Cheryl Jennings, Tepper Part-Time MSBA
Age: 45
Hometown: Austin, TX
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Computer Science, University of Texas at Austin
Pre-MSBA Work Experience: 20 years in software engineering with multiple companies including IBM, Indeed, and most recently as a Senior Software Engineering Manager at Twilio (for the past 2 years)
Expected Graduation Year: 2026
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
My recent work has been focused on leading teams of software engineers that develop customer facing products. To understand if we’re driving value for our customers and the business, we’ve been instrumenting product analytics tracking to measure how our changes impact customer usage across the product. I love having data to quantify the team’s impact and want to be able to lead efforts to expand our product analytics tracking and improve outcome analyses.
Why did you choose Carnegie Mellon Tepper? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I knew of Carnegie Mellon as a very prestigious Computer Science school from my days recruiting new college grads. Due to this reputation, CMU was one of the first schools I investigated for an analytics program. The curriculum of CMU’s PT MSBA aligned with what I wanted to accomplish after completing the program, and the virtual, part-time option meant that I’d be able to attend while still working and spending time with my family.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the class?
As an Engineering Manager, I have 10 years of experience leading teams to deliver projects. This has helped my teams in multiple classes come together, establish goals and ways of working, and deliver large projects with multiple people.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I love to make things! I love to sew, especially handbags and quilts. Creating patterns to build something from nothing is very rewarding and a great creative outlet.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
If I were applying again, I would absolutely apply for the GRE / GMAT exemption again. This saved me countless hours of preparing for these exams and allowed me to demonstrate my readiness for the program through my work history.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
If I were starting this program again, I would spend time before the program started to get familiar with the R programming language. I have experience with Python, but hadn’t worked yet with R, so there was a bit of a language learning curve in our first mini semester with the “Programming in R & Python” class.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
If I could have, I would have skipped the video essay portion of the application. I sometimes get nervous and talk too fast when doing this kind of presentation. To help complete this part of the application, I created a script and timed myself during practice runs. That planning and practice helped me produce a video essay that I was proud to include in my application.
–How has the program’s flexibility enabled you to pursue your personal and professional goals without compromising your work-life balance?
With just two 75-minute evening classes per week, I’m able to find times to study that work the best for me. I’m able to accomplish most of my reading and homework over the weekends, leaving my evenings free for those days when work runs late, or when I need to assist my child with their homework.
–How do you manage to balance the demands of the program with your professional responsibilities, and what strategies have worked best for you?
Before I started the program, I talked with my employer to align on expectations. I set expectations that there would be evenings when I would not be available after hours, and that I might take a Friday off every few weeks to prepare for finals. Getting approval for this plan before starting the program has helped alleviate some stress I would have felt about dedicating time during the week for my studies.
–How has the online format of the program allowed you to immediately apply what you’re learning to your current role and advance your career?
Since I’m able to continue working during this program, I’ve been able to apply concepts to my current role. I’ve learned how to effectively use Tableau and I’ve improved my SQL skills, both of which have come in handy in my current role. Courses in this program usually have pre-recorded content that students watch before class sessions, and I’ve been able to use those as a reference at my job if needed.
–Despite being in a remote program, how have you built meaningful connections with peers, faculty, or mentors, and how has this sense of community enriched your experience?
The PT MSBA program offers an on-campus “BaseCamp” experience the weekend before the first classes started. During that experience, we not only met faculty and learned more about the program but also had team-building activities for us to begin to get to know each other. I was able to build on the relationships I started there through shared WhatsApp messaging groups and ad-hoc sessions to work together on assignments. These relationships have made the program more enjoyable and provided a supportive community to get through tough classes and assignments.
I highly recommend that students attend these on-campus experiences to jump-start relationships with their cohort and faculty!
–What is one thing you have learned about Carnegie Mellon Tepper that has surprised you?
I was surprised to learn that students at the Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business are lovingly referred to as “Tepperonis.”
