FOL-Business

Jessica Yan (InfoAn'19)

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 21:14:24 +0000

Jessica Yan (InfoAn'19) Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/19/2023 - 15:14

Program Associate, Pivotal Ventures

Jessica Yan doesn’t aspire to be the smartest person in the room—which is why she recently surrounded herself with 151 of some of the smartest people in the world, who were chosen for the prestigious Schwarzman Scholars program. Through this program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, she completed a master’s in Global Affairs.

The program is committed to preparing the next generation of global leaders. Yan lived and worked with other scholars who shared a similar passion for collaborating and solving problems across borders. She described it as a transformative experience—they ate meals together, cried together and traveled together.

“There really isn’t one mold for Schwarzman Scholars—we come from all around the world and from all different kinds of fields,” Yan said. “But what is common among us is our zeal for the mission that we're on and our desire to be a part of a global community.”

Yan has traveled across the world and done amazing things with her career in the past few years—which she says is partly because of a ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ Boulder scholarship she received her junior year. The Tang Family Foundation Scholarship allowed Yan to travel to China for four weeks and helped inspire an interest in international issues.

“This is one of the reasons that sparked my interest and going abroad to do Schwarzman Scholars—it also really inspired my interest in international issues and how those intersect with the kinds of domestic issues that I’ve already been working on as related to gender and race,” she said.

“Women are so incredible—how much better could the world be if women and women of color could actually reach their full potential?”

Jessica Yan (InfoAn‘19)

Despite her aversion to being singled out, Yan graduated from the program first in her class. Now, she wants to use that momentum and what she’s learned to make a greater impact in gender and racial justice work.

“The question is, how can I carry that work onwards from what I learned, and I think it starts with the kind of social impact work that I'm doing now and ultimately being able to give those opportunities to other people as well,” she said.

A Calling to Justice

She knew she wanted to pursue a career in social justice since she was young. As an Asian-American in a lower-income family, her personal experiences with oppression shed light on inequalities and inspired her to help be a part of the change.

Upon graduating from Leeds in 2019 with an emphasis in Information Analytics and Leadership, Yan got a job at Redstone Strategy Group as a philanthropic strategy consultant for large foundations, where she worked for gender and racial justice. She now works for Pivotal Ventures, a company founded by Melinda French Gates on a mission to bring more opportunity and equality to people in the U.S.

Her journey into these positions hasn’t been easy—there have always been challenges that come with being the “first and only” in many spaces, where feelings of intimidation made her question if she actually belonged at the companies she was with. Over the years, she’s learned the value her life experiences can add to the equity-focused work she’s pursuing.

“The reason I do this work is because I want to rewrite a previous narrative and show that strong women are right,” she said. “Women are so incredible—how much better could the world be if women and women of color could actually reach their full potential?”

“As I continue to progress in my career and take the baton from many leaders who are ahead of me, I only hope that future generations continue to advance this work as well,” she said.

As for more personal goals, Yan wants to be a role model for her younger self.

“When I was younger, I never knew of many women and Asian women that were leaders,” she said. “In the future, I hope I can be somebody who embodies confidence. Someone with integrity who makes decisions that make the world a better place.”

After graduating from Leeds and the prestigious Schwarzman Scholars program, Jessica Yan wants to use what she’s learned to make a greater impact in gender and racial justice work.

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Kyla Thomas (RE, Fin’23)

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Kyla Thomas (RE, Fin’23) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/14/2023 - 00:00

Analyst, BlackRock

Kyla Thomas is both a ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ native and newcomer, if such a thing is possible.

Despite growing up in Salida, she only discovered hiking last year, and is fresh off her first skiing trip around the holidays.

“The embrace of the outdoors was slow,” she said.

In fact, it almost didn’t come at all. A first-generation student, Kyla was set on leaving, only staying in ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ to take advantage of in-state scholarships—choosing Leeds after a last-minute award came in and make ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ Boulder affordable.

