Meet the MBA Class of 2022: David Chang, Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)

David Chang

Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business

“Servant leader who loves to win. Coffee lover, carbohydrates connoisseur, and father to two cats.”

Hometown: Port Washington, NY

Fun Fact About Yourself: I hold a powerlifting and pull up record at Camp Humphries, South Korea. (Hopefully still up there and no one has beat it yet.)

Undergraduate School and Major: Virginia Military Institute, B.S. in Computer Science

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Service manager at Cintas, Infantry Officer in the Army

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the school’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Tepper fosters an environment of innovation and data-driven decision making with its focus on the intersection of business, technology, and analytics. I wanted a program that would develop my quantitative skills and incorporate practical quantitative analysis which Tepper has structured into all of its classes. I know that I will be better prepared for the constantly changing business world with Tepper’s strong core classes and diverse electives.

What club or activity excites you most at this school? I’m looking forward to being involved in the Business & Technology Club and hearing all the insights from second years and alumni. I’m also very excited for the career trek to Silicon Valley and Seattle (even a virtual variation) where we get to network and learn about the culture and business operations of various tech companies.

What makes you most excited about getting your MBA at Tepper? What makes you most nervous about starting business school? I’m most excited about meeting all my classmates who possess very unique and diverse backgrounds. I’m slightly nervous about managing my time between academics, recruiting, club involvement, and personal hobbies. There are so many opportunities and activities to be involved in even in our currently hybrid environment.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Prior to being a service manager at Cintas, I served as an infantry officer in the US Army. During my time as an officer, I had the privilege of serving as the distribution platoon leader and then scout platoon leader in 3-69 Combined Arms Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. It was a unique opportunity to serve in two specialty positions for my battalion. Both positions required me to work with multiple command teams and influence the battalion’s strategic decisions without having any direct authority over any of them. My distribution platoon and scout platoon were frequently lacking resources but we always completed every mission successfully and I know that they are continuing to do so to this day.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? After leading soldiers in the Army and being a service manager at Cintas, I wanted to leverage my skillset to pivot into product management. I realized how an MBA could help me enter into the tech industry and broaden my network reach. I wanted to dive into this opportunity as soon as I could.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Tepper was the only school where I applied .

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? I spent a lot of time crafting my essay and answering the question to “What difference will you make as a member of the MBA class at the Tepper School?” I easily had more than 10 draft revisions before I was satisfied with it.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? As far as researching and determining my fit at various schools, I reached out to alumni to gain their perspective and get a feel for the type of students that each school attracted. I prioritized an inclusive environment with a small class size where I can really get to know each and every classmate. Having attended a small military college, I understand how empowering it is to have peers dedicated to common goals and successes.

What was your defining moment and how did it prepare you for business school? My defining moment was earning my ranger tab at Victory Pond in Fort Benning, GA. Ranger school is a 2-month long leadership and tactics course where soldiers are challenged physically and mentally to exhaustion. I learned how to motivate and inspire others at their worst while I was also at my worst. I can apply the leadership principles and mental resilience gained from this experience to any aspect of my life.

Pretend you have just graduated from business school. How do you picture your experience being successful? Getting ready for my new role as a product manager and beginning my next chapter in life. I would be celebrating new beginnings with my classmates and staying in touch with them to hopefully run into each other again in the future; Re-locating to my future job with my wife and adopting another cat.

DON’T MISS:

MEET CARNEGIE MELLON TEPPER’S MBA CLASS OF 2022

MEET THE MBA CLASS OF 2022: THE COVID COHORTS

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.