Anna Lisa Gromann

University of Rochester, Simon Business School

“Warm-hearted, resilient, ambitious, determined, perseverant, inclusive, curious, open-minded, organized, courageous, and big hearted.”

Hometown: Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Fun Fact About Yourself:  A lot of people would not expect it, but I am a TaeKwonDo, Kickboxing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete and achieved the black belt and second Dan in TaeKwonDo. I have been practicing martial arts for 16 years, and it has become a big part of my life. When I am practicing martial arts, I can concentrate fully on myself and immerse in another world.

Undergraduate School and Major: I completed my undergrad in International Engineering (combination of Mechanical Engineering, Business, English and Spanish) at the Hochschule Furtwangen University in Germany.

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: I worked as a product risk manager in the quality management department at Aesculap AG, a medical technology company in Germany.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Rochester Simon’s MBA curriculum or programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? In my decision-making process to choose the right business school, I had the opportunity to speak to current students at Simon. Everyone told me that there was a great and supportive community at Simon. However, being an international student and over 4,000 miles away from campus, it was hard to gauge that true sense of community. The admitted student weekend in April gave me the opportunity to visit Rochester. It was actually my first time in the US. Even though I knew my travel time to Rochester and back would be as long as my weekend stay, I definitely wanted to come, and the journey was more than worth it. From the first second, I felt the power of the Simon family, enjoyed the beautiful campus, and honestly felt at home in Rochester. It was a unique opportunity to meet my future classmates and feel the community everyone was talking about. After the admitted student weekend, the decision to go to Simon was easy for me and I was able to make further preparations for my move to Rochester.

Rochester Simon is known for being “unabashedly analytical.” Why does the program’s focus on quantitative analysis and decision-making appeal to you? How do you intend to leverage this approach as a student and professional? I did my undergrad in mechanical engineering and thus already enjoyed a very analytical program. In addition, the program was very focused on the practical implementation of what we learned. During my job at Aesculap AG, I saw that in order to be successful in every aspect of a company, you need an analytical approach. This helps people from different departments to get a holistic understanding of the topics, to analyze data quickly, and create effective solutions that facilitate decision-making. It was one of the most useful skills I learned. When I saw that the MBA program at Simon is known for being “unabashedly analytical,” I knew it would be the best opportunity for me to expand my skills in this regard. During my internship and future full-time position, I want to put exactly these skills into practice.

What are some advantages you’ve seen in earning your MBA in Rochester? Simon Business School is a very diverse and highly-ranked program. It is a great honor for me to be part of a class full of diversity. I enjoy getting to know people from different countries and backgrounds. It is a great experience for me to see how much enrichment the different perspectives bring to my life.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Simon? I am most excited to join the Outdoor Adventure Club at Simon. One of the reasons why I decided to study abroad is to get to know a new country, the culture, and new people. What better way to experience all of this than on a rafting or hiking tour? I want to try things I haven’t done before and explore the beautiful countryside around Rochester. And lastly, but most importantly, I want to become part of the #SimonStrong community and make my own contribution.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest accomplishment in my career so far is the expansive network that I built at my previous company. I really enjoyed working with people from different departments, understanding the interrelationships of the work processes and, above all, collectively working on the topics on site. I experienced the greatest appreciation on my last day at work when everyone bid me a warm farewell. My colleagues supported me in every way during my preparation to start an MBA program in the US and have shared the anticipation with me. I am grateful for their continued support, and I always appreciate when we have the opportunity to speak.

What do you hope to do after graduation (at this point)? After the two insightful and exciting years of being at Simon, I want to celebrate my graduation together with my fellow classmates, friends, and family. After graduation, I want to put my diversified skills into practice and share my newfound knowledge to continue to grow and advance in my career.

DON’T MISS: MEET ROCHESTER SIMON’S MBA CLASS OF 2026