Nick Zumwalde

Indiana University, Kelley School of Business

“I’m an energetic person, who is interested in learning and who loves bringing people together.”

Hometown: Hudson, Wisconsin

Fun Fact About Yourself: I was recruited to be on a reality TV show. but turned the opportunity down and decided to go to business school instead.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Minnesota, double majoring in Economics and Political Science

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Financial Analyst at U.S. Bank

In the second half of the year, you will be completing an Academy devoted to areas like Marketing, Finance, Operations, Digital Enterprises and more. Which Academy interests you the most and why? The Consumer Marketing Academy is the Academy that appeals to me the most currently. I find brand building and the psychology of marketing very interesting. The Consumer Marketing Academy will allow me to learn from the best, and connect with companies across the industry. I am particularly interested in the Academy trip to visit top companies in the consumer marketing and brand management space.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Indiana Kelley’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The thing that sets Kelley apart for me is the emphasis on personal growth. I am doing an MBA to pivot my career, but more importantly to challenge myself and hopefully come out the other side a better person. The Me Inc., program is all about understanding yourself so that you can improve, and find exactly how your skill set fits into the business world. It is a collaborative experience that will allow me to work with fellow students, future mentors, and career services to give me a head start on the MBA process.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Indiana Kelley (and why)? I am most excited to learn about business communication in the Integrated Core curriculum at Kelley. I think that communication is one of the most important aspects of being a business leader. Often communicating in a corporate environment feels like a whole different language and I have always felt like more formal communication has been an area I would like to improve on.

Looking at your recruitment, what was the moment when you realized Indiana Kelley was the right program for you? Why? I was very unsure in my MBA journey until I actually picked up the phone. Once I had a few calls with Kelley students, everything fell into place, and it became clear that Kelley was the program for me. Everybody at Kelley was so kind and helpful. It felt as though they were as interested to meet me as a prospective student, as I was to meet them.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:  During the pandemic, I worked at a tech company that provided streaming services to clients. I was assigned a small business as a client who, due to the pandemic, had lost all revenue and could not pay for our services. I was put under pressure to cut the client off. In conversations with the business, I learned that if we cut our services, they would go under. I presented the case to our leadership, and made the argument that we should keep our services running to save our client. I won support for a special exemption, and two years later the small business got back on its feet and paid its fees in full.

What is your unique quality that will enable you to make a big contribution to the Class of 2026? My love for learning. I absolutely love learning and am incredibly excited by the prospect of being in class again. I walk into any room with an open mind ready to learn and have the ability to take constructive criticism and always come back for more. I am always asking questions and looking for ways to improve. I want to bring that energy to the Class of 2026 as we all strive to further our careers.

DON’T MISS: MEET INDIANA KELLEY’S MBA CLASS OF 2026