Morgan Kerfeld

University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management

“Impact-driven individual with a passion for finding complex problems to solve, often through entrepreneurship.”

Hometown: St. Paul, MN

Fun Fact About Yourself: I camped in the Amazon rainforest while I was living in Perú.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Minnesota – Carlson School of Management, Entrepreneurial Management and Public & Nonprofit Management, Pre-Medicine Concentration

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Founder of Telo and Strategy and Emerging Products Manager at UnitedHealth Group’s Level2

What has been your favorite part of the Twin Cities so far? What has made it such a great place to earn an MBA? The startup community in the Twin Cities is incredibly robust and supportive. My favorite part about living in the Twin Cities, and running a company here, is the amazing community of entrepreneurs I have been able to join. I also enjoy getting to engage in and discover all the amazing resources the state of Minnesota has developed to help entrepreneurs succeed. The Twin Cities is also such a cool area filled with very down-to-earth individuals, an awesome food and art scene, and outdoor activities!

Carlson MBAs spend a year in hands-on Enterprise programs for Consulting, Branding, Ventures, and Funds. Which program do you intend to enroll in? What excites most about your Enterprise program? I will be enrolling in the Ventures Enterprise this spring which focuses on consulting within innovation spaces at companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies. I am most looking forward to working with my fellow classmates on real-world company projects and learning about new frameworks for problem-solving.

Aside from your classmates, experiential learning, and location, what was the key part of the Carlson MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The Carlson School’s focus on “Business as a force for good” was a key part of its culture and curriculum that led me to choose this program. I believe business can be an incredible catalyst for social change and wanted a program that shared that mindset. I feel like every day at Carlson I am being challenged to think about how I could use what I am learning in the classroom to make a difference in my school, community, and world and that, I believe, is something extremely special about the Carlson School.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Carlson? The course I have enjoyed most so far during my MBA at Carlson has been Helen Moser’s (H-Mo’s) finance course. One of the areas where I wanted to develop the most during my MBA program was finance and H-Mo’s course was an incredible opportunity to develop the skills I have been looking to develop. Plus, she gives all her students nicknames and is just a wonderful person to be around!

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The biggest accomplishments in my career so far have been the following:

1) Launching my own company and getting to see the impact my company’s products will be able to have on those with mobility complications.

2) Moving to Perú to help a non-profit launch a new education platform for children with learning disabilities.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far: My biggest accomplishments as an MBA student have been getting announced as a finalist for two national student pitch competitions for my company, Telo, as well as being named a Sands Fellow where I am given mentorship and funding to develop a social venture of my own over the course of my MBA program.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far? The day after my company, Telo, won the General Division in MN Cup, I showed up to school and my classmates surprised me with a unicorn and #1 balloons, tasty gf/df treats, and an extremely kind card to congratulate me. The best part about my MBA program has hands down been my classmates. They are the most amazing humans always thinking about others and supporting everyone in their ambitions. I feel honored to be in the same class as them all and can’t wait for the next 1.5 years together.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into the Carlson MBA program? Reach out to the admissions team and current students to learn more about the program and how you could fit into the community. Everyone here is more than happy to have a conversation with you, and it will help those in decision positions for admissions remember you during their decision process!

DON’T MISS: MEET MINNESOTA CARLSON SCHOOL’S MBA CLASS OF 2024