Camille Bryant, ASU Carey MBA Class of 2023
Age: 27
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Undergraduate Institution and Major: California State University, Long Beach with a B.A. in Communication Studies and a minor in Finance.
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): 4 years
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
These past 18 months have been unpredictable and unexpected to say the least. Last year in March 2020 I was evacuated from my business advisory role in Senegal, West Africa and sent back home to Northern California due to the spread of COVID-19. Shortly after arriving home, I entered a temporary job in emergency management services while looking for long-term careers. It became quickly apparent that a pivot in my career was necessary in order to keep my job skills relevant in a changing economy- so I went back to school.
Why did you choose ASU? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?Arizona State University really caters to its students on a one-on-one level. At W.P. Carey School of Business, we pride ourselves on saying “Business is personal” and that is how it has felt ever since I had my first interview with admissions. They really emphasized on getting to know me on an individual level, and tailoring the resources I needed to be successful in this program based off of that.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2023?
I definitely want to help my colleagues be able to always account for proper representation, diversity and inclusion and open-mindedness while at W.P. Carey and in our professional working environments. As a woman with international and domestic business expertise, I hope to be able to share my story and experiences to enhance my peers’ knowledge of other backgrounds they may not be familiar with.
Tell us a fun fact that didn’t get included on your application:
Hmmmm…well I’ve solo backpacked through more than 20 countries around the world and somehow have managed to learn the basic greetings in each one.
Post-MBA career interests:
I am definitely interested in getting back outside of the United States! I would love to return to West Africa and engage in some business ventures out there or maybe enter a market in a part of the world that I’m not too familiar with, such as Asia. I am really big on wellness, fitness and social action too so working for a company that promotes and stands for a similar message would be ideal.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
– What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
JUST BE MYSELF. The best part about the application process was the interview with the admissions team. They asked questions that were very behavioral and mindset focused which afforded me the opportunity to show them exactly what type of person I am. To get accepted to this program because I was able to show my authentic self was really exciting and validating that I am in the right place.
– What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I definitely would have applied and accepted early. Once I officially made the decision to join the class of 2023, it was already the end of June and therefore I basically had one month to figure out where to live, complete pre-coursework, and everything else that comes with relocating and going back to school. If you’re even the least bit interested in applying, do it NOW.
– What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
Honestly, since joining the program, most of the application process is a blur. I can’t recall anything that I would have wanted to ‘skip’ per se, the whole process was pretty straightforward.
What is your initial impression of the (school’s) students/culture/community?
My initial impression is that the faculty, staff, students, and the whole W.P. Carey community wants to see you succeed and do well. This isn’t a higher education level program where it’s a competition and everyone is out for themselves; it’s the exact opposite where people are always willing to help you. I immediately realized that no matter how much adversity I will encounter over the next two years, this community will be here to help me through it.
What is one thing you have learned about (school) that has surprised you?
One of the last things that I looked up about ASU was their mascot. Needless to say when I came here and saw Sparky, the SunDevil, it completely caught me off guard. My last college also didn’t have a hand symbol to represent our school spirit so learning the ‘Forks Up’ body signage was an experience in itself.
Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your personal application or admissions process in any way? If so, how?Similar to what I had mentioned earlier, the COVID-19 pandemic helped me recognize that a change was needed in my current career path. It made me take the necessary steps towards applying for business school in the first place.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
I am most anxious about finding an internship that resonates well with my personality, interests and skills. One primary reason I came back to school was to develop and improve upon my hard skills set. Therefore I hope that I may secure an internship where I can put the more technical skills that I have been learning to use.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
To get back into a learning environment, being around other young, motivated scholars is really revitalizing and I am excited to see where all these amazing people go off to after these two years!
