Meet Indiana Kelley’s MBA Class Of 2027

In a crowded marketplace, you need to get attention. When you’re smaller, you target a specific audience. It’s Business 101: The Differentiation Matrix meets the Blue Ocean Strategy. And it’s a sweet spot that’s been carved out by Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.

The Kelley School knows who they want to bring to Bloomington. They are the teachers who want to become consultants and the engineers who dream of starting a business. They are the career changers – the poets who dread accounting and the quants who aspire to master strategy. Each seeks a pivot, be it their industry, role, or geography. And Kelley has designed its entire curriculum around helping these students make these transitions.

TAKING SOME ‘ME’ TIME

Just ask Anna Capone, a ’25 grad who moved from client relations to brand management. When Capone joined the program, she wondered if she would actually fit in. After all, she was unsure what she wanted to do and expected her classmates to know exactly what they were going to do and how they would get there. Over time, she realized her classmates were no different than she was.

“Kelley provides an environment where it’s okay to explore, pivot, and dream big, and I’ve found comfort and confidence in brainstorming different career paths with my peers,” Capone tells P&Q. “This open, supportive culture has helped me embrace curiosity and adaptability, knowing that career growth is a journey, not a fixed path.”

That starts with Kelley’s signature Me, Inc. orientation program. For the first three weeks, MBAs spend their time reflecting on what motivates them and what their “dream” career would be. As students explore their strengths, gaps, and values, they also complete team exercises and receive individual coaching to help them piece together their personal story and pitch to employers. In the process, they gain the self-awareness needed to find a career that closely aligns with their passions and talents. More than that, they come away with plans to achieve their goals as Kelley students.

For the MBA Class of 2027, Me, Inc. set the tone for what was to come. “What stood out to me most about Kelley’s MBA program is that leadership isn’t just taught, but fully experienced,” writes Monica Lauren Siegel, a media planner for BBC Studios. “The Me, Inc. program exemplifies this by helping students to articulate their personal narrative, clarify career goals, and develop leadership principles before classes even begin. That early, intentional investment in personal and professional growth was a major factor in my decision to choose Kelley.”

Alberto Drucker del Valle, an engineer from Mexico, was equally inspired by his first weeks at the Kelley School. “From the beginning, Kelley prioritizes helping you understand your goals and build your personal brand, all within a community that’s genuinely willing to support one another. That early structure—paired with a strong, accessible alumni network—gave me confidence that I’d grow both personally and professionally, while being surrounded by people who want to see each other succeed.”

THE INTEGRATED CORE

The programming is also structured with the career changer in mind. Unlike most first semesters, where disciplines are taught separately, Kelly employs an Integrated Core. Here, required courses are co-taught so students can understand how, for example, finance and strategy inform each other. In the process, they can see how decisions reverberate across every level and every function in an organization. More than that, Kelley assigns a certified executive coach to each student, ensuring they continue to grow and follow their career plans throughout their two years in Bloomington.

Not surprisingly, Kelley’s Career Services team historically ranks among the best in the world according to alumni surveys conducted by The Financial Times. Such support was one reason why Katelyn Kirby joined the program.

“One of the primary reasons I chose Kelley was the professional development opportunities along with coaching from Graduate Career Services,“ writes Kirby, a production manager who coaches girls sports. “Because I am pivoting in my career, it is paramount for me to feel supported to aid in accomplishing my goals. I believe that Me, Inc and First Year Academies provide great professional development opportunities for me to further explore career opportunities and help with my professional goals.”

For Jordan Randle, an account director at LinkedIn, that means making the leap to brand management in the consumer-packaged goods space. “It was important for me to attend a program that not only has relationships with some of the top companies in that sector, but one that also has a curriculum that focuses on key skills related consumer marketing. Not only does Kelley host on-campus recruiting events, where many of these companies come directly to the school to recruit, but they also provide a wealth of opportunities to travel to other midwestern hubs for brand management opportunities — such as their Travel Week to Chicago.”