“I cried,” she said. “I knew it was the best business school in the state and that the campus was beautiful, even though I’d never been to Boulder before.”

It turned out to be the perfect fit for Kyla, both for her varied interests—president of the Real Estate Club and a Leeds Ambassador, plus a former tutor and member of Women in Finance—and the opportunity to live in a bustling college town: “Boulder was a perfect transition from the very rural part of the state, where I come from, and downtown Denver, where I see myself headed next” as part of what she hopes is a career in development.

A new perspective on real estate

It started quite by accident—Kyla dropped in on a meeting of the Real Estate Club as a first-year student and found the breadth of the industry fascinating, especially as someone who thought of the industry as just buying and selling houses. She went on to become its president after the pandemic; through her leadership, the group has more than tripled in size while attracting guest speakers representing national players in finance, architecture, development and more.

And to speak to the club, those guests make the trip to Boulder.

“I like to work on different things at the same time. If I’m just focused on one thing, I don’t perform as well.”

Kyla Thomas (RE, Fin’23)

“Virtual is not how we do things,” Kyla said. “We want these experts to come to connect with our students, whether they’re looking for jobs, seeking informational interviews or just want to ask questions about the industry. That’s really awkward and public on an online platform,” especially because the group has worked hard to attract first- and second-year students who may be less comfortable or poised in virtual settings.

“There’s no real estate mod, so for younger students, this is a great introduction to the industry and chance to explore whether it’s right for them,” Kyla said.

The leadership experience with the club has benefited her, but even more influential has been the Inclusive City Builder Fellowship, which is in its first year and has a cohort of eight students from ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ Boulder and the Metropolitan State University of Denver.

As a fellow in the program, Kyla has been able to see “real estate from start to finish,” as she put it. Each Friday over the course of the academic year, she has a full day of onsite instruction from the leaders of companies in general contracting, architecture and development, including opportunities to tour properties to see different principles in action and meet with decision-makers in the organization.

“The biggest part is not only the learning, but the network and connections,” Kyla said. “We learned from the leaders at these companies because they really want to help students break into the real estate industry and share a mission of encouraging diversity.”

Access to mentorship

The program also gave her access to a mentor, who works in human resources at McWhinney, where it’s no coincidence that she began an internship this spring.

“When I was interviewing for the fellowship, I said I was interested in becoming a developer, and they paired me with the only person at McWhinney in the program,” Kyla said. The two connect regularly—including a lunch, that turned into an invitation to an office holiday event, that turned into a chance to advocate for herself as an intern.

It’s not her first internship—she’s also worked at Stream Realty Partners—but it’s first chance to purely focus on development, especially in the urban mixed-use space. Building “the kinds of places where people are making memories” is something she’s interested in exploring in the long term; for now, she’s excited to be taking a job as an alternatives analyst at BlackRock’s asset management team.

That should provide her with the variety that she craves as both a student and young professional.

“As president of the Real Estate Club, my role is leading 12 other people who have different roles and ideas, and making sure we arrive in the right place,” Kyla said. “Development is similar—you’re a jack of all trades, and I like to work on different things at the same time. If I’m just focused on one thing, I don’t perform as well.”

More Faces of Leeds Undergraduate programs ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ Real Estate Center

An Inclusive City Builder fellowship helped Kyla Thomas build an incredible professional network and develop a unique network.

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Jasmine Fabela Sanchez (Fin, Acct’25)

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Jasmine Fabela Sanchez (Fin, Acct’25) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/07/2023 - 00:00

Intern, HoneyBee Robotics

As the oldest of four children, Jasmine Fabela Sanchez is in some ways already her own boss. Helping her parents keep house was all part of growing up, alongside being a full-time student, working part-time in high school and even attempting her own eyelash business.

“When I got into Leeds, it was a calling—an affirmation of what I wanted to do,” said Jasmine, a first-generation college student. “I’ve always been very independent and I know I want to be my own boss someday.”

