Ni Yang

University of Washington, Foster School of Business

“Gritty and creative, I am ceaselessly looking for more ways to enjoy life.”

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Fun Fact About Yourself: There is a large mural of me in Philadelphia!

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Pennsylvania, Mechanical Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Troemner (Mettler Toledo), Product Manager

What makes Seattle such a great place to earn an MBA? Seattle offers MBA students the opportunity to take their classroom learnings and apply it to the local business ecosystem, in real-time. Between classes, I can quickly train downtown to attend a corporate event or connect with a startup founder. Few MBA programs can offer such an immersive experience.

Aside from your location and classmates, what was the key part of Washington Foster’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The career management (CM) team’s dedication to every student’s individual growth was a key part of my decision to come to Foster. The immense support that I was provided, even before officially becoming a student, was demonstrative of how the CM team will go above-and-beyond to ensure their students have what they need to reach their goals. The small size of the Foster class also allows for the CM team to stay closely in touch with where every student is in their recruitment process. The team is consistently checking in along the way to help remove any blockages.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Washington Foster? The Foster Consulting Society (FCS) provides students with all the resources, and more, to successfully pivot into consulting. Between the casing boot camp, one-on-one coaching from second years, and group casing sessions, anyone could break into the consulting industry under FCS guidance.

Washington Foster operates off a philosophy of We>Me. Give us an example of how you’ve seen that among your classmates so far. The second-year MBA students have been a tremendous example of this philosophy. Though they are busy themselves either taking on part-time work or leading club initiatives, they never turn down a request for a coffee chat or resume review. They have shown me that when one of us succeeds, we all share in that success.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: After two years in robotics, I pivoted into product management in the life sciences industry. As a trained engineer, I had minimal business experience prior to my transition; however, through endless informational interviews and online coursework, I landed my first business-facing role. Within just two years in this role, I was managing a portfolio worth over $15mm, launching new laboratory research products, and pitching expansion projects to executives.

Describe your biggest achievement in the MBA program so far: Pushing myself to compete in a data analytics case competition. I came into business school with limited data analytics skills, but knew that this was one area I hoped to grow in during my time here. Through this case competition, I got to try my hand at Tableau and work with big data sets. This experience further expanded my intrigue in data-driven decision-making.

What is one thing you have recently read, watched, or listened to that you would highly recommend to prospective MBAs? Why? The “Think Fast, Talk Smart: Communication Techniques” podcast series is an excellent way to begin thinking about how you can improve various aspects of your communication style. In business school, you will be surrounded by excellent communicators whom you will want to learn from, this podcast will get you started on your improvement journey.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Washington Foster’s MBA program? Engage with the Foster community early and often. Come to information sessions, schedule coffee chats with current students, take advantage of prospective student events, and stay in touch with the admissions committee.

DON’T MISS: MEET WASHINGTON FOSTER’S MBA CLASS OF 2024