Meet the MBA Class of 2023: Parima Budsaratragoon, Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)

Parima Budsaratragoon

Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business

“Diverse Education Background, Information Technology Consulting Experience, Dog Lover, and Amateur Surfer.”

Hometown: Bangkok, Thailand

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have a younger sister who is five years apart, but  people always thought we were twins. Often times at the neighborhood coffee shops, they would always think that I’m a coffee addict for buying the coffee twice every morning. But actually, it was just me and my sister.

Undergraduate School and Major: Questrom School of Business at Boston University, Double concentrating in Finance and Business Strategy.

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Accenture Solutions as Development Consulting Analyst

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Carnegie Mellon’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? At Carnegie Mellon’s MBA program, the curriculum is designed to emphasize a mixture of business, technology, and analytics. This  highlights the importance of data-driven decision making which I strongly believe is the key solution for every business’s challenges today. Being part of the program will bring me to the forefront of business in the digital economy and support my consulting career specifically related to business technology transformation.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Carnegie Mellon? At Tepper, they offer multiple clubs and activities that will provide experiences and communities for students to strengthen their leadership and characteristics. I’m planning to join multiple clubs, but one I’m most excited is the Pro Bono Consulting Club. This club offers the opportunity for students to work on consulting projects to help local businesses or non-profit organizations. This is a good way for me to utilize my skills and knowledge to benefit the surrounding communities.

The Tepper MBA is known for intensive one-on-one coaching and personal development. What area do you hope to strengthen during your two years in business school and why? At Tepper MBA, through its one-on-one coaching and tight-knit community, it has created a space to truly explore and strengthen personal growth. I hope to take advantage of the program and the community to find my strengths from within and through others while acknowledging and improving my weaknesses. Here, I hope that I can become a better version and better understanding of myself capable of giving back to my future teams and communities.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My previous project required collaboration and daily communication from across various teams both within the country and overseas. My assigned tasks were disrupted with delay and low productivity due to the pandemic. Instead of being paralyzed waiting for change, I decided to make that change by redefining the task’s objective, promoting transparent workflow between my team and me, and providing support for other team members. In doing so, I leveraged my project insight and soft skills such as communication and leadership. I am proud to say that not only did we were able to deliver the project, but also to earn appreciation from all stakeholders.

How did COVID-19 change your perspective on your career and your life in general? Despite all of its challenges, I believe that this pandemic has strengthened my personal growth as I learn the importance of flexibility and risk management. At work, I learned to have multiple backup plans and to adapt to my work process. On the other hand, in my daily life, I learned to make the most out of every moment without stressing over the uncertainties.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? In my career at a consulting firm, most jobs were project-based that started from ideation to the implementation phase, so I had seen the big picture and had been a part of different processes. Therefore, I have learned the basic understanding of each component. I believe that with an MBA I will be able to enhance my skills and leadership, and become more specialized to add more value and efficiency to each process.

After graduation, my goal is to pursue my career in consulting, working on projects specifically related to business strategy and innovation, in order to yield better solutions for future clients. This aligns with my goal to work for a job that is as challenging as it is impactful.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I also applied to Georgetown University.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Carnegie Mellon’s MBA program?  My advice to potential applicants is a confirmation that they are making a great decision to pursue an MBA program at Carnegie Mellon. Through their motivation and determination, they should always give their best in every application stage and continue to show and reflect their passion especially during the interview.

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