Sean-Michael Steele

University of Michigan, Ross School of Business

“Leave the world better than I found it.
Live with purpose and integrity.”

Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Fun fact about yourself: I hiked from the south rim of the Grand Canyon to the Colorado River and back up!

Undergraduate School and Degree: St. John’s University (MN), Spanish & Political Science

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Business Systems Analyst, Medtronic

Where did you intern during the summer of 2023? Deloitte in Chicago

Where will you be working after graduation? Deloitte in Minneapolis

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

• Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, MBA Council
• Vice President of Community, First at Ross
• Vice President of Student Affairs, Black Business Student Association (BBSA)
• Black Business Student Association Fellowship Award

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I am most proud of being named the 2024 recipient of the Black Business Student Association Fellowship Award, which recognizes a student who increases the visibility of underrepresented students in business school and management. This year, I had the opportunity to work with the other indigenous MBAs at Ross to put on the school’s first Native American Heritage Month conference for Native business leaders. It was an incredible way to honor my heritage.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I am most proud of co-founding a networking nonprofit in Minneapolis with my sister. As professionals of color advance in their careers, there tends to be less diversity at higher levels. I wanted to create a space for professionals of color like me in the Twin Cities to connect, build relationships, and deepen their roots in Minnesota. We grew it to over 2,500 members in just a few years.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose Ross because of its alumni network and strong BBSA/Consortium communities. It was important to go to a school that had a long legacy of accomplished leaders of color who I could call upon as I navigate my own career. Ross alums are eager to help each other out and watch you thrive.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Ted London, the Ford Motor Company Clinical Professor of Business Administration.

He taught Business Strategies for the Base of the Pyramid which provides an in-depth way to think about and critique how businesses affect the lives of people experiencing poverty. While the course has a strong international focus, it has important learnings that can be applied in a domestic context as well. As a person from a low-income background, this class helped me better understand the role that business played in my own life and how I can use that to be an advocate for low-income communities in the future.

Professor London was also my MAP advisor. He had high expectations and challenged me to meet them. He pushed me to take on things like writing a go-to-market strategy, which I hadn’t done before. He helped me think through my assumptions, check my blind spots, and provided critical feedback to make sure I delivered a great result for the client.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? I really enjoyed the core marketing course with professor John Branch. I had never taken a marketing class before and was surprised by how interactive and engaging he made it. He used rote methods as well as other learning tools to make the content accessible and easily digestible. By making the course material interactive and reflective, it helped me understand how marketing showed up in my own life and how to think about customers, targeting, and positioning in the market.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? My favorite tradition at Ross has to be our tailgates at the bus. My undergrad was tiny relative to Michigan and its football culture. The energy is incredible and it’s awesome to feel like part of something bigger than myself. The bus provided a way for me to make new friends and build stronger relationships with those I already knew.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I would have been more intentional about how I spent my time to maximize on relationship-building. It felt like I had all the time in the world, but it becomes clear as time passes that this experience goes by quickly.

What is the biggest myth about your school? Business school is not the end of the rainbow. You will find many students stressing about finding the perfect internship or full-time role, but our lives didn’t start with business school and they won’t end there either. There are many paths to get where you want. Success looks different for everyone. Take the time to discern what is important to you and leave school better than you were coming in. You owe yourself that.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? Ann Arbor’s proximity to nature is great for me. Business school can be overwhelming at times, so the ability to slow down and connect with nature is invaluable.

What surprised you the most about business school? I was surprised by how non-competitive people were. People want each other to do well and will make time to ensure you have what you need.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Andrea Gutierrez Marty. She’s smart, witty, and an incredible leader. Beyond being a great friend, she led learning sessions to help classmates with core classes, she helped co-found First At Ross, the club for first-generation college graduates, helped first year students with marketing recruiting, and so much more. She goes out of her way to be a listening ear and a resource for everyone. Ross is lucky to have her.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

1. I would like to hold public office. As a dual MPP/MBA candidate, I am deeply invested in the roles public policy and business play in shaping our world. It is more important than ever for there to be leaders who can advocate for the marginalized and excluded voices. I hope to be a leader who can do that someday.

2. I want to work outside the United States for a time. As a kid, my world was very small. I have grown so much by meeting new people, experiencing new places, and challenging myself to do new things. Living outside the United States would help me understand my place in the world and to honor the perspectives of others who come from other places and experiences.

What made Sean-Michael such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2024?

“A question which professors often receive is “What makes a good student?”. Respectful, hard-working, and clever are all common answers. But for me it is curiosity. Indeed, I enjoy having students who push for more, who are never satisfied with simple or obvious, who want to get to the core of any concept or theory… not just what is required to pass the exam. Sean-Michael was this type of student in MKT503 Marketing Management. Yes, he was respectful. He was hard-working. And he was clever. But more importantly, he was curious.”

John Branch
Clinical Associate Professor of Business Administration, Co-Director of Yaffe Digital Media Initiative, Ross School of Business
Associate Director, Center for Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies
Research Fellow, William Davison Institute

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