Zoey Nguyen

Arizona State University, W. P. Carey School of Business

“A forward thinker with a strong passion for lifelong learning and continuous improvement.”

Hometown: Hanoi, Vietnam

Fun Fact About Yourself: I started my first business when I was in primary school by selling stationery to my classmates. However, this startup closed after three days because of “poor cash flow management.”

Undergraduate School and Major: Hanoi Foreign Trade University, Bachelor of Economics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Product Specialist at Megastore

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: It was the time that I provided consultation and persuaded my clients to use the fully integrated software of my company to help them reduce 20% operational time. I worked closely with my clients to understand their business model and pain points, collaborated cross-functionally to showcase how the software could improve their company’s operational efficiency and used my analytical skills to help them evaluate the profitability of the project. After finishing this project, I realized that I already used both the technical and interpersonal skills cumulated through my previous work experiences to bring the best benefit to clients and the company. The feeling of making the most of your skills and experience made me feel so proud of myself, and I knew that I was ready for the next journey in my career path.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? “Contributor” is the best word to describe my MBA classmates. They came from different backgrounds, worked in different industries before the MBA. They have never hesitated to speak up in classes to share their ideas and their unique perspectives cumulated through extensive work experiences. That makes me so excited to attend classes every day because I know that I can learn a new thing from my classmates through both in-class and out-of-class discussions. Especially, my school releases a Net Investor Report quarterly to highlight the students who give back during the previous quarter. Together, we create a competitively collaborative community.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you?  The first thing that drew my attention to the curriculum of W. P. Carey was the “Executive Connections” program. As an international student, I would love to enrich my MBA journey in the U.S. as much as possible. I considered “Executive Connections” as a great opportunity to connect and build mentoring relationships with senior executive leaders from top firms in the U.S. such as Deloitte, Intel, Walmart, etc. That would be a unique learning experience that I could not gain from any schools.

As a result of the true understanding of my personal background and experience, the school matched me with a great executive mentor who had the background and career path that I aspired. I was thankful for this and I knew that my first impression about the school was totally correct.

Arizona State is renowned for its innovation. How have you seen innovation in the philosophy, curriculum, or resources at W. P. Carey?  I have a strong impression of the innovation mindset of all people at W. P. Carey, from students to staff. All feedback from the MBA students is considered and the staff will not hesitate to act on them. For example, Carey Collaboration is a great idea that provides MBA students with opportunities to give back to the community through mentoring and coaching undergrad students. However, to run this program smoothly and effectively, the MBA students like me are encountered with a variety of challenges. We raised our difficulties to the school and the person in charge immediately held a meeting with us to discuss how to solve these issues. A lot of great ideas were developed and the school applied them to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Carey Collaboration program.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? I was asked to tell interviewers how I dealt with an ambiguous situation in my working environment. I got stuck a bit but quickly kept calm and tried to remember a situation that I worked without clear information and explained to the interviewers what my thinking process was and what skills I used to solve the issue. Today, when sitting in the MBA classes, I understood why the school asked me this question. In the business world, change is the only certainty and the amount of ambiguity is increasing. The MBA program at the W. P. Carey School of Business will prepare you to lead your teams and organizations through ambiguity by building essential skills such as innovative thinking, flexibility, rapid execution, and leading transformative change.

How did you determine which business schools best fit you? I am passionate about pursuing a career in supply chain management (SCM), so a top-ranking MBA program with strong SCM-focused concentration is my first priority. I used the most prestigious ranking reports such as Poets & Quants, U.S. News, Financial Times, etc., to look for the schools that might fit my top priority. Besides that, I preferred to get involved in a small-size class and tight-knit community because I could know everyone better and build a life-long friendship with my classmates. Before the application process and after getting accepted, I reached out and talked to a lot of W. P. Carey MBA students and alumni to understand the culture, environment, atmosphere of the school. I was so impressed with the great experiences they had with the school. Last but not least, when I was exposed to the admission team of the school, I felt close because they knew me clearly and personally and showed enthusiasm to help me become the better version of myself after graduation. That made me believe that at W. P. Carey, business is personal and confidently choose W. P. Carey as the next important part of my career.