big fan of dessert. Reliably honest, even when you’re late and wearing the “wrong” shoes.”

Hometown: Newton, MA

Fun Fact About Yourself:  I took my first (and possibly last) Pilates class in North Macedonia this summer with an instructor who knew about ten words of English but gave me incessant personal attention as I failed miserably to get the moves right or understand his instructions.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Virginia, Economics Major and Math Minor

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Senior Consultant at Deloitte Consulting

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: During my last year at Deloitte, I launched a mental health team that worked on opening up a dialogue about mental health to help limit the stigma and message that it’s not just okay but important to ask for help. The team channeled a lot of unmet desire for programming in this area, initiating the first set of group discussions on the topic and disseminating messaging on resources and mental health stats to our entire practice for the first time.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why?  I’ve found my classmates to be a nice mix of ambitious and light-hearted. Everyone is working hard in recruiting to prove they have what it takes to work for the sexiest companies, but they’re also laughing in the hallways about still caring too much about grades and making sure everyone makes it out to our epic events (think: 90s party). People really care about accomplishing whatever they set out to do through their MBA and are putting in the legwork to make it happen, but they also want to make sure everyone is taking care of themselves and having a good time along the way.

UCLA Anderson is founded on three pillars: Share Success, Think Fearlessly, and Drive Change. Which pillar resonates most with you and why? Share success! I can’t express how important my friends and classmates have been to my success at school thus far and how much we value helping each other out however we can. From accounting study sessions to late-night phone calls comparing notes on probability homework, to dozens of resume reviews we are always willing to find time to lend a hand or tackle a problem together.

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? Given that I’m targeting a career in the tech industry, Anderson was a natural frontrunner with its incredible tech resources and recruiting pipeline and its proximity to the myriad startups of Silicon Beach. I knew I would have no shortage of opportunities here to engage with the major players in tech and build the skills and industry knowledge I need to achieve my recruiting goals. Since I arrived, these expectations have been more than exceeded – through our tech club’s interview prep teams, Professor Terry Kramer’s lectures on tech innovation, and the Entrepreneur Association where I’m coordinating with startups to hire MBAs through our upcoming startup career.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I’m thrilled to have recently been accepted into our Entrepreneurial Leadership Development Program, a program I learned about during my interview and that stood out as a testament to Anderson’s ethos. In the program, I’ll hear directly from C-suite executives and other successful leaders and entrepreneurs about their successes and failures, as well as work with a dedicated mentor and a close group of peers to create a supportive network in which to grow both personally and professionally.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? “Tell me about a time you worked with someone difficult and how you navigated that.” Working to frame experiences like this in a positive or growth-mindset orientation can be really tough, especially if the person really was difficult.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I had been working in consulting for over four years when I realized I wanted to make a big change in my career, and I knew business school would be a perfect place to explore new subjects, build my leadership skills, and experiment to find my professional fit. Now that I’m at Anderson, I have the chance to test the hypothesis that the tech industry is the right place for me, while building on my existing skills to be successful in the product-oriented roles I’m targeting.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Berkeley Haas, NYU Stern, MIT Sloan, Northwestern Kellogg

How did you determine your fit at various schools? When looking at MBA programs, I prioritized schools with friendly, collaborative cultures and ties to the tech industry. Because I worked at Deloitte, I had many friends and former colleagues in business school that offered their time and guidance to help me understand the different programs and what they each uniquely had to offer. I also made sure to conduct all my interviews in-person so that I would have the opportunity to meet as many students as possible and really get a feel for each school.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are?  Nine years ago, having recently transferred to the University of Virginia, my older sister convinced me to join her at the first feminist club meeting of the year. I was apprehensive about going given the unflattering stereotypes of feminists floating around in my head, but I knew I needed to embrace every opportunity to meet new people and find a place for myself. I quickly learned what feminism is really all about and that the problems it aims to solve were things I truly cared about and wanted to explore. In the weekly meetings I attended and facilitated until I graduated, I found a place where I had a voice and a meaningful point of view to contribute for the first time. I can’t say I’ve fully kicked my imposter syndrome or that this set the direction for the rest of my life, but I do know that being a part of this organization taught me more about both my values and my value as an individual.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?  Ten years feels pretty far down the line, but I envision myself either leading my own company or serving in an executive leadership role in a tech start-up. Before then, though, I’d like to spend some time in a large tech company to learn the ropes of product development and strategy in the industry. After that, my goal is to lead product at a start-up to gain some experience in the trenches before potentially launching my own venture.