Meet MIT Sloan’s MBA Class Of 2022

THE BENEFITS OF A SLOAN MBA

What are some additional benefits to MIT Sloan? This is what students, past and present, had to say about the MBA program.

1) IAP: “I enjoy our January Semester (IAP) when we are encouraged to explore new cultures and areas of personal and academic interests. During IAP this past January, I had the opportunity to go on a student-led trek to Argentina. It was an amazing experience as it allowed me to learn more about my classmates’ culture. I also was able to return to Cameroon to work on my start-up thanks to the funding I received from MIT Sandbox. It is opportunities like this one, which is both personally and professionally fulfilling, that distinguish Sloan from its peers.”
Khanyile Lynch (’20)

2) Action Learning Labs: “I took a class called Global Entrepreneurship Lab at Sloan, in which my team (we were 4 Sloanies in total) was paired with a logistics company in Kenya. We helped them improve their operations, and our final presentation and recommendations to their business case were very successful. I am very proud of the difference we have made upon this company, and I am very grateful I got to experience a business setting in a country I never would’ve gotten the chance to otherwise. I am proud of my team and myself, of what we learned and what we achieved.”
Larissa Cavalcanti (’20)

3) Flexible Structure: “I am drawn to the flexible nature of the curriculum. After the core semester, you are free to design your own path for three semesters, which allows students to really focus on their interests. I look forward to the opportunity to chart my own path by studying sustainable business practices and social responsibility. There is also the opportunity to have hands on professional experience in the first semester – which is rare for most business schools. Even before starting the school year, I have spoken to many of my classmates who have chosen different track experiences to enhance their career progression. I think Sloan is the best place to design and personalize your MBA experience.”
Valerie Kutsch (‘22)

4) MIT As A Whole: “The learning ecosystem is literally the best in the country. MIT is essentially the best gift you can treat yourself with if you have a growth mindset, between the immense course catalog with cross-registration opportunities in various schools; the leading healthcare and tech companies as neighbors; and the vibrant entrepreneurship community where your friends live and breathe innovation on a daily basis.”
Steve Tuekam (’20)

“The energy ecosystem at MIT is what initially drew me to Sloan. As I learned more, I could tell that the MBA program really encourages Sloan students to engage with the rest of the university. I don’t think MBAs alone can solve the challenges facing the world, so a collaborative environment was very important to me.”
Clare Everts (’22)

5) Entrepreneurship: “The MBA program at Sloan provided us the foundational ideas that formed the roots of Season Three. Sloan – and specifically the team at the Trust Center – provided essential resources, support, and constant feedback. One would think being a DTC fashion brand at a school most known for groundbreaking technology would be a detriment, but for us it was a boon. From the EIRs and faculty, they didn’t try to shoehorn us into a SAAS product or hardware framework. They acknowledged what they don’t know and worked to help get us in front of the right people.

Honestly, though, at MIT it is more than just the immense entrepreneurial environment. Most professors, as well, are so willing to help – not just guide ideas, but make a real difference. The number of professors who were willing, at a moment’s notice, to connect us to specific contacts that we needed was incredible. We wouldn’t have been able to source one of our key components, merino wool, without them. We tried unsuccessfully for three months to get in contact with suppliers, but since they are giant companies, they did not take us seriously. One email later connected us to someone in the government of New Zealand and got us in front of the right people in a week!

Finally, we leaned heavily on our MBA classmates, especially those with experience in digital marketing, supply chain, design thinking, and product design. MIT and Delta V have given us an invaluable environment to learn from our peers who are also in similar stages of growth, and who are undergoing parallel challenges.”        
Adam Klein (’19)

“My experience getting to know Sloan has 100% reinforced this impression. There are so many opportunities for Sloan students to get involved with entrepreneurship, such as the delta V accelerator and the $100K Prize to the Sandbox, which provides smaller seed funding. The resources at the Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship show that Sloan puts a high value on student innovation.”
Clare Everts (’22)

6) Culture: “I was drawn to MIT because of its culture of innovation, creativity, and diversity. Throughout my career at a small but rapidly growing marketing firm, I’ve had to wear many hats; I’ve learned the value of tackling problems from different angles to drive creative solutions. I sought a school community that similarly valued and leveraged different perspectives to drive innovation in business. MIT Sloan is known for just that. It fosters opportunities for learning and growth in unique ways, allowing students to design their own paths through the program and presenting a multitude of opportunities for action learning with real companies.”
Diane P. Martin (’22)

7) Events: “My favorite tradition at Sloan is the Pre-f(x)s, or pre-functions. Every year, 2nd-year MBA students organize and lead around 20 short, 3-5 day trips around the world with groups of ~25 incoming 1st-year MBAs right before classes start. I both participated and led pre-f(x) trips as an incoming 1st-year and as a 2nd-year. Both were incredible experiences, as an incoming 1st-year MBA the Pre-f(x) trip to Colorado allowed me to foster relationships with 20 people who were familiar faces when school kicked off the week after. As an organizer, I had a blast. Not only did I have great 2nd year colleagues organizing the trip with me, but I also had the chance to build strong relationships with incoming 1st-year MBA students. We organized a Pre-f(x) to Puerto Rico, and being from the Dominican Republic, it was personally gratifying to bring a group of people from all over the world to a neighboring Caribbean country.”
Alfonso Martinez (’20)

“Sloan Olympics. It’s a very fun event in which the different “oceans” (classrooms to which we are assigned during our core semester) compete against each other in fun events, and it’s just one big party where you get to bond with people you have met.”
Larissa Cavalcanti (’20)

“MBA students love traveling and I had my share of globetrotting as well. In addition, an MIT Sloan tradition is the “C-function”, a mostly culturally-themed show with food, drinks, dances and an after-party. It’s a fun way to travel the world without leaving Cambridge, celebrate our differences, and better connect with each other.”
Steve Tuekam (’20)

ADVICE TO THE CLASS OF 2023

What will it take for an applicant to land a spot in MIT Sloan’s Class of 2023? Here is some advice from this year’s class.

“Have a clear view of why you want to pursue an MBA and what you want to get out of it. Your post-MBA goals may change during the MBA, but I believe you need to have a very clear intention and set of goals when applying. Once you have a strong answer for “why an MBA”, then think about which programs fit best your needs. If that program happens to be MIT Sloan, then think critically about what aspects of Sloan and MIT align with your answer to “Why an MBA”. Generally, I recommend people to think of the MBA application as a mural or a canvas that you paint with your previous experience and future aspirations for the admissions committee.”
Alfonso Martinez (’20)

“Make sure you know what you’re about (who you are, where you come from and where you want to go), and show it in your application. Be yourself! (and study for the GMAT early, so you don’t have to feel rushed when you’re applying).”
Larissa Cavalcanti (’20)

What led the Class of 2022 to pursue an MBA? What was the toughest question they were asked during the application process? What other schools did they consider? Check out the student profiles below for answers to questions and many more. 

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergrad Alma Mater	Last Employer
Sarah Black	Sydney, Australia	University of New South Wales	Boston Consulting Group
Bo Chan	Vancouver, Canada	University of Southern California	Native Union
Ian A. Culver	San Francisco, CA	U.S. Coast Guard Academy	U.S. Coast Guard
Clare Everts	Madison, WI	University of Chicago	Charles River Associates
Riley Foreman	Bellevue, WA	Whitman College	Seattle Storm
Jerry Hong	Singapore	United States Coast Guard Academy	Singapore Navy
Valerie Kutsch	Bozeman, MT	U.S. Military Academy	U.S. Army
Diane P. Martin	St. Louis, MO	Middlebury College	Anne Lewis Strategies
Albany Mulholland	Cheltenham, UK	Harvard College	First Quantum Minerals
Nagela Nukuna	Hockessin, DE	Georgia Institute of Technology	Google
Jana Parsons	Hallowell, ME	Middlebury College	Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution
Luis Guillermo Vernet	Miami, FL	George Washington University	JPMorgan Chase