Denzel McCollum 

Georgia Institute of Technology’s Scheller College of Business

“Pragmatic former email marketer looking to pivot into the world of technology management.”

Hometown: Greensboro, NC

Fun Facts About Yourself: In undergrad, I completed a research project on what makes a video go viral and presented the results at the 2014 iConference in Berlin.

• Since high school, I’ve volunteered at AnyTown in NC- this residential camp works to promote mutual respect amongst people from different backgrounds.
• I have traveled out of the country to Germany to present research and to Colombia to explore.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill- Information Science/Political Science Double Major

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: United Parcel Service, Inc – Senior Marketing Analyst

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Over the past year, I successfully managed and set strategy for my company’s inside sales email nurture marketing program. I served as the primary contact between the sales and marketing functions, while also writing message copy, segmenting target audiences, and building out campaign flows in our marketing automation tool.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? The quality that has stood out to me is everyone’s willingness to help each other become stronger candidates for the upcoming job search. “No Jerks” is a slogan around Scheller and I’ve seen my classmates along with the faculty exude this motto from the moment I stepped on campus. My classmates listen with intention and provide constructive feedback that has already impacted the way I plan to present myself in interviews and the workplace.

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? I chose to pursue my MBA at Georgia Tech because I felt the program would provide me with a strong understanding of how business works while ensuring I retain a niche for analytics and technology. My background is rooted in understanding how people interact and use technology on a day-to-day basis and in the future, I want to work in role where I act as a bridge between a company’s information technology and business functions. It was key that I learn about business from people who get how emerging technology affects workplace decisions and Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business is clear leader in this space. This made choosing to go here an easy decision.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I’m looking forward to taking Information Technology and International Practicum courses. The IT Practicum will give me the hands-on technology management experience I’m looking for and the International Practicum will teach me about how business is conducted on a global scale.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? Describe a conflict you had at work. How did you respond and what was the result?

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? So far, everything I have learned about business was organic to my job at UPS. An MBA will provide me with a foundation that is based on proven methodologies and lend me the credibility of experienced faculty and classmates. I’ve seen how going back to school to get an MBA can positively affect a person’s career trajectory and I’m looking to experience that myself.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I only applied to Georgia Tech.

What made you select Scheller? I’m ready to transition from working in data analytics to a role in technology management and I wanted to have solid understanding of how business is conducted before making the change. It was equally important that I become even more tech-savvy while studying business. Based off Scheller’s curriculum and Georgia Tech’s overall global reputation, this school was the obvious choice for me. Also, after reading about the attention and coaching provided by the school’s career center, I knew I would be well-prepared for the upcoming job hunt.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I prioritized price, location, curriculum, and brand while evaluating different schools. I checked the business school websites, Poets and Quants, US News and every other school review site I could find via search for information. At UPS, I was lucky enough to work with people who had attended a variety of business schools. Through them, I was able to get an honest answer about their alma mater and what I should expect if I attended school there. I knew Georgia Tech fit into my career goals because I saw that many Georgia Tech alumni currently have or have had roles that I am interested in pursuing.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? When I lived in North Carolina I participated in a program called AnyTown as a high school student and counselor for five years. AnyTown is a week-long residential program that provides students with a unique opportunity to live and interact with each other while building a community based on the principles of inclusion, respect, and understanding. Through this program, I learned how to lead and engage with people who I did not have much in common with. It challenged the internal biases I held and truly changed the way I viewed myself and others.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? In 10 years, I see myself in a senior management role that focuses on integrating tech solutions into business processes at an established company. I also want to continue learning whether that be through executive degree programs or simply traveling to engage with business leaders and tech innovators around the globe.