Juan Andrade-Vera

Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business

“A strategic, driven, and inquisitive learner motivated by data to solve high-impact business challenges.”

Age: 27

Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Fun fact about yourself: I am obsessed with cooking, specifically Mexican cuisine, and am planning to run my own taco truck one day.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Middlebury College (VT) – Economics

Where are you currently working? Klaviyo: Sales Operations Manager

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I’ve always been eager to be a good example for cross-functional collaboration. At HubSpot, I was co-leading early efforts in the ways we (as a company) integrated AI into the day-to-day lives of our global sales team. We piloted several use-cases, from providing easy-to-digest call summaries, proactively surfacing potential deal risks, or re-imagining a completely new Ai-driven workspace. Through this process, we had to work with product, engineering, data science and operations teams to get this work off the ground.

Although I transitioned roles before the pilot phase completed, this experience deepened my understanding of emerging AI applications, strengthened my ability to influence cross-functionally, and provided me with a first-hand experience into the challenges our sales reps face when trying to sell a product.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? I knew that through the Tepper School, I would be enriched with a degree that would provide me with the mentorship, rigor, and analytical preparation to be a world-class leader. I was familiar with Carnegie Mellon as a STEM-forward institution, and just felt like an MBA from here would align well with my skillset and facilitation of growth.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? It was the flexibility to be the student you need to be in the moment, while also being given the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships along the way. In this degree, I got engaged, and married, started a new job, all while remaining deeply engaged with the content in class, and the people in the classroom.

Further, the concepts we discussed in class often translated directly into challenges I was tackling at work the very next day. That real-time integration between learning and doing made the MBA experience incredibly impactful and relevant.

How did your online experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? Certainly different, but one thing I appreciated about the online experience is that it was far more focused on discussion. In undergrad, many classes would be occupied with long-winded lectures and content that wasn’t entirely relevant. At the Tepper School, the assumption was that we did the lectures asynchronously, and so each class meant everyone was prepared for an in-depth discussion furthering this week’s content. The Tepper School also placed a big emphasis on group work, which completely changed how we were able to get to know almost every person in our program.

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program? Lean into every single part of the degree. Whether it’s in-person experiences, online discussions, or asking a professor to help with on-the-job work, you are about to enter a unique period of your life where you have a robust amount of resources to make meaningful connections and develop as a leader.

On a more practical note, don’t just be diligent about time-management, be purposeful about how you carve out time for yourself. For me, it meant NFL Sunday’s were my day to kick back and relax; find yours.

How has your online education helped you in your current job? It has been remarkable the number of opportunities I have had to apply my learning. Whether it was a presentation class, Python lectures, or behavioral economics, there have been very few classes during my time at the Tepper School where I haven’t been able to take a learning and apply it on the job. It has bolstered my brand at work, and given me the confidence to know that there really isn’t a skill or trait at work that I can’t dedicate time to develop.

Did you earn a promotion while in the program or immediately after graduation? Multiple! One of the biggest benefits to an Online MBA is the network we have access to, and our ability to leverage it in live-time. Going into the second half of my degree, I was able to connect with a Tepper MBA alum who was hiring for a manager role at my current company. We spent the entire interview talking about my experience at Carnegie Mellon before ultimately getting the job.

In regard to the future, I am going to be starting as an associate at McKinsey & Company in September! This opportunity would not have been possible without the support of our Career Center, and the long-standing relationships we have with companies that recruit out of the Tepper School. I am thankful to have been able to go through campus recruiting and counseling as I navigated this significant career change! I was not surprised by how the course work, leadership workshops, and professional experience I gathered during my MBA translated into a successful interview process with McKinsey.

Why did you pursue an online MBA program instead of a full-time residential or executive MBA program? I thought about full-time programs for a long time. In the end, it became more about wanting the flexibility to further my career while continuing my educational passions. I’ve always wanted to be a well-rounded, complete individual. For me, that meant continuing to work on my professional development while taking advantage of everything the Tepper School had to offer. I built a business plan for a viable company in my Entrepreneur Capstone, I enrolled in several leadership development courses, and I competed in a case sponsored by a Fortune 500 company. These experiences furthered my understanding of the world while deepening my impact at work.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? In one of my courses, we had a major assignment that revolved around interacting with an AI bot in simulating a real-life discussion resembling an interview debrief. The purpose of this assignment was to interact with “Jordan Mitchell,” an AI bot, to discuss candidates in a critical hiring decision for your company. The biggest takeaway is how authentically human the conversation felt. At first, it’s uncomfortable, but after about 5 minutes, you forget that it’s a bot responding to you. I can see this use case being applicable to so many other things like job interviews, mock sales calls, case interviews and really benefit how we learn in the future. Ultimately, this experience illustrated how integrating AI into educational programming can provide substantial, targeted value within a relatively short period, transforming the way we prepare for real-world professional situations.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent on an Online MBA: 10-15 hours

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? I want to be a CEO of a major company. I feel strongly about the skills and leadership mentorship I’ve received at the Tepper School, and am excited to figure out the right place down the road to apply everything I’ve learned to the fullest extent.

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