She’s still figuring out what form that may take—perhaps starting an accounting business or brokerage‚ maybe even getting into real estate—and is using her time at Leeds to explore as much as possible.

“I’m trying to be as involved as I can,” Jasmine said. “I’ve met so many incredible people in all these clubs, whether it’s Women in Business or the Multicultural Business Students Association.” She also is a mentor in the Diverse Scholars Program and is a student assistant for ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ’s Business and Engineering Women in Technology program; this summer, she’ll be working in the finance department at HoneyBee Robotics, where she’ll have opportunities to interact with the spacecraft technology company’s engineering and accounting teams.

Testing her limits

The possibilities for exploration have already extended to global travel, through the First-Year Global Experience, which sent her to Barcelona last year; she’s eagerly anticipating studying abroad in Madrid as a junior. The opportunity to test her boundaries helped bring her to Leeds, along with the sense of values that are part of the curriculum and the culture.

“Coming to Leeds opened my eyes to a whole new world—both how many people go here and how different their backgrounds all are,” she said.

A North Boulder native, Jasmine originally thought she’d attend school out of state, “but when COVID hit, I got really close to my family,” she said. “And Leeds turned out to be the perfect fit, especially once I got involved with the EXCEL Scholars Program.”

The EXCEL program, part of Leeds’ Office of Diversity Affairs, helps first-year students orient to college life ahead of Leeds Launch. Jasmine said that program, and ODA generally, helped her form a community and be a better student.

“Coming to Leeds opened my eyes to a whole new world—both how many people go here and how different their backgrounds all are.”

Jasmine Fabela Sanchez (Fin, Acct’25)

“When you’re a first-generation student, you don’t have someone who’s been there before who can hold your hand and help you know the deadlines, know how to get financial aid, fill out a FAFSA form,” she said. It’s why she’s a regular speaker in AVID—Achievement Via Individual Determination—which gives her opportunities to encourage other first-generation students to see the process through.

“I hope I can pave the way for my sister and younger brothers, so they’ll have someone to help them,” she said. “If I can be that asset, and help them and their friends get degrees that change their lives, that would be awesome.”

More Faces of Leeds Undergraduate programs Diverse Scholars Program

Jasmine’s ultimate goal in getting a business education is to be her own boss someday. Leeds is helping her figure out how to get there.

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Anya Aidun (InfoMgmt’23)

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Anya Aidun (InfoMgmt’23) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 03/17/2023 - 00:00

Business Analyst, McKinsey & Co.

Anya Aidun is teaching herself to Rollerblade.

As a classically trained ballet dancer, you’d think she’d have the balance, poise and agility to easily master inline skating, “but gravity and I do not have the sort of agreement you need to learn how to Rollerblade,” Anya said, laughing. “I’ve gotten really good at it in my room, though, because there’s a carpet, so I don’t fall down.”

However, when it comes to her professional aspirations, Anya has had no trouble standing tall. She’s a highly active student—a member of Leeds Consulting Group and leadership roles with Leeds Student Government and the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity—secured a great internship with McKinsey that led to a full-time offer and was recognized this spring as one of ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ Boulder’s 2023 Student Leaders of the Year.

Anya’s view on what it takes to be an effective leader has, not surprisingly, changed since high school, where she already held executive-level positions at several student clubs.

“The way I view leadership now is knowing yourself, showing up authentically and inspiring other people to do the same thing,” she said. “At Leeds, I learned more about myself, which lets me show up in a more intentional way for other people. And you have a more meaningful impact when you’re surrounded by other people who are encouraged to bring their genuine selves to the table.

“The award means so much to me because I think it was not about the executive positions I was in, but rather, about making people feel part of the Leeds community.”

Making a big school a little smaller

As a Boulder native, Anya has a head start on helping fellow Business Buffs get acclimated to Leeds, though most of the schools she applied to were far from home. The views of the Flatirons, and the resources of a major state university, helped tip the decision to stay local. Admission to the Leeds Scholars Program also was pivotal; “it made ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ a little bit smaller and helped me find my own community,” she said.

