Meet the MBA Class of 2022: Di He, North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler)

Di He

Preferred First Name: Chloe

University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School

“Guided by an ardent imagination and childish reasoning.”

Hometown: Shanghai, China

Fun Fact About Yourself: When I traveled to Cappadocia, I fell down from the ATV and sprained my ankle. As a true foodie, I limped to visit a fine-dining restaurant with a breathtaking view.

Undergraduate School and Major:  Shanghai Normal University, property management

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Eli Lilly, Marketing Operation Excellence Manager

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 think it’s the critical importance that UNC Kenan-Flagler places on collaboration. Going forward, I hope to become a successful business leader who holds helping others as a core guiding principle, and who devotes herself to giving back to the community and positively contributing to society.

What quality best describes your MBA classmates and why? Collaboration. As far as I know, we have only five students from China mainland confirmed to join Class of 2022 this year, but we are very close. We share all the information we know regularly regarding the visa application, school enrollment and information of career development webinars. We all know it is a special year for us, especially for international students. I cherish our collaboration under this circumstance.

What club or activity excites you most at this school? Asian Business Club and MBA Adventures Club

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I won the Lilly China 2019 Annual President Award for the launch of a meeting service platform. The project is an industry pioneer, boosting work efficiency of 2,000+ sales reps and catalyzed transparency of service transactions.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career?  I’ve spent eight years in the same company. I don’t want my life being predictable. The MBA journey is a big challenge for me at this moment. I am quite certain I would like to explore the world and explore other possibilities in my life.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? CEIBS, USC, Rice and UCSD

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? What is the greatest challenge in your career life? I thought through this question for a long time because I did not face with a lot of difficulties in my career life. I joined Lilly after graduation. Starting from marketing coordinator, I was promoted three times. Lilly is a perfect culture fit for me.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? My first priority is whether classmates are supportive. I don’t want to go to a business school where students are competitive and tough to get along with. I tried to talk to as many alumni as I could. I chatted with my colleagues and tried to reach out to different people. UNC’s alumni are so nice and willing to spend time talking to you, sharing their moments in school and offering help. Also, I searched alumni profiles in LinkedIn to see whether there is a career fit. Additionally, the school website is a good way to see what they value and what they provide.

What was your defining moment and how did it prepare you for business school? When I looked into my life on my 30st birthday, I found my life is colorless as water. I kept asking myself, “Will I regret if I choose not to pursue an MBA?”

What is your favorite company and what could business students learn from them? I will strongly nominate Eli Lilly. Lilly demonstrates its commitment on expanding access to their medicines to as many people as possible. I like the corporate culture “diversity & inclusive” very much. Actually, we have a regular survey regarding employee satisfaction every year to view our performance on this criteria.

DON’T MISS: Meet UNC Kenan-Flagler’s MBA Class Of 2022