Taylor Tear

Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business

“New Yorker with a passion for the outdoors and the New England Patriots.”

Hometown: Niskayuna, New York

Fun Fact About Yourself: One of my first summer jobs was working on the floor at an Irish sausage and bacon factory in upstate New York. Though I’m not interested in eating breakfast sausage anymore, the experience taught me about hard work and the effort it takes to run a small, international business.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Pittsburgh – Major: Economics, Minors: Political Science, Africana Studies

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: HSBC, Senior Corporate Banking Analyst

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 chose Tepper because it offers the best in academic rigor and community. With its standards in management science and small-class size, I knew that coming to Tepper would improve my skills in areas that will be valuable in my future career.

What club or activity excites you most at this school? Pro Bono Consulting Club – As a Pitt undergraduate, I was able to volunteer for a couple of Pittsburgh Non-Profits. I’m excited for the chance to help similar organizations enhance their impact on the city during my first year at Tepper.

What makes you most excited about getting your MBA at Tepper? What makes you most nervous about starting business school? I’m most excited by my classmates and the opportunity to learn from their previous and current experiences. From my interactions, the cohort is diverse and patient, and we’ve had stimulating conversation about a wide range of topics. On a similar note, I’m nervous about navigating classes and building a strong community over Zoom.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: In each of the last two years, I was chosen to lead a week-long introductory training for new classes of HSBC credit analysts. I was extremely honored to be selected to lead the training, recognizing the responsibility I had to help shape the next class of employees. I genuinely enjoyed creating a case study to teach financial modeling, arranging guest speakers, and honing my presentation skills. The most rewarding aspect of the training was serving as a peer mentor for new analysts and being able to pay forward the knowledge I’d received from my own mentors.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? My career before business school provided me with the opportunity to understand a wide variety of industries – all through the lens of corporate lending. I wanted to pursue an MBA to develop a more holistic understanding of corporate strategy and develop analytics skills. 

What other MBA programs did you apply to? MIT Sloan, Duke Fuqua

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? Why should we not admit you to our MBA program?

How did you determine your fit at various schools? When I was researching schools, I focused on class size, alumni network, academic rigor, and location. I reached out to as many current students and alumni as possible to hear more about their respective evaluation process and their time at each program. Through those conversations, I built a better understanding of the schools’ priorities and where I would fit in each of the communities.

What was your defining moment and how did it prepare you for business school? My defining moment happened while climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. After spending 3 years living in Tanzania, climbing Kilimanjaro had been at the top of my bucket list. The 5-day, 44-mile trek was one of the most grueling, physical and mental challenges I have ever experienced. However, the journey reinforced the value of teamwork and the importance of shared goals. It was only through mutual support and encouragement that we were all able to reach the summit.

What is your favorite company and what could business students learn from them? One of my favorite companies is Covanta Energy – an energy-from-waste business concentrated on the East Coast of the United States. They have a unique business model that is innately a part of the circular economy. The Company is constantly looking into new ways to limit their emissions and find new uses for the ash that’s generated from the waste incineration process. I think business students can look to Covanta as an example of how organizations can embed sustainability in their operations and find value in those efforts.

Pretend you have just graduated from business school. How do you picture your experience being successful? I picture a successful business school experience as one where I have built strong relationships with my classmates and alumni, pushed myself to step out of my comfort zone to develop new skills, and expanded my perspective about how to solve complex problems.

DON’T MISS:

MEET CARNEGIE MELLON TEPPER’S MBA CLASS OF 2022

MEET THE MBA CLASS OF 2022: THE COVID COHORTS