Where she found community was in Leeds’ student consulting club—available by application only—and government, which Anya said was instrumental in her development as a student. It also gave her leadership experience—she served as vice president of student organizations—and something to look forward to when the pandemic made student life virtual.

“At Leeds, I learned more about myself, which lets me show up in a more intentional way for other people.”

Anya Aidun (InfoMgmt’23)

“It was something to look forward to—getting together with friends and figuring out how to make the school a better place,” she said. “This year, there’s been a real shift in the organization to find a way to build better community for everyone in Leeds—not just the people already engaged in a bunch of clubs.”

Anya completed multiple internships as a Leeds student, but most enjoyed working with McKinsey over the summer. She got to work on a project in higher education where the company consulted with a university considering whether to open a new campus as part of its overall growth strategy.

“It was the best experience I could have had—a crash course in everything I needed to do to own and manage my own work stream,” she said. “Sometimes as an intern, you just float around and help out where you can. That wasn’t my experience at McKinsey.”

As she prepares to return to the company’s Denver offices after graduation, she’s looking forward to exploring different avenues and see what professional path in consulting most excites her. Her Leeds classes—especially the discipline-intensive mods and BASE experience—gave her the breadth needed in the fast-moving world of consulting.

“Leeds taught me how to quickly take in information and be able to make rapid decisions,” Anya said. “That’s the key to success in consulting, because you have to be constantly learning.”

More Faces of Leeds Undergraduate programs Leeds Student Government

Anya's extensive leadership service helped her become recognized as one of ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ Boulder's Student Leaders of the Year.

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Wes Weber (Mktg, BA’22; MSBA’23)

Anonymous — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Wes Weber (Mktg, BA’22; MSBA’23) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 03/10/2023 - 00:00

Data Analyst Consultant, CapTech

It can be intimidating to make the jump from newly minted college graduate to full-time student in a master’s program.

Wes Weber is not easily intimidated. That’s one of the lesser-discussed advantages of chasing after a full-grown buffalo during home football games.

Wes is part of the Ralphie handler program. He and his fellow student-athletes lead the university’s live mascot onto the field before and during home football games, while also helping care for the animal when she’s out of the spotlight. It’s an obvious physical challenge to keep up with Ralphie, but the program also teaches plenty of intangibles—leadership, communication, improvisation, resilience—that translate in the boardroom.

“When you’re in the public eye like this, you learn to focus and perform under pressure,” Wes said. “When I walk in the room—whether in class or an interview—I know I can hold my own, and feel like I belong there.”

Chasing the dream—literally

The pandemic put an asterisk on his time as a handler, though, so when the opportunity to run for a fifth year as a master’s student presented itself, Wes put his professional career on hold to literally chase the dream one more time.

There aren’t many graduate students who are part of the program, so Wes is able to offer perspective that his younger teammates may not have.

“I’ve learned how to earn respect from people, while also teaching and being a good teammate—and that is a huge part of being a professional, the ability to lead and listen,” he said.

“I’ve learned how to earn respect from people, while also teaching and being a good teammate—and that is a huge part of being a professional, the ability to lead and listen.”

Wes Weber (Mktg, BA’22; MSBA’23)

Learning to listen, in particular, has been a skill he’s developed as a graduate student. Wes said he’s fortunate enough to be attending classes with professionals who are bringing years of experience to classroom discussions, which gives him invaluable perspective on changes in business analytics.

“I don’t have the tangible workplace stories”—though he does have multiple internships, at Ball and Hi There Solutions—“but I do have the confidence and curiosity to engage in the conversation. Taking part in those discussions and learning from others is my job as a student.”

Wes came to ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ because of the Ralphie program—his first memory of seeing Ralphie run was as a 10-year-old, attending a Buffs game with his father—but he’s stuck around for an extra year because he appreciates the value of the intangible skills he cultivated as an undergrad.

“You walk out of Leeds feeling prepared for anything,” Wes said. “My professors have given me the confidence and preparedness to help me feel I can do this. And it goes hand in hand with the Ralphie program of being a leader, being able to use my voice and believing in myself to get the job done, whatever it may be.”

More Faces of Leeds M.S. Business Analytics Ralphie handlers

Chasing after a buffalo and being a standout student surrounded by seasoned professionals all amounts to confidence.

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Nataly Diaz Ortega (MBA’24)

Anonymous — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 19:31:34 +0000

Nataly Diaz Ortega (MBA’24) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 02/24/2023 - 12:31

Co-Vice President, Barney Ford Scholarship Fundraiser

Working hard is a value Nataly Diaz Ortega learned early.

Nataly’s parents—“the hardest workers I know,” she calls them—immigrated to ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ from Mexico, working blue-collar jobs and making sacrifices so that their oldest daughter could study marketing at ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ Denver.

It’s a model she’s emulated every day. Because she was such a good student and aced so many Advanced Placement exams in high school, she earned enough college credits—and scholarship support—to complete her bachelor’s degree in three years. And even though she had a job offer on the table, she made the unusual decision to instead enroll in the full-time Leeds MBA, even as she supports herself by working two jobs on the side.

“Because of COVID, I didn’t feel I was ready for the real world just yet,” Nataly said. “I always wanted to get an MBA, and I was familiar with the ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ ecosystem, so just figured I would do it while I was still in that student mindset.”

Finding a way to give back

One thing that’s been a revelation—and she’s had more than a few, as the youngest person in her MBA cohort—is that graduate scholarships are much harder to come by. That’s why when her packed schedule only allowed her to pick two extracurricular activities, one of them became the Barney Ford Fellowship Fund, which provides scholarships that promote diversity within Leeds’ MBA program.

“As a first-gen student, scholarships that promoted diversity really helped me get through undergrad and overcome some of the imposter syndrome I felt,” she said. “I consider myself lucky in that my MBA cohort is pretty diverse, but I can see how our community as a whole need to do better—and this kind of scholarship can create awareness and be part of that solution.”

And while her classmates may have more professional experience than she does, Nataly understands, and is passionate about, work that supports diversity and equity. She’s volunteered with Tax Help ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ getting an IRS certification in order to help Hispanic taxpayers file their returns, and has tutored through the I Have a Dream Foundation of Boulder County.

“Through this scholarship, I’ve found there are a lot of people who care about diversity—you just have to offer them ways to help.”

Nataly Diaz Ortega (MBA’24)

As co-vice president of marketing, Nataly is helping drive participation and donations for the 30th annual Barney Ford Diversity Scholarship Fundraiser, taking place in early March. Something that’s surprised her about her work on behalf of the event is just how willing people are to support the cause.

“You see a lot of organizations that talk about how they want more diversity without really doing anything about it,” Nataly said. “Through this scholarship, I’ve found there are a lot of people who care about diversity—you just have to offer them ways to help.”

The event also has connected back to her classes, and have made conversations about diversity and equity in business “feel more real and applicable,” especially conversations related to inequalities at work and how leaders can be more sensitive to matters of diversity.

Challenged by her cohort

As mentioned, Nataly is the youngest in her cohort, which includes established professionals, teachers, doctors, engineers and so on. And while she was at first intimidated by their experience, she’s learned to use it to her advantage as she chases a career in sports and entertainment marketing.

“They push me to do better, and hold me to a higher standard,” she said. “I feel like I have to prove myself more, being so much younger than my classmates, but they have made it a great learning experience for me.”

She actually got into sports marketing by accident, agreeing to take some new classes her advisors were offering while she was finishing her work at ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ Denver.

“It sounded like something different to build out my résumé,” Nataly said. “But I quickly realized how much fun those industries are. There’s so much creativity and competitiveness.”