MAXIMUM FLEXIBILITY

Technically, the Kelley MBA falls into the ‘small school‘ category, with just 106 students populating the MBA Class of 2027. One advantage, of course, is that students forge closer bonds over their two years in Bloomington. Another is that Kelley isn’t as small as it might seem at first glance. The school sports the world’s #1-ranked Online MBA Program according to Poets&Quants, which is home to over 1,700 students. What’s more, Kelley houses nearly 11,000 business students on its Bloomington campus. With Kelley maintaining over 325 full-time faculty members, MBAs can tap into a wide range of experts and industry networks.

The online MBA program could prove particularly valuable to the career changers who make up the MBA Class of 2027. Over a year ago, the school launched its Kelley Full-Time + Flex MBA program. Through this, MBAs have the option to complete their second year online, giving them the flexibility to start a full-time job as they complete their MBA degree.

“The single biggest binding constraint is the opportunity cost of leaving a job for two years,” explains Dean Patrick E. Hopkins, in a 2024 interview with P&Q. “We know we have potential students who span the horizon of needs. We are saying no two students are alike. Some will benefit from a fully immersive two-year experience on campus, but on the other end, we have students who want to lean in on the flexibility of the online program. There is a middle there.”

FROM WATCHING MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TO PLAYING IT

What types of students compose the Class of 2027? Picture artists, athletes, inventors, and physicians. Let’s start with Adam Saxe, a musician who has visited all 50 states (and another 30 countries). Most recently, he served as the lead entertainer at Wynn Las Vegas.

“My biggest achievement so far has been serving as a music director on an international tour that reached audiences in more than 20 countries. It was a privilege to play on iconic stages such as the Grand Ole Opry and Red Rocks, and to perform for audiences around the world. Coordinating rehearsals, travel logistics, and live performances under high pressure pushed me far beyond my comfort zone, but it also showed me the power of uniting people around a shared vision.”

Tommy Sommer frames his journey as “from epileptic to baseball pro.” A Finance major at Kelley as an undergrad, Sommer earned a call up to pitch for the Chicago White Sox. For him, the bigger moment came in when he was selected 305th overall in the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft.

“As an amateur player, being drafted is the ultimate goal from the time you are eight- or nine-years-old. As I grew up in the game, I idolized people from Indiana that played college baseball and ultimately got drafted. They were the trailblazers who allowed me to believe that path was possible for myself…For me, I had been fixated on playing professional baseball for eight years. My passion for the sport inspired me to do everything I could to pursue it as far as I could go. I woke up early to train, I stayed up late to watch baseball on TV. Baseball consumed my life and became my identity. To hear my name called in the MLB draft was the culmination of eight years of so much work, stress, and emotion.”

A DOCTOR AND A WARRIOR

Charles Mitchell Shofner actually works for Indiana University. He serves as the Chief Resident Physician for Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the School of Medicine. Here, he jokes, that he has never had a cup of coffee “despite grueling 28-hour hospital calls and new dad life.” His biggest achievements, he says, involve his patient care.

“From helping families navigate the end-of-life care for their loved ones to watching the growth of newborns to reclaiming hope during battles with depression to celebrating defeating cancer, medicine changes people. All of these experiences have shown me both the power and the challenges in our healthcare system. My patients are the reason why I am pursuing my MBA: improve the system for the patients and families who trusted me.”

Military personnel often join business schools to prepare themselves for new careers. Their experiences in leading teams, solving problems, and adapting to adversity often make them invaluable assets to their classes. That profile fits Matthew Schild to a tee. The Ohio native studied Quantitative Economics at the U.S. Naval Academy before rising to be a Surface Warfare Officer, where his intangibles made him a force to be followed.

“My biggest career achievement was transforming a fractured, leaderless division into a cohesive, high-performing team during my time as a Naval officer,” he tells P&Q. “By establishing clear communication, structure, and accountability, I helped restore morale and effectiveness. As a result, I was able to lead this team through numerous inspections and certifications, directly improving the effectiveness of my ship’s mission and contributing to national security. Watching the team grow and succeed was both a proud moment and a lasting privilege for me.”

That said, there are many class members who come from conventional business backgrounds. In his final year at LinkedIn, Jordan Randle ranked as the firm’s top account director. Alberto Drucker del Valle boosted a Latin American food brand’s portfolio by 600% — and one retailer’s revenue by client by 1000%. Soundarya V Yadav – a former fashion model – owns a sensor patent that detects wildlife on the road and moves drivers to a safer lane. By the same token, Monica Lauren Siegel has mastered four languages. Working as a media planner, she spearheaded a campaign to boost both revenue and relationships for BBC Studios.

“The program lacked a clear process for positioning and selling to clients, so I designed a new workflow and guided its implementation. I trained the entire sales, marketing and research teams to adopt the new process, ensuring a seamless transition across the organization. Within six months, the revamped program drove a 50% increase in sales and was adopted as a permanent workflow.”

THE ACADEMY MODEL

Beyond orientation and ongoing coaching, the Kelley School also caters to career changers through an industry immersion. Before the summer internship, first-years gain industry-specific experience through a required Academy. Each Academy features industry coursework, site visits, networking events, and speakers, culminating in a team consulting project for a company sponsor. As first years, students can choose from six different academies: Business Marketing, Capital Markets, Consumer Marketing, Strategic Finance, Strategy & Operations, and PLUS Life Sciences. During their second year, MBAs can also participate in Academies related to Entrepreneurial Innovation, Leadership, and Organizational AI.

“I was drawn in by the academy model of learning,” explains Charles Mitchell Shofner. “I was looking for more than traditional didactical teaching, I wanted immersive, real-world experiences that would challenge my thinking. The structure of Kelley’s Academies offered exactly that: hands-on projects, executive mentorship, and industry-tailored expertise. For someone like me who is mission-driven and systems-minded, the academy structure felt like a natural fit.”

Among the program’s unique wrinkles is Academy Week, where students head to destinations like Silicon Valley and New York City to meet with company leaders and subject matter experts. Another popular staple is Academy Fridays, where students can travel to nearby company or engage with industry insiders on campus. Loretta Abdul-Ghani, a ’25 alum who completed the Consumer Marketing Academy and landed a job at Eli Lilly, found Academy Fridays to be invaluable to her career pivot.

“One of my favorite sessions involved rapid-fire case exercises led by Kelley alumni from companies such as P&G, Abbott, and Scotts. In each session, we tackled real-world cases, received immediate feedback, and learned how to align our approach with industry expectations. This hands-on experience was invaluable in preparing for interviews and internships. This prepared me for Kelley Interview Day, where alumni interview students and give feedback on whether they would hire you or not and why. One of my interviews was with P&G and I was ‘hired’ with constructive feedback on how I can continue to take my evaluation from good to great.”

Among the Class of 2027, Jordan Randle planned to enter the Consumer Marketing Academy. “Through that academy, I will be able to learn the basics of building a go-to-market strategy, as well as how to utilize data and insights to ensure that a new product fits the needs of a particular consumer base. I am also passionate about the science behind why a particular demographic is drawn to a brand, and I am excited to learn more about how to use these learnings to create memorable campaigns that make a lasting impact.”

His classmate, Soundarya V Yadav, is looking forward to the Business Marketing Academy. “What excites me about the BMA is the opportunity to travel to cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, and Milwaukee to visit headquarters of major B2B companies such as 3M, Medtronic, and Intel. These visits, combined with hands-on consulting projects for industry leaders like Amazon, Johnson & Johnson, and Eli Lilly, provide invaluable real-world experience that will prepare me for my internship and future career. Beyond these experiences, the ongoing mentoring from the Academy director, career coaches, second-year mentors, and alumni creates a strong support network. The BMA isn’t just an academic program—it’s a community designed to help me grow as a strategic marketer and business leader.”

At the same time, Barbra Chirenje, a biochemist from Zimbabwe, is targeting the Strategy & Operations Academy because of its alignment with sciences background. “I aim to become a leader in pharmaceutical manufacturing by merging my scientific expertise with the knowledge gained from the academy. The insights I gain will enhance my understanding of business operations, significantly contributing to my goal of establishing an organization focused on creating tailored medicines.”

Next Page: An Interview with Faculty Director John Hill and Profiles of 12 Members of the Class of 2027.

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