Meet The Michigan Ross MBA Class Of 2022

3) Story Lab: “I’m really looking forward to the Sanger Leadership Center’s Story Lab. As a Pentagon reporter, I had the privilege of telling a lot of important and often complex stories that affected peoples’ lives. But now, it’s time to write my own story! Through Story Lab’s workshops and events, I can craft my unique narrative, continue to hone my writing skills, and get to know my classmates in an open, vulnerable environment.”
Elizabeth McLaughlin (’22)

4) Crisis Challenge: “I am excited about another one of Ross’ action-based learning programs: the Sanger Leadership Center’s Crisis Challenge. Teams are designated as senior executives responsible for responding to a crisis in a high-stakes environment. This simulation tests your ability to work on a team, strategize effectively, be nimble on your feet, and most of all, work under pressure – which, for me, forces me outside of my comfort zone and to rise to the occasion. I often learn something new about myself and I look forward to pushing the limits during this challenge.”
Alexia Sabogal (’22)

“At Ross, I wanted to have opportunities to help me further understand how to make impactful decisions in unclear environments. I was able to learn how to hone in on these creative problem-solving skills during the Sanger Leadership Center’s Crisis Challenge. Thirty teams of six-seven people got to engage with real Boards of Directors and media members (Detroit Free Press, NPR, BBC, and CNN) to experience what it is like to deal with corporate problems in a very public way! I left this 1.5-day series of events having worked on a team to solve problems seemingly out of our control. At the same time, I was being challenged to make decisions with many moving parts and incomplete information. I really enjoyed working with a stellar team learning how to deal with crises while building new strengths. I also received the “Executive Presence” award at the challenge, which was a great honor.”
LaTresha Staten (’22)

5) MAP: “MAP! The renowned Multidisciplinary Action Projects at Ross are the epitome of hands-on learning and in my opinion, unrivaled in the B-School realm for experiential learning. As a seven-week consulting project, it is essentially a short internship opportunity before the summer internship. Having only two years to gather as much information as possible to guide a potential career-switch, MAP provides an invaluable opportunity to gain more experience.”
Stephanie Babij (’22)

As they say, “One learns business by doing business” and Michigan Ross’ action-based learning opportunities make this possible. In particular, the Multidisciplinary Action Projects (MAP) program, Ross’ signature seven-week program, allows students to consult with an organization to solve a business challenge. These projects with U.S. or international corporations range from marketing strategies, to proposals, and business plans. I am definitely a hands-on learner, so I look forward to pursuing an international experience with exposure to professionals at an industry of my choice. Hearing the enthusiasm in the voices of alums and MBA 2s as they spoke about their MAP experience affirmed my decision for this journey. Sabogal
Alexia Sabogal (’22)

6) Social Impact: “Ross cares a lot about intersecting business with social impact. Through its centers, institutes, initiatives, and course offerings, I saw that Ross was providing the necessary resources to truly lead the way in making business a force for positive and social good. Just to name a few things that stood out to me – Business + Impact, +Impact Studio, Social Venture Fund, Nonprofit Board Fellows, and Social Innovation Series. Coming from a nontraditional, nonprofit background, this spoke to my hopes of creating a bridge between the private, public, and nonprofit sectors for the betterment of society. Ross was the only school that made me feel like they could provide a safe and resource-filled space for me to explore my goals for social impact.”
Anna H. Lam (’22)

7) Student-Managed Funds: “Not many MBA programs have investment funds that offer students hands-on investing training. Ross has five! – exemplifying its strong commitment to action-based learning. Getting involved in a student-run fund is one of many Ross-specific stretch experiences I want to pursue to elevate my analytical skill set and push myself outside my comfort zone. I look forward to learning leading practices in investing, managing, and growing real investment portfolios from esteemed faculty and industry mentors.”
Y.C. Wong (’22)

8) Supportive Alumni: “With the alumni community, everyone was always there and enthusiastic to help – whether it was traveling abroad and hearing strangers yell “Go Blue” whenever they saw me wearing clothing with a block M on it or having cold emails responded to solely because I signed them with “Go Blue.” Within the school, the MBA2s in my first year was an invaluable resource, always ready and willing to help use their experience to answer questions or find someone they knew who could. How much everyone was there for me has pushed me to do the same and I think that collective pay-it-forward mentality is the key to what makes the Ross community so strong.”
Kevin Carrier (’22)

9) DRB: “It would be Detroit Revitalization and Business (DRB) because its main purpose is to connect University of Michigan students and the city of Detroit. As a metro Detroit native, I am excited to help inform business strategies of local non-profits and to mentor a local high schooler as she prepares for college. I left Southeastern Michigan for college and plan to leave after business school; DRB provides opportunities to connect more deeply with Detroit, give back, and share the city’s growth with other.”
Marissa Cooper (’22)

10) LBLE: “This winter, I will enroll in a course called “Living Business Leadership Experience.” Over a semester, students work strategy projects for real companies operating in various industries from sustainability to media. The difference of LBLE from MAP is that both undergraduate and MBAs can enroll in the class and work on the projects for a longer time, 16-weeks in total. This will be the time where I will leverage all my learnings from MAP and Business + Impact Challenge for teamwork, leadership, and project management, as well as fundamentals from my core marketing, strategy, and management and organizations courses.”
Ebrar Derya Erdem (’21)

ADVICE TO THE CLASS OF 2023

What does it take to land a spot in the Class of 2023? This is what recent graduates had to say…

“Be authentic! I was scared of applying to a school that I wasn’t good enough to get into a top MBA program and that my weird background would hold me back. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Ross encouraged me to bring my full self to the interview and embraced the interesting perspective I could bring to our class. It turns out the admissions team was right and I found that while I had no background in business, I was able to always contribute to the conversation in class and challenged my classmates to think beyond the bottom line.”
Madeleine Carnemark (’20)

“Own your awesomeness and don’t let the application process define you. Also, bring your full self to Ross and take pride in what makes you unique. All of you are welcome here.”
Christopher Lee Owen (’20)

“The best advice is to truly understand what it is about your career and personal aspirations that Ross can specifically help guide you towards, versus other programs. Leverage current students, admissions fellows, webinars, and alumni. Come visit our campus to research and understand what #TheRossDifference truly is – and if it is right for you. In my experience, MBA programs can distinguish between candidates who are passionate about their school specifically and those who are not.”
Latresha Staten (’22)

What led the Michigan Ross Class of 2022 to pursue an MBA degree? What programs did they consider? What was the toughest question they were asked in the admissions process? How did they determine the right school fit? Find out answers to these questions and many more by clicking the student links below. 

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergrad Alma Mater	Last Employer
Stephanie Babij	Ontario, OR	Occidental College	DoubleLine Capital
Marissa Cooper	West Bloomfield, MI	Dartmouth College	Optum
Christopher Connolly	Chicago, IL	Stanford University	U.S. Senate, Office of U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth
Daniel Ketyer	Washington County, PA	Duke University	Deloitte Consulting
Anna H. Lam	Walnut, CA	University of California, Davis	Eden Housing
Drew McKnight	Birmingham, AL	U.S. Air Force Academy	U.S. Air Force
Elizabeth McLaughlin	Manhattan Beach, CA	University of Michigan	ABC News
Harshita Pilla	Dallas, TX	University of California, Berkeley	WeWork
Alexia Sabogal	New York City, NY	University of Virginia	Major League Soccer
Michael Walsh	Evanston, IL	Northwestern University	DaVita, Inc.
Y.C. Wong	Singapore	University of Illinois	Deloitte Consulting
Justin Woods	Colorado Springs, CO	George Washington University	Whitman-Walker Health