Sam Zafris

Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business

“I’m a former freelance writer with business leadership aspirations.”

Hometown: Columbus, OH

Fun Fact About Yourself: As an undergrad, I won RL Stine’s Inaugural Creative Writing Award and was flown to New York to meet the Goosebumps author for brunch.

Undergraduate School and Major: The Ohio State University, English

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Before starting my MBA I was a freelance writer. I worked with several local businesses, from restaurants to property developers.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: For the past several years, I’ve volunteered on Columbus’s South Side with inner-city teens. It’s been incredibly rewarding to play a role as they transition into adulthood.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? I’ve been struck by the diversity of my MBA class. I’ve made friends from India and have worked alongside veterans. People have backgrounds in everything from the arts to accounting. The diversity of people and experiences in our class is an enriching experience. We still have room to become even more diverse and I’m excited to see how our university continues in this direction.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? Choosing Fisher allowed me to start a vibrant career in Columbus. It’s important to me to stay near my family in central Ohio, so the doors that Fisher opens are incredibly valuable.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I’m excited to be on our Student Council. As the first class experiencing our MBA program’s redesign, we have a unique perspective and creative ideas for how to help Fisher continue to improve.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? I’m still deciding what sort of career I’d like to pursue, so answering questions about that was difficult. Fortunately, our Office of Career Management is patient and helpful in guiding me on my next step.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? Working on projects as a writer highlighted that my favorite part of my job wasn’t the writing—it was overseeing something from start to finish and working with different teams of people. This helped me get a vision for management. And there is nothing that can prepare you for management better than an MBA.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? None

Where do you see yourself in ten years? A decade from now, I want to be leading people in a role that allows me to support my family and spend time with my loved ones.