Thanksgiving break allows Ohio State University students to take a break from the stresses of college life and enjoy time with friends and family. At Ohio State, we get the Wednesday through Friday of Thanksgiving week off. I was very excited to have the opportunity to go back to my hometown of Buffalo, New York for break.
Thanksgiving Hockey
After saying hi my family, I hit the ice! Hockey has always been a huge part of my life, and so having the opportunity to skate around for a couple hours and play the sport I love felt great. Hockey is a very popular sport in Buffalo, while it is just starting to grow in popularity in Columbus. I participate in intramural hockey at Ohio State, which I find to be a great way to exercise after classes.
My view for the Sabres game
After playing hockey, I decided to go watch an NHL game! My hometown team is the Buffalo Sabres, and they won their seventh straight game when I was there! Columbus has an NHL team called the Blue Jackets, which is popular around campus. The Blue Jackets offer discounted tickets to students, and I go to their games occasionally too!
Catching up with long time friends
I caught up with some friends from Buffalo, ate a massive Thanksgiving dinner, and then went back to Columbus for “The Game,” which refers to the Ohio State vs. Michigan football game, which happens every year on the day after Thanksgiving. Our two schools are well known to be the biggest rivals in all of sports. This game was especially important because the loser would essentially be knocked out of the college football playoff race. Ohio State won 62- 39 and everyone stormed the field to celebrate during the final seconds.
Beating Michigan!
As I have said before, school spirit runs high at Ohio State. Students here are proud to be Buckeyes both inside and outside of the classroom! Thanks for reading and as always, please let me know if you have any questions!
To enjoy the good weather while it lasts, my friend Ben and I visited the village Yellow Springs last weekend. We first went to Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve, where pets were not allowed, and then turned to John Bryan State Park to make it up to Coke the Husky.
Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve was located in a quiet small town with little sign of human habitation. The pity was that almost all trees there had already shed their leaves (if only we had come earlier!). Nonetheless, I enjoyed the serenity there.
Naked for winterInto the woods
John Bryan State Park warmly welcomed Coke with a red-and-yellow carpet of autumn leaves. I want to say that we took Coke for a nice stroll, but it was actually the other way around since he was super excited about nature and kept pulling on the leash, so we were basically dragged in whichever direction he decided to take. But it was OK because he’s cute!
Along the way, Ben picked Coke up in his arms so I could take a close-up. Coke, who is two years old, apparently thought he was already too old for this and gave us an awkward look (OK we get it, you’re a big boy now), which was still SO CUTE in my eyes LOL.
“Dad NO it’s embarrassing REALLY”
After our trip, we treated ourselves to some hot food at Jiu Thai Asian Cafe. Yummy! : )
Northwest Chinese food
At last, just a photo of banana, nuts and Greek yogurt I recently made slipped in (Ohh and it might snow next week. Literally can’t wait).
School spirit runs high at Ohio State, especially during football season. On September 28, my friends and I made the trek to State College, PA, to watch our undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes play Penn State. We sat in the Ohio State student section and cheered as loudly as we could as Ohio State fans were vastly outnumbered in the stadium. Penn State set an attendance record with 110,800 people, and of those only about 5,000 were dawning the scarlet and gray.
This was one of the most stressful athletic events I have ever watched in my
Cheering on the Buckeyes
life. This game, between #4 Ohio State and #9 Penn State, had massive implications on who would advance to the college football playoff in December. I have always wanted to experience a National Championship at some point during my Ohio State career, so this was a crucial game to win.
Ohio State was down 12 points with 8 minutes left, and scored 13 points to win the game in what became the highest rated college football game of the year. Chants of “OH-“ followed by “-IO” rang throughout Beaver Stadium just before we celebrated our win by singing “Carmen Ohio” with the players. Hanging out with Ohio State students and alumni before, during, and after the game showed me how passionate Buckeyes are about our school.
This game was a memory I’ll never forget. I am glad to have the opportunity to go to a school with such a plethora of athletic, academic, and social activities!
