Chima Mbadugha, Ross MBA Class of 2019
Age: 30
Hometown: Lithonia, GA
Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of Georgia, psychology
Pre-MBA Work Experience: I have seven years of experience in education/non-profit organizations before Ross. Previously, I was a sixth-grade math teacher for two years in Houston, TX, and spent the last five years working in recruitment. Most recently, I was managing director of recruitment for the Mid-Atlantic region at Teach For America.
Why business school? Why now? I reached a point in my career where I changed my focus from simply getting a promotion and moving up the organizational ladder to focusing on skills I wanted to develop to have a larger impact on society. The dreams, aspirations, and legacy I wanted to leave behind could not be fulfilled from the constraints of the organization I was in, so a change was necessary. Over my career I have developed skills from managing teams to creating strategies to achieve goals. However, I’m confident that business frameworks and analytical skills I will develop in business school will accelerate my leadership to another level. Most importantly, I feel business school will help me more effectively leverage my skillset to create change in businesses and communities.
Why Ross? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend? My decision to come to Ross came down to three things: 1. International opportunities 2. Experiential Learning/Academics 3. Authenticity. I learn best by doing! I don’t think any other business school has better experiential learning opportunities than Ross. Coming from the education sector, I wanted a safe place to put my newly acquired skills into action as often as possible. Theory, lectures, and cases are constrained to the constructs of a four-wall classroom, but the opportunity to create solutions for a business through the Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP) was unparalleled. Ross is a safe space to fail forward fast, but to learn and improve quickly! I embrace failures because of the lessons I have learned and aim to never experience the same failure twice.
Secondly, most people discuss the importance of culture, and being in an environment where I could be authentic was really important to me. During my university visits I kept hearing very similar buzzwords of “collaboration” to “community,” but Ross’s differentiating factor for me was its authenticity. Throughout my career one thing all of my managers have allowed me to be was “Me.” I believe when we are truly authentic in our daily lives we give agency, power, and courage for others to do the same. I am at my best when I don’t subscribe to societal norms of operating but rather shift what may be considered normative behavior in a way that lends itself for me to be my true self. Ross was a place where I knew from day one I could spend less time having to worry about how I was perceived and more time thinking about ways that I could step up and lead. Take risks! Grow! Two years is a really short time, and I don’t want to waste a second of it.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2019? My background in education and recruiting has involved a great deal of tapping into individuals’ motivations and barriers and leveraging them to help achieve transformative results. This is where I get the most energy in relationships. I always think about how I can help my peers achieve their goals. I serve as a capacity builder who is inspired by generating new ways to empower my peers and classmates to tap into their strengths and leverage them for personal growth while remaining authentic to who they are.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application? I’m a first-generation Nigerian-American with a very big family. I have 60 first cousins!
Post-MBA career interests? I want to leverage the skills I gain from Ross to devise strategies that enable mission-driven companies to tackle their most pressing challenges.
Advice to current prospective applicants:
–One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process? I visited every school I chose to apply to, and it was worth it. You can read beautiful brochures and view as many websites as you want, but if you have a chance to see a school, go! There is an intangible perspective gained by just being in the atmosphere of a place you will potentially call home for the next two years.
–One thing you would change or do differently? Given that I am a “nontraditional” student, I would have taken more courses online or at community colleges to ramp up my knowledge a bit more before school. I put “nontraditional” in quotation marks, because at a school like Ross with so much diversity in industry backgrounds, I don’t believe there is a “traditional” student.
–Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it? Hands down—the GMAT! What helped me get through it was acknowledging I have faced bigger challenges in my life than a test. Additionally, as a former teacher, I spent so much time inspiring my students to defy what they thought was not possible. Preparation and confidence will beat a test any day. Create a plan, stick to it, create an error log, hone in on weaknesses, and lastly remember it is just a test. It’s the first one of many you will take over the next two years.
Greatest highlight so far at Ross? Before classes started I took a 10-day trip to Bali, Indonesia, with 15 peers during our MTrek (pre-orientation trip). While there, we visited temples, waterfalls, and I even snorkeled for the first time. The coral reefs I saw were absolutely breathtaking. If I told myself a year ago I was going to Bali, I likely would have called myself a liar. I am already selecting my next international opportunity through Ross to top that!
One thing about Ross that you didn’t expect before arriving? At Ross you hear so much about the culture, community, and experiential opportunities. However, it is also academically rigorous, and adjusting to the pace of school after being out for seven years was a bit challenging.
Thing you are most anxious about in your first year? “Winter is coming!” I have lived in the south my entire life. I spent the last seven years in Houston, where it never snowed. The thought of a true winter actually gives me a bit of anxiety.
Thing you are most excited about in your first year? Change and growth! We’ve only been in school for three weeks, but I have felt extremely challenged in a good way. The core classes have given me a new perspective on businesses, and as a newly selected member of the Social Venture Fund (SVF), I will spend the next year evaluating how for-profit enterprises balance the dynamics of profit and impact, specifically in the education sector to explore whether or not to invest. I look forward to the opportunity to invest real money to positively impact a business!
