How An MBA And A Microsoft Internship Supercharged Her Mission For Africa

For Nthanda Manduwi, business school was once an abstract idea — something meant for a different kind of student. At the time, the Malawian entrepreneur was completing her Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and building Q2, an ambitious company designed to create scalable, tech-integrated supply chains across food, energy, and knowledge systems in Africa.

An MBA, especially in the United States, wasn’t part of her plan. Then she attended a GMAC MBA Tour.

Organized by the Graduate Management Admission Council, the tour introduces prospective business school students to top MBA programs through in-person admissions events. For Manduwi, it was a revelation.

“Before the Tour, business school felt distant and abstract,” she says. “But hearing from former students, admissions officers, and other candidates who looked like me made it feel real — and more attainable than I ever thought it could be.”

That one event reshaped everything. “The MBA wasn’t just about a degree anymore,” she says. “It became about joining a global community of builders, dreamers, and leaders.”

She hasn’t looked back since.

THE CONVERSATION THAT CHANGED HER FUTURE

At the Tour, Manduwi arrived with big questions — about entrepreneurship, about Africa’s role in global trade, about where her company could thrive.

What she found was a receptive audience.

“Admissions officers weren’t just selling their schools,” she recalls. “They listened. They had open, thoughtful conversations with me.”

One school stood out from the start: Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business.

At MSU’s table, she spoke with staff about supply chain innovation and Africa’s global position. She learned that Broad’s reputation in supply chain wasn’t just theoretical — it was grounded in partnerships, practical rigor, and international recognition. That early connection would eventually lead to an all-expenses-paid campus visit.

“I fell in love with the school,” she says.

What sealed her decision wasn’t just MSU’s academic strength — it was how clearly the school aligned with her vision. If she wanted to build something like Q2, this was the place to do it.

FROM OVERWHELM TO CLARITY

Like many candidates, Manduwi initially felt overwhelmed by the volume of business school options and rankings. But the GMAC Tour offered clarity through contrast.

“Hearing from schools back to back helped me move beyond rankings and focus on missions, cultures, and values,” she says. “That side-by-side perspective made it much easier to recognize where I truly saw myself fitting.”

At Broad, she saw a natural home for both her entrepreneurial ambition and her supply chain expertise.

“The Tour helped me trust my instincts,” she says. “I could finally see where my goals and a school’s DNA intersected.”

BROAD MBA: FROM THEORY TO TRANSFORMATION

Now entering her second year in the Broad MBA program, Manduwi says her expectations have been met — and then some.

She came in seeking rigor and relevance. She found both.

Academically, she has tackled courses in supply chain, marketing, and analytics. But it’s the leadership experiences outside the classroom that have defined her growth.

She was elected President of the Broad Black MBA Association, earned recognition as a Forté Fellow and Ambassador, and even taught engineering students — all part of a community she describes as deeply collaborative and values-driven.

“The alignment between what I hoped for and what I’ve actually experienced has been profound,” she says.

INTERNSHIP AT MICROSOFT: A NEW FRONTIER

This summer, Manduwi joined Microsoft as a Business Development Intern on the Xbox team—a role that brought her MBA skills directly into the global tech arena.

Her work included analyzing more than 140 games from diverse regions and engaging with over 200 colleagues across the company. She built relationships with Xbox leadership and gained access to mentorship that, in her words, was “truly transformative.”

“I showed up with both the language and the confidence to succeed,” she says. “The MBA gave me that.”

Unexpectedly, the experience also sparked a new direction for Q2. She began exploring how gaming could be used as a simulation platform to drive awareness and impact across African markets — a fusion of entertainment, education, and economic infrastructure.

“Gaming has become a powerful bridge,” she says. “I never would have gained that perspective without the MBA.”

ADVICE FOR FUTURE MBA CANDIDATES

For prospective students just beginning their search, Manduwi has clear guidance: show up with purpose.

“Don’t just ask what schools can give you,” she says. “Ask how they fit into the future you’re trying to build.”

For her, that meant asking hard, specific questions — and being open to unexpected answers. The GMAC Tour made that possible by putting her in the room with the right people, at the right time.

“If you know your purpose, you can filter through the noise,” she says. “That’s how you move from overwhelmed to intentional.”

BUILDING ECOSYSTEMS FROM MALAWI TO THE WORLD

Looking ahead, Manduwi sees herself navigating three intertwined paths: policy, corporate leadership, and entrepreneurship. Her company, Q2, is already evolving — now integrating gaming simulations to teach, engage, and reimagine economies across the Global South.

“The MBA is giving me the architecture to build big ideas sustainably,” she says.

It all began with a Tour. That moment of exposure didn’t just plant a seed — it gave her a system, a strategy, and the confidence to scale her vision.

“I couldn’t have done this if I had never gone to business school — if I had never attended a GMAC MBA Tour.”

DON’T MISS GMAC BUYS THE MBA TOUR and 2025-2026 MBA ADMISSIONS EVENTS BY SCHOOL

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