In early September, I flew out to Redmond, Washington for a final round interview with Microsoft for a finance position. Even though I am in the Master of Accounting Program, I decided to explore other career paths besides public accounting when deciding where I wanted to apply.
When I first stepped foot on the Microsoft campus, I was instantly reminded of Ohio State. The campus is very green and large yet easy to navigate. People were outside running and enjoying their time on the basketball, soccer, and volleyball courts that are scattered throughout the Microsoft campus. Microsoft also has a bus service that takes employees around campus, similar to Ohio State’s CABS system. I enjoyed being able to see technology of the past, present, and future at Microsoft’s Visitor Center.
Microsoft’s Campus in Redmond, Washington
After walking around campus to get the nerves out, I went into my “Super Day” where I had lunch, four interviews, and dinner with Microsoft finance professionals. I had an awesome experience talking with employees from the company and decided to accept a full time position with them the following week.
No visit to Seattle would have been complete without visiting the Space
My view from the Space Needle in Seattle
Needle! I was stunned by the amazing views from the top deck of the 605 foot tower. There is also a deck a level below that has a rotating see-through glass floor. Having never been to the Pacific Northwest, I was amazed at how beautiful the natural environment was.
Signing my name on my offer of employment was a huge stress reliever. After having interviewed with dozens of companies throughout my college career, my best advice to someone in the job hunt is to just be yourself! By landing an interview, you have already demonstrated to employers that you have the background of someone who is a potential fit for their company. Now, it is time to make sure you are a cultural fit for them and they are a cultural fit for you! Most people do not realize that interviews are meant to find a mutual fit. It is important to do your research and have a strong list of questions prepared to learn more about employees at the company you are evaluating.
A fun fact about the MAcc program is that all students receive a career consultant to work with as we are searching for jobs. I utilized mine to help with evaluating and negotiating my various offers. There are so many different career paths that you can take after the MAcc and I am glad Ohio State provides us with the resources to figure out which path is best for us.
Fisher MBA students often talk about GAP. What exactly is GAP and why is it such a focal point of our program?
Global Applied Projects (GAP) is an opportunity for MBA students to gain international consulting experience by working on a business challenge in a global location (non-US). It is a three-credit, graded, elective course that allows students to lead, plan, and execute global consulting engagements across multiple functional areas for a wide variety of corporations, not-for-profits, and governments in locations outside of the US. A typical GAP project timeline looks like this:
January: Project client and Office of Global Business work to define the business problem and formulate a high-level scope.
Late February: Student participation begins with the section of MBA team members chosen to meet the needs of the project.
Next 10 weeks: Team is directed by a second-year MBA team coach and a faculty functional expert. Students attend weekly classes that teach best practices in project management and global consulting, and develop cultural awareness. They also meet regularly with teams, advisors, coaches, and clients, and submit class assignments that support the development and execution of the projects.
May: Three-week, in-country, primary research phase with a presentation of findings, an in-depth analysis, and specific, actionable recommendations to the client.
As a second-year MBA student, I would love to share with you my most recent GAP experience, where I had the opportunity to work with Technical Rubber Company, based in Johnstown, OH, as well as Salvadori, based in Rovereto, Italy.
Client: Technical Rubber Company
Team members: Luke Barousse, Abhishek Chakrabarti, Adam Kanter, Andris Koh, Vaibhav Meharwade, Carl Shapiro, Sangyoun Shin, Kristen Stubbs
Cities/Countries we visited: Rovereto, Italy, and Munich, Germany
Activities: Visited TRC’s corporate headquarters, Salvadori’s headquarters, as well as attended the World’s Leading Trade Fair for Water, Sewage, Waste and Raw Materials Management.
At the World’s Leading Trade Fair for Water, Sewage, Waste and Raw Materials ManagementWorld’s Largest Tire at Salvadori’s Headquarters
Project Title: Rubber Molded Products Business Plan
Objective: To define a pathway for TRC to forward integrate from the equipment business to manufacturing and selling products made from recycled rubber.
Submitted Deliverables: A 100-page business plan that contained our industry analysis, strategic recommendