Learn more about his early career MBA experience an why getting an MBA can be beneficial for you.
Why did you choose Chicago Booth for your MBA Experience?
I was drawn to Chicago Booth because of its emphasis on analytical rigor and its flexible curriculum. I perceived that these two things would prepare me to manage a myriad of business contexts and problems. Additionally, the Booth network and reputation were quite important to me to ensure a persistent ROI of my degree.
Why Chicago Business Fellows? Why was getting an MBA earlier in your career important to you?
A few different things drew me into an early career MBA at Chicago Booth. As part of a future-leader development program at Wells Fargo, I quickly realized the importance of both hard and soft skills to navigate today's dynamic workplace – I learned that leaders need to know how to tell a story and explain how their projects impact a balance sheet. An MBA program is unbeatable in providing these skills in a relevant and efficient manner.
Furthermore, as a first-generation corporate professional, I sometimes felt lost navigating particular corporate dynamics and had difficulty leaning into a "network." Chicago Business Fellow's highly-qualified career advisors and targeted programming (i.e., a business etiquette class) fulfilled these pressing needs.
What do you hope an MBA will help you achieve in your future?
I hope my MBA will help me become an effective manager who can balance fostering inclusion, establishing strategic priorities, and driving innovative execution. Thus far, I am confident the Booth curriculum, network, and career center professionals have provided me with a toolkit to help make this vision a reality.
The Booth community played an instrumental role in helping me secure my current role as a Product Manager for the Payments platform at Starbucks. I leaned on support from fellow students to prepare for product management interviews. I connected with Booth alumni to identify opportunities at leading companies and learn how to position myself. Lastly, the career center helped me from beginning to end – I relied on multiple advisors throughout the job application and interview process.
"Lived experience is a prerequisite to effective representation and advocacy. As one of the first 'Gen Z" Booth graduates, I feel immense gratitude and responsibility. Gen Z is one of the most diverse generations yet, especially domestically in the United States – 29% of Gen Z is either an immigrant or the child of one. As a child of immigrants, who were small business owners, I channeled my experiences to provide unconventional, unique insights in class discussions."
The most fun I had at Booth has to be a trip to Colorado Springs that the Muslims in Business student organization coordinated last summer. It was a joint venture between multiple leading business schools in the country and we got to meet other students from similar faith backgrounds in a beautiful and light-hearted environment.
My fondest memory would be my work as part of the Board Fellows Program, a collaborative initiative between Net Impact and The Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation. Through that initiative, two other students and I served as board advisors for a nonprofit dedicated to civic empowerment of South-Asian Americans in Illinois. As someone with a deep passion for civic engagement, I thoroughly enjoyed applying my product management skills to establish a digital product roadmap for an impactful organization.
What is it like to be one of the first "Gen Z" Booth graduates?What makes it different or more special for you?
Lived experience is a prerequisite to effective representation and advocacy. As one of the first 'Gen Z" Booth graduates, I feel immense gratitude and responsibility. Gen Z is one of the most diverse generations yet, especially domestically in the United States – 29% of Gen Z is either an immigrant or the child of one. As a child of immigrants, who were small business owners, I channeled my experiences to provide unconventional, unique insights in class discussions.
I also used my experience as a digital native to inform much of my work at Booth. I did a final project on a Gen Z-focused marketing strategy for WeWork. I am incredibly grateful for this experience and hope that I created space for the experiences of other first-generational corporate professionals as well. At the same time, as someone who had access to a world-class business education and network, I now have a sense of responsibility to drive strategic thinking and business decisions that account for the coming generations' diversity, attitudes, and experiences.
I would advise applicants to deeply reflect on their life experiences and identify how they can benefit from a Chicago Booth MBA. They should also outline how they will contribute to the classroom and larger Booth community. Combining these components should form a cohesive and impactful story for the MBA application process and beyond. Furthermore, it is essential to have a team of supporters both at work and outside of work.
As many life factors come into account, deciding the right time for an MBA can be difficult. Learn how Nicole pursued her passion for life-long learning while navigating life obstacles and maximizing the flexibility of our Evening MBA Program.
Get to know Nicole Silva, Evening MBA Student
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