Jessica Robinson

Fordham University, Gabelli School of Business

“Curious student of life, always looking to discover new passions and travel the world.”

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have studied Mandarin Chinese for the past three years

Undergraduate School and Major: Xavier University, International Business and Marketing Double Major

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: L Brands, Bath and Body Works – Marketing Production Coordinator

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? A key part of Fordham’s MBA programming is the strong value placed on an international perspective of education and being a thoughtful leader. There are two opportunities for students to travel abroad within the first year of the program, providing an opportunity to consult with organizations facing real business challenges in their countries. I liked that this international experience was already built into the program curriculum. Although we were not able to travel this year, we have still been able to participate in the projects, which is pretty exciting!  Focusing on an international market is something I am passionate about pursuing and I like that Fordham values this perspective in our curriculum.

At the same time, the thoughtful leadership perspective is very important to me. We discuss making challenging decisions that leaders will encounter in their careers and how to think through the best decision to make. This has provided an incredible view of decision making that I find needed to be a successful leader.

What has surprised you the most about the Gabelli MBA program? I have been surprised by the number of educational opportunities outside of the classroom that Gabelli provides for students. Each week, there are several workshop sessions to further develop skills that will be used in our career. I have been impressed by the continual stream of opportunities that the school has provided, especially in a virtual capacity. It has helped me stay connected to the Fordham community outside of class and has helped develop skills further that I can use during my internship.

Another aspect I was surprised about has been the incredible lecture series by our Marketing department. For example, there have been series providing deeper conversations about creating relevance for 100-year-old brands and recasting value in a recession. These lecture series have allowed me to continue learning about various aspects of marketing outside of class and I appreciate that the department continues to engage students throughout the year.

What quality best describes your MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? My classmates are incredible, and we have done a great job of staying connected even while we are in a virtual capacity. Everyone wants to stay connected and build relationships that can last well after our program ends. That is one of the best qualities that I have noticed while meeting many of my classmates. We want to stay connected and help each other as much as possible. Everyone is very collaborative, and it is a great feeling to be part of this cohort.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I feel very accomplished about the work I did while managing all of the product for Bath and Body Works in-store and social media photo shoots. It is my biggest accomplishment because I was able to manage the process of gathering requested product and staying up to date on new collections with accuracy. I grew a lot during this time. It helped strengthen my skills of being highly detail-oriented and continually using strong communication with cross-functional partners. And as a result, I would always get excited to see the images come to life and it was a great feeling to see customers excited about the products and imagery.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? My biggest accomplishment so far as an MBA student has been being on the winning team of Fordham’s Business in the 21st Century competition. It was about four weeks into our orientation program and we were placed on a team, challenge to analyze a company’s sustainability initiatives. In the end, we would recommend strategies for how company could improve sustainability measures in their industry.

Initially, this seemed like a daunting task. Neither my teammates nor I had any experience in sustainability. It was a hard task to provide a recommendation to an industry – in particular the fashion industry – on how their sustainability initiatives could be improved. Even with this ambiguity, we collaborated as a team, bringing all of our experiences together to be stretched to think differently about sustainable business and what is possible for the future. Ultimately, we provided our recommendations and won the challenge! It was a great accomplishment because it offered a new way of thinking about sustainability. I saw how I can be a better leader in my career to maintain a mindset of producing both results for a business and maintaining corporate responsibility.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I felt that it was the right time to pursue my MBA because I gained experience in both Marketing and Supply Chain and I felt that combining both experiences with an MBA would strengthen my business acumen as a leader and marketer. I also sought to strengthen my analytical skills that are necessary to interpret complex data to infer strategic business decisions. An aspect of leadership that I always admired is how some of the best leaders not only understand their area of expertise but the total business and make educated decisions with the consideration for how it will impact the larger business. Through an MBA program, I sought to gain a breadth of knowledge in various business functions that will provide the connection between teams and how they impact one another.

What was your defining moment and how did it prepare you for business school? I studied abroad in Shanghai, China while pursuing my bachelor’s degree and this experience completely shaped how I view business and stirred my passion for Marketing. While there, I immediately noticed how American companies differentiated themselves in the market and changed their positioning to meet their target demographic. This was something we discussed in class,. However, it wasn’t until I experienced it in person that I understood fully how dynamic it is to completely shape a brand to reach a new segment that is very different culturally than the home country.

For example, seeing American brands that I was familiar with, having Chinese characters on their packaging and new, exciting flavors that were not available in the U.S. was captivating to experience. I also admired the advertising initiatives in Shanghai. I had never seen marketing like this before and I left that study abroad experience passionate about marketing, global brand equity and driven to pursue a career in marketing that impacts people around the world. This has helped me prepare for business school because I understand how to work cross-culturally and view business in a well-rounded way. It also helped me define the scope of impact that I want to have in my career and has helped me be more intentional about the experiences I desire to pursue throughout my MBA program.

DON’T MISS: Meet Fordham Gabelli’s MBA Class of 2022