Meet UNC Kenan-Flagler’s MBA Class Of 2020

Lauren Carberry

University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School

Passionate implementer of change, engineer at heart.”

Hometown: Queensbury, New York

Fun Fact About Yourself: In my free time, I foster dogs with Wake County Animal Shelter. Over the past four years, I’ve hosted over 17 different dogs and helped them find their forever homes.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Delaware, Chemical Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Cree Process Sustaining Engineer & Line Technician Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: At Cree, I had the opportunity to lead the end-to-end overhaul of our quality report systems to meet new customer record requirements. I worked with key stakeholders and our IT team to internally develop a new system, and then beta test and roll it out to our department. The new system had more accurate data entry, was easier to use and helped reduce product hold time on the factory floor.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Supportive. Everyone that I have met so far has been genuinely interested in learning more about me and helping me reach my goals.

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? The culture of collaboration. I know I reach my highest potential when I am in an environment where my peers are on my team and I am on theirs. Kenan-Flagler prides itself on a culture of camaraderie and teamwork.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I’m excited to beat Duke in the Blue Cup, a friendly competition between the business schools with a variety of events.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I came to two realizations: my favorite part of my job wasn’t my job, and I really needed an MBA for the career I wanted. I love project implementation; I stumbled upon it during my time in manufacturing and I knew I wanted to switch roles to pursue it full time. At first, I applied directly to the positions I was interested in and was rejected for not enough experience and not enough business background. That was when I knew it was time to go back for my MBA.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I did the math. I calculated the net present value of my MBA and determined a breakeven point. The math checked out.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Duke and Northwestern.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? Factors I considered were consulting network and opportunities, location and culture. As an aspiring consultant, I researched where top firms recruited and about how many students they took. The next was location: where would I be happy living for the next two years? I had the additional criteria of where I thought my significant other could go with me and get a job. The third was the culture of the program. I know that I thrive in supportive environments where the competition isn’t with other students but with yourself. To gather this information, to say I googled excessively would be an understatement. However, I also used my company network and personal network to talk to alumni from each of the schools. For me, the admission interviews themselves were a good indicator of fit.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I don’t have one moment that defined me – I have a whole childhood. I grew up as the oldest of three children in a household with a chronically sick parent, which led me to take on responsibility at a pretty young age. I had to step up to help take care of my younger siblings, and I’ve held a job since I was 12. My environment motivated to get through school to support my family; that was a large factor in me becoming an engineer. I like to think that little pieces of my past sneak into my present. I was inspired to become an EMT to help others on the scariest day of their lives as the EMTs who frequented our house helped us. I foster animals to give abandoned dogs a second chance at life and, in a way, pay forward the kindness our family received gave us a second chance as well. Who I am today is because of who I was, who I had to be, then and while it certainly wasn’t my chosen path, it defined me as a human and I know I’m stronger for it.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? To work in consulting. I am excited for client-facing work and constant exposure to new challenges.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Hopefully, I will still be in consulting.

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