And, speaking of creativity and competition, her big professional goal is to be part of a team that develops an ad that airs during the Super Bowl: “My family is all big sports fans, especially soccer and football. I love the Super Bowl, but I could talk to you for hours about the commercials.”

She’s had plenty of professional exposure in this space—including service with the Denver Women’s Sports Collective, which promotes networking and career advancement for women in sports—but Nataly also realized how much relationships come into play in such a competitive field. It’s why she’s happy she is studying at ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ Boulder.

“I didn’t have much of a network in the field, and Boulder has connections everywhere,” she said. “But on top of that, having to figure out the time management piece of it has helped me understand my priorities and focus. I want to work in this field because it’s fun, but I also want to make money so I can help my parents retire and get the rest that they deserve.”

More Faces of Leeds Leeds MBA programs Barney Ford Scholarship

The first in her family to go to college, Nataly says scholarships were key to being able to attend. Now, she’s giving back as an MBA student.

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Isha Batra (Bus’25)

Anonymous — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 23:41:51 +0000

Isha Batra (Bus’25) Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/31/2023 - 16:41

Intern, Deloitte

When it came to choosing where she wanted to study, Isha Batra picked ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ Boulder in part because family is important to her, and the campus is close to her Erie home.

However, it’s worth noting that her entire family attended ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ State, so the Batras are still getting used to having a Buff at home.

“I wanted to be independent and go farther away, but it really just came down to a reality check for me,” Isha said. “I love Boulder’s campus and I have so many close friends who went to Leeds—and everything I heard from them was always positive.”

So far, the fit has been perfect for Isha. As a first-year student, she landed a support role in the Office of Diversity Affairs, where she helps facilitate networking events and manage social media content for women’s programs. In the fall, she started a new role as a peer life coach for the Designing Your Leeds class.

“I think a lot of people don’t love that class, because it forces you to learn a different way of thinking,” she said. The course introduces design thinking—a unique problem-solving approach that’s new to most college students—“and oftentimes, there’s no one right answer. A lot of business students are used to the idea of a right answer. I really enjoy working with these students to help them understand that, but it’s also fun to look back on where I was a year ago and see how much I’ve changed in a short time.”

“To me, the word business means helping people. It was cool to see that come to life on my internship.”

Isha Batra (Bus’25)

Part of that change came from Isha landing a coveted internship with Deloitte last summer, thanks to her work at ODA. She and her roommate—both scholars in the Women’s Empowerment Initiative—attended an event on building a better LinkedIn profile because attendance was light, and she wound up meeting the two Deloitte recruiters running the presentation.

Encouraged to seek internships early

“As a freshman, an internship was never on my radar,” Isha said. “The school encourages you to go to career events early, but I was stuck in that mentality that internships are hard to get—especially as a freshman and especially at a Big Four company. It was a road that was terrifying to me at every step.”

Not only that, it was a long road, with five rounds of interviews. In the final round, she actually was turned down before the company specifically made room for a second Leeds intern so she could take part.

The discovery internship was broad, but gave her a chance to see the inner workings of the company and do real project work—including a project with United Way that aimed to solve the problem of food shortages in Maui, which hit home because she spends her summers surfing in Hawaii.

“To me, the word business means helping people,” Isha said. “It was cool to see that come to life on my internship.”

She’ll be returning to Deloitte this summer, where she’ll intern in its risk and financial advisory area, and while she isn’t sure what her future holds, “Leeds has me on the right track,” Isha said. “The structure and support I get is so beneficial for helping me think about what my career path might look like when I graduate.”

More Faces of Leeds Undergraduate programs Office of Diversity Affairs

An internship with Deloitte helped Isha appreciate that business can be about helping others.

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Michael Lau (MBA’20; MSBA’21)

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Michael Lau (MBA’20; MSBA’21) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 11/11/2022 - 00:00

Senior Digital Marketing Strategist, HG Insights

The U.S. military may not have coined the phrase “embrace the suck,” but it certainly popularized it as an ethos for making the best of a bad situation.

Michael Lau has mastered it.

In the final year of his Leeds MBA, the former U.S. Army sergeant was extended an offer to return part-time to the marketing internship he completed in the summer. As the months went by, he was certain that he’d be getting a full-time offer after graduation, to the point where he and his wife celebrated it.

“I was like, ‘It would take an act of God for me not to get this,’” Michael said. “Two weeks later, COVID happened, and they had to rescind the offer. That was a very humbling moment.”

Invaluable experience

Michael applied elsewhere, but heard the same story most job-seekers heard in the spring of 2020. That’s how, with the ink on his diploma barely dry, he wound up back in the classroom, this time in the business analytics master’s program.

“It was kind of like that nightmare where you’re back in high school—just a sense of déjà vu where you’re asking yourself, am I really going to commit another year of my life to this?” Michael said.

But he’s the first to say the experience was invaluable, especially as he looks to advance his career in marketing and keep an eye on rising through the ranks.

“One of the things an education should do is challenge your own ideas, as opposed to just reinforcing what you already know.”

Michael Lau (MBA’20; MSBA’21)

“I’m able to ask the right questions of people who’ve been doing this for five or 10 years—I can speak the language that makes sense to them, and I can also understand it,” he said. “In many ways, it was like a language course—you’re learning programming languages and learning how to speak them so you can do your job more effectively.”

At HG Insights, Michael’s work focuses on planning and executing digital campaigns, then evaluating their success and making tweaks as needed. His MBA means he knows what strategic questions to ask, while his business analytics degree helps him frame those questions for analysts.

“It’s very valuable to prove a campaign isn’t doing well, as opposed to just feeling that way,” Michael said. “That lets you drive decisions using data, as opposed to just experience.”

‘Stubbornly determined’

That kind of informed decision-making helped him choose Leeds, but the school actually came on his radar when his father—a university professor who still lives in Hong Kong—gave his son some ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ swag—a water bottle, which he still has—after attending a conference near Fort Carson, where Michael was stationed.

Sound impulsive? He doesn’t disagree, calling himself “stubbornly determined.”

“I think tenacity has been something I’ve really embraced, not just in returning to America”—he and his family moved to Hong Kong when he was 9—“but in joining the Army, in pursuing higher education.”

Something he liked most about his grad school experience was the diverse network he built as a result of all the connections he made.

“It was just like the military—you meet all sorts of different people, from different walks of life, with different backgrounds,” Michael said. “Those differences are so important, because one of the things an education should do is challenge your own ideas, as opposed to just reinforcing what you already know. That was something I took from the military and graduate school, and it’s been helpful to me both personally and professionally.”

More Faces of Leeds Why Leeds MS Business Analytics

The military and his master's degrees helped Michael find adaptability and perspective in the pandemic.

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Christina Uhlir (Neuro’13; MSBA’21)

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Christina Uhlir (Neuro’13; MSBA’21) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 10/14/2022 - 00:00

ERP Functional Analyst, Arrow Electronics

It’s not common for IT analysts at large organizations to have regular face time with customers.

But Christina Uhlir is not a typical IT analyst, and the chance to interact directly with people is a key reason she enjoys her work at Arrow Electronics.

“I’ve been called an outreach analyst,” Christina said, because of her ability to quickly translate technical information and her comfort in connecting with people. In a time of hybrid work, she’s often in the office, giving her the opportunity to directly engage when employees ask about bug fixes, performing updates, or making new feature requests.

“It’s easy for a person in a data or IT role to be shoved out of sight,” Christina said. “Arrow encourages you to explore your role—you don’t need to fit a specific profile to be successful.”

For Christina, that means building on what made her a standout student in the business analytics master’s program at Leeds; she earned her degree when lockdowns forced all classes to be online.

