Ashley King

Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business

“People-driven individual with a creative edge and an interest in turning ambiguity into actionable outcomes.”

Age: 26

Hometown: Hempstead, New York

Fun fact about yourself: I draw and paint portraits of landscapes and people and do occasional commission work

Undergraduate School and Degree: Pace University (2021) – BBA in Business Management, Minor in Psychology

Where are you currently working? MFS Investment Management – Senior Fixed Income Institutional Portfolio Management Associate

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? The achievement I’m most proud of isn’t a title or milestone, but rather having the courage to put myself in unfamiliar spaces before I had a clear career path.

Five years ago, I moved to Boston without a defined idea of what my career or the journey ahead would look like. The extensive period of professional exploration and self-discovery that followed involved asking questions, building relationships, and putting myself in rooms where I wasn’t always certain I belonged. Those relationships became foundational and have left the most unexpected impacts as they challenged me, advocated for me, and ultimately opened doors that shaped my career today.

I’m proud of where that journey has led me and the mindset I developed five years ago continues to guide me. My biggest takeaway from this has been how I now approach growth; I no longer wait for certainty and have become far more comfortable operating in ambiguity.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? I chose the Tepper School of Business because it offered more than just academic rigor. On paper, the program stood out for its analytical depth, flexibility, and Access Weekends, which create meaningful in-person engagements despite the online format. The strength of the Tepper School’s alumni network also signaled long-term value well beyond graduation.

What ultimately confirmed my decision, though, was the people. In my early conversations with students and faculty, I was struck by how authentic and invested they were, not just in the program but in each other. That culture is what defined my experience in the end. In an environment where imposter syndrome can easily surface, I never felt like I didn’t belong or that the journey would be impossible. Instead, I felt challenged, supported, and expected to contribute, which honestly made all the difference.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? The flexibility of the program allowed me to integrate graduate education into my life instead of having to pause or sacrifice one for the other. It also created a uniquely diverse learning environment. I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with peers across industries, geographies, and career stages, which has broadened how I think about problem-solving and leadership. What I appreciated most, though, was the ability to apply what I learned in real time at work. This made the coursework feel tangible and continuously relevant.

How did your online MBA experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? Given my undergraduate experience concluded during the pandemic, I was already comfortable with acclimating to hybrid learning environments. The Tepper School, however, intentionally designed the online experience to foster connection. In particular, the Access Weekends played a critical role in this, bringing cohorts together for classes, leadership workshops, and collaborative experiences like case competitions. Those in-person events kept individuals from feeling siloed and transformed the remote experience into a genuine community that extended beyond the screen.

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program? Two years gives you plenty of time to reflect on the things that made the biggest impact. So, rather than just one takeaway, I have four pieces of advice that really shaped my experience and may hopefully shape someone else’s:

1. Be intentional from day one. The value of this experience is directly tied to the level of effort and presence you bring to it.

2. Give yourself grace as you adjust to the new routine. There will inevitably be a learning curve as you balance coursework, a career, and life. What matters is building a structure that works for you and holding yourself accountable to it. For me, that reality set in quickly when I had to navigate one of my first lectures from a different time zone at around 3 a.m.

3. Don’t separate the MBA from your professional life. The learning and development don’t end in the classroom. It all continues into your workplace every day. Be sure to apply what you’re learning in real time and let it enhance that work rather than compete with it.

4. Invest in your community. These are the people sharing your journey and they are one of the most valuable parts of the experience, both during the program and long after it ends.

How has your online MBA education helped you in your current job? Overall, pursuing an MBA strengthened how I think and how I operate within my role. It has deepened my business acumen. More importantly, it has improved my ability to navigate complexity whether that’s in the form of competing priorities, working with different personalities and stakeholders, or having difficult conversations. It’s also reinforced the importance of self-advocacy and clarity in communication. I’ve learned that having knowledge alone isn’t enough and that true impact comes from how effectively you can disseminate that knowledge and bring others along with you.

Did you earn a promotion while in the program or immediately after graduation? During the program, I was promoted from Institutional Portfolio Management Associate to Senior Institutional Portfolio Management Associate. This role acts a liaison between our investment and client-facing teams. As a result, this transition came with greater responsibility and ownership in supporting communication around portfolio strategy and more direct involvement in client-facing work.

Why did you pursue an online MBA program instead of a full-time residential or executive MBA program? I chose an online MBA because I didn’t want to step away from the momentum I was building in my career. The ability to immediately apply what I was learning in the classroom to my day-to-day work made the experience far more dynamic and valuable. That said, with a demanding full-time job, flexibility was a necessity and the online format allowed me to maintain that balance without compromising the quality of my education or my connection to the Tepper School community.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? In my experience, AI was integrated into the program as both as a tool and as a skillset. In some courses, we were evaluated on the quality of our AI prompts. This reinforced that effective use is less about the tool itself and more about how you think with regard to structuring problems, asking questions, and refining outputs. The role of AI in driving efficiency was also reinforced as some tools showed how quickly information can be synthesized and applied, but also underscored the importance of human judgment in interpreting and using that information effectively.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent on an Online MBA: It was about 10-15 hours.

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? I want to grow into an Institutional Portfolio Manager role, where I can drive meaningful outcomes while leading at the intersection of empathy and innovation, build strong relationships with clients and teams, and make a long-term impact.

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