Meet the MBA Class of 2022: Brooke Bettis, Arizona State (W. P. Carey)

Brooke Bettis

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

“An open-minded global citizen with a serving heart and adventurous soul.”

Hometown: Saint Charles, IL

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have been scuba diving with manta rays in Indonesia.

Undergraduate School and Major: Texas Christian University, Entrepreneurial Management and Supply and Value Chain Management

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Peace Corps, Community Economic Development Specialist

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the school’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? I am attempting to pivot my business career into a new industry and function. Therefore, career coaching was of utmost importance to me when choosing an MBA school. The Career Management and Employer Engagement team at W. P. Carey is spectacular. I even recall receiving career advice during my admissions interview! The support this team offers to students is incredibly individualized, helping each student to set personalized career goals and then build strategic strategies to achieve them. This includes various leadership assessments, one-on-one coaching, and even a career coaching class during the first quarter.

Arizona State is renowned for its innovation. How have you seen innovation in the philosophy, curriculum, or researches at W. P. Carey? A great display of innovation from W. P. Carey is the recent “Garbage Truck of the Future” project. This was an interdisciplinary design project in which 36 graduate students, from the business and industrial design schools, worked together with Republic Services in Phoenix to design a state-of-the-art garbage truck. Students gained valuable experience working across disciplines, while innovating to help a local business solve real challenges.

What club or activity excites you most at this school? I am excited to join the Net Impact chapter at ASU. Net Impact is a global community whose mission is “to inspire and equip emerging leaders to build a more just and sustainable world.” I look forward to networking with like-minded students who place a priority within their careers on making a positive impact.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: While serving with the Peace Corps in Timor-Leste, I partnered with a local female leader to start a business with the local youth. We trained 15 young Timorese women and men to make and sell three local products (coconut oil, tamarind candies and moringa powder) and supported them in building a sustainable business around these products.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? Logistically, this was the perfect time for me to relocate and start a full-time graduate program. I recently returned from living abroad as my assignment with the Peace Corps ended. This was also a great time for me strategically, as an MBA will help me pivot into my desired career path. I currently have four years of experience working in supply chain and sourcing for Fortune 500 companies and two years of experience working in rural economic development overseas. These vastly different experiences helped me identify both my passions and strengths, inspiring me to pursue a career in business management within a non-profit or aid organization. Pursuing an MBA will strengthen my existing business skills and allow me to acquire the skills I am lacking in order to make this career pivot.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Penn State University, Marquette University, and University of Arizona

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? Tell me about a time you were asked to go against your own morals or compromise your values? How did you handle this situation?

What was your defining moment and how did it prepare you for business school? Successfully finishing my 27-month service in the Peace Corps was a defining moment for me. Serving in the Peace Corps is mentally, physically and emotionally challenging. Completing my service showed me I have the grit and the backbone to persevere through challenging times. I am ready for whatever business school may bring!

What is the most important attribute that you are seeking in an MBA employer? I want to work for an employer whose service or product directly improves the lives of an underserved community. Working for the Peace Corps to empower people in underserved communities was inspiring and rewarding, and I want to continue doing this work for the rest of my career.

DON’T MISS: Meet Arizona State’s MBA Class of 2022

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.