“Because I'm an in-person type of person, I knew that if I was siloed from people, I wouldn’t do as well,” she said. To combat the isolation of virtual classes, she co-led a virtual meetup that invited a host of industry guests to share their thoughts on the state of business analytics with students, as well as a forum for peers to talk about and overcome the challenges of the pandemic.

“The meetups were a great way to give students an inside perspective on analytics and where it might go—and also develop a network of contacts in the outside world,” Christina said. “But also, it was a way to let ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ identify companies worth partnering with—so, talent inroads and an avenue for curricular updates.”

Those relationships—with peers, with faculty and with industry—were a key reason Uhlir applied to the business an analytics program. It didn’t hurt that her father and sister had MBAs from ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ Boulder, and her mother was a member of ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ Boulder campus administration.

“Classes gave me insights into data-level conversations happening in industry and the chance to engage with my professors and peers directly about the roles and company demographics that would best suit me.”

Christina Uhlir (Neuro’13; MSBA’21)

“Doing the MSBA introduced me to Arrow,” she said. “Classes gave me insights into data-level conversations happening in industry and the chance to engage with my professors and peers directly about the roles and company demographics that would best suit me personally and professionally. Doing a certificate would not have offered me the same industry exposure and support as I did with the MSBA, making the master’s degree competitive from a job placement perspective.”

It’s a perspective that helped her land her job at Arrow after she held a variety of positions in analytics—everywhere from life sciences, to retail, to ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ career development.

“In my conversations, I was able to explain what I learned at Leeds in a low-tech, conversational way,” she said. “Being able to do that was helpful when I interviewed with people not in technical roles, but it’s obviously critical for my work, also.”

More Faces of Leeds Why Leeds M.S. Business Analytics

When the pandemic sent all her classes online, Christina Uhlir built a community to keep her Leeds peers engaged.

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Harrison GreenMaki (MBA’22)

Anonymous — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 17:15:35 +0000

Harrison GreenMaki (MBA’22) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 09/09/2022 - 11:15

Senior Development Analyst, NexCore Group

Sometimes, when you’re a candidate for a job, you know from the moment the interview ends that you aced it.

Other times, you aren’t able to finish the skills assessment within the time limit.

That’s where Harrison GreenMaki found himself when he applied to NexCore Group, a developer in the healthcare space.

“They asked me to create a financial model, which I was not able to finish in the allotted time,” Harrison said. Rather than throwing in the towel, he presented the progress he’d made, then brought it home and continued working on it. Forty-five minutes later, he’d completed the exercise, “and apparently, I taught the hiring manager something he didn’t know about Excel,” he said.

The team was so impressed that they allowed Harrison to start immediately in a part-time role, which he’s held since late March. After graduating from Leeds, he took a short vacation before beginning full time with the company’s financial analytics team, specifically in medical office and life sciences properties. His posting at NexCore follows a successful internship at North Mountain Partners.

Real estate is quite a transition from his previous role, as a leading petty officer in the U.S. Navy. There, he was responsible for command-level programs while onboarding, mentoring and guiding new aircrewmen. He also served as a rescue swimmer—he’s credited with one save during a tropical storm off the coast of Florida—and a helicopter door gunner.

As he wound down his military service, Harrison kept an eye on his transition back to civilian life, which led him to Leeds.

“Not only was I coming to ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ from out of state, I was coming from out of the country,” he said. “My MBA helped me get back into American culture while helping me create a network.”

Harrison also served as president of the MBA Association: “I absolutely bowed down to peer pressure” after the members of his new network urged him to pursue the role. He’s also enjoyed making connections to his professors outside of class.

“Outside of class, the professors are so willing to share knowledge and network with you, or even recommend a useful book,” he said. “That’s a great thing about being an MBA student—you can crack a beer open and nerd out with professors who are really damn smart.”

More Faces of Leeds Why Leeds Leeds MBA

Real estate is quite a transition for Harrison, who was a helicopter gunner and rescue swimmer with the Navy before coming to Leeds.

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