Edmund L. Houston Foundation
Alumni & friends of Rutgers Business School's MBA Program
My first year at Rutgers Business School has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. Coming back to school after time away from the classroom was a major adjustment for me, especially while balancing becoming a husband in September, career goals, health, and everyday responsibilities. During my first semester, I put a lot of pressure on myself to do everything at a high level all at once, and I quickly realized that constantly stressing myself out was not helping me learn or grow.
That realization really changed my second semester. I became more intentional with my routine, more realistic with my expectations, and more focused on consistency instead of trying to be perfect every day. I learned that I perform best when I am balanced and fully present, not when I am overwhelmed. As a result, I was able to improve academically, successfully lead the MBA consulting club as the President, finishing the semester with a 3.60 GPA, while also enjoying the experience much more overall.
One of the highlights of my first year was participating in Rutgers’ Global Experience course in Singapore and Vietnam. Visiting companies like Google, KPMG and VNG gave me exposure to different business environments and helped expand the way I think about technology, leadership, and global business. This summer, I will also be joining a leading cybersecurity company as a Sales Intern, which is an exciting step toward my long term goal of building a career in technology sales and marketing.
More than anything, this year reminded me how important community and support are. I would not be where I am today without people who took the time to guide me, believe in me, and encourage me along the way. I am very grateful to the Edmund L. Houston Foundation and its donors for investing in students like me and helping make opportunities like mine possible. See my bio here.
Journaling his first year at RBS by our Edmund L Houston Foundation Grantee - Diquan Jackson
First Year Reflection: Edmund L Houston Foundation Grantee - Erin Telesford
During my first year in the MBA program at Rutgers Business School, I focused on building the academic, leadership, and professional experience needed to pursue a career in product management and technology. I originally planned to specialize only in Analytics and Information Management because I wanted to strengthen my ability to use data to understand problems, improve processes, and guide business decisions. However, I came to recognize that supply chain management plays an essential role in nearly every industry, which led me to add it as a second concentration. Throughout the year, I maintained a GPA above 3.5 while managing my coursework, extracurricular involvement, and professional opportunities.
I also became President of the Black and Hispanic MBA Association. One of my main goals in this position was to create more opportunities for MBA students to connect with people outside of their usual classes and organizations. I worked with the leaders of three other MBA clubs to organize our first joint MBA club mixer, bringing together students from different programs and backgrounds. Planning the event taught me a great deal about coordinating across teams, communicating with different stakeholders, and turning an idea into an experience that students could benefit from.
Outside of the classroom, I completed externships with Amazon and News Corp. Both opportunities gave me the chance to work on real business problems and apply skills related to research, data analysis, consumer behavior, operations, and product strategy. They also helped me better understand the types of projects I enjoy and confirmed my interest in working with technology and business strategy.
Another important part of my first year was traveling to Vietnam and Singapore through Rutgers’ Global Experience course. During the trip, I visited companies such as Google Singapore and VNG and learned how businesses approach innovation, international expansion, and competition across different markets. Being able to study these topics in the countries where the companies operate made the lessons much more meaningful and expanded the way I think about global business.
Over the summer, I used what I had learned about analytics and supply chain management to begin developing my own business. This process required me to research customer needs, evaluate costs, identify suppliers, plan operations, and make decisions based on limited resources. It gave me the opportunity to apply lessons from my MBA program to a real venture while learning firsthand what it takes to turn an idea into a business.
My first year encouraged me to continue developing skills while exploring both product management and entrepreneurship. In the future, I hope to use what I have learned to create products and business solutions that solve meaningful problems. I am grateful to the Edmund L. Houston Foundation for supporting my education and helping make these academic, leadership, and professional experiences possible. (See my bio)