Nkemdilim Chukwuma

UCLA, Anderson School of Management

“I’m an extroverted, introspective soul with big ideas who values people over everything.”

Hometown: Valley Stream, NY

Fun fact about yourself: Not only am I a middle child, but I have one of everything: an older brother and sister, and a younger brother and sister.

Undergraduate School and Degree: I attended American University in Washington, DC for my undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) degree.

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? I last worked in Suwon, South Korea as an English Teacher at CBIS.K.

Where did you intern during the summer of 2023? EY-Parthenon in San Francisco, CA

Where will you be working after graduation? Senior Consultant at EY-Parthenon

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: My leadership roles at Anderson include being President – Net Impact; Co-President – Black Business Student Association; VP, Africa – Middle East and Africa (MEA) club; Co-VP, Finance – Out @ Anderson club; Co-VP, Allyship – Korean Business Student Association (KBSA); and liaison to the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management (CGSM) Class of 2025.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I am most proud of attending the Reaching Out MBA conference and winning 2nd place in the national case competition. Anderson is the first place I have occupied as an openly bisexual woman of color, and having the opportunity to be surrounded by my peers in an accepting environment was an amazing way to jumpstart my MBA experience. I also love case competitions and had a blast working with my classmates-turned-friends to come up with real, data-backed solutions to help a queer entrepreneur increase revenues and motivate his workforce at an accounting firm. It was a great way to put my summer courses in Accounting and Foundations of Leadership into practice right away, with the monetary reward being icing on the cake!

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? In 2020, I pivoted from a career in the financial services industry to pursue a long-lasting professional and personal interest in teaching abroad in South Korea, a community that has personally given me so much. Teaching had always been a profession I admired, as I’ve been blessed with many exceptional teachers throughout my life, but one I had doubts about entering. I was comfortable with the life I had established as an auditor and project manager at Goldman Sachs and UBS, respectively, that naturally, I began to overthink the decision. However, that same year, I was awarded the Teaching Performance Award “in recognition of exemplary teaching performance” out of a cohort of over 100 teachers. This gave me the reassurance that I was on the right path and the courage to continue taking risks and betting on myself. It gave me the confidence to apply to Anderson and fiercely pursue my goal of merging my business and education background into a fulfilling career as an education consultant.

Why did you choose this business school? Net Impact played a large part in my decision to join Anderson; it was awarded Chapter of the Year when I applied. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with current students and seeing the programming that was put on during Impact Week, a week-long social impact conference that explores the various avenues business leaders can take to marry profit and purpose in their professional careers, whether that’s impact investing, social impact consulting, or social entrepreneurship. I wanted to go to a school that celebrated careers in social impact and felt that Anderson fit that bill.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? This is truly a difficult question. Anderson has so many engaging professors, but I think the one I’d like to highlight is Professor Hal Hershfield. He was my Marketing Management professor as a first year. Though I came to Anderson very strong in my interest in social impact and consulting, he honestly made me consider marketing for a second. I appreciated the way he brought the case studies alive and really motivated the class to participate in an authentic way. He’s also incredibly knowledgeable and down-to-earth.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? My favorite course has been Towards an Entrepreneurial Mindset taught jointly by Brian Farrell and John Tabis. It was a five week, two-credit class I took because, although I had no interest in being an entrepreneur, I felt it was a necessary topic I needed to delve into as an MBA student. I took the class with no intention of pursuing entrepreneurship and came out completely changed. I wrote a far too long final paper on why I’d never be an entrepreneur, citing sources and topics discussed throughout the class. Within a week after the class, I had an idea and knew exactly what to do to vet it. I enrolled in Anderson’s business creation program (BCP) shortly after.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? One thing I might do differently if I could go back is to focus more on building relationships and networking from the beginning. While coursework and academics are undoubtedly important, the connections and experiences I have made with my classmates, professors, alumni, and professionals have been immensely valuable in further developing me as a professional but also as a person.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? The weather!

What surprised you the most about business school? I expected business school to be super cutthroat and students to be wearing professional attire everyday of class. I’m glad to report that’s not the case, at least at Anderson.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I really admire Rita Aboujaoude, my partner in crime for Net Impact. She’s an experienced consultant interested in social impact and sustainability, who last interned with Nike in their global operations and sustainability division. But I think what’s most impressive about her is that she is the epitome of a service leader. She’s committed to understanding and meeting the needs of others while fostering a culture of empathy, collaboration, and support. She prioritizes serving others and, as a result, is uber-active on Anderson’s campus. She leads by example, does so much for her friends and classmates, and is incredibly humble about it all.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? Start a business and travel professionally as a consultant.

What made Nkem such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2024?

“Nkem has exceeded the hope we have for all our students to become transformative leaders in their time at UCLA Anderson. Not only has she been an important leader as Co-President of Net Impact and the Black Business Students Association, but she has also engaged so many beyond the organizations she leads as her involvement isn’t limited to the clubs that she holds leadership positions in. She has been a “go to” person when we need a student leader to have a fireside chat with an alum or visitor we’ve invited to speak at Anderson, or the person we ask to lead a discussion with prospective students.  Her energy and excitement about her experience at Anderson is contagious with everyone she engages with.  We’ve been truly fortunate to have her at UCLA Anderson.”

Gary Fraser
Associate Dean – Full Time MBA Program
UCLA Anderson School of Management

DON’T MISS: MBAS TO WATCH: CLASS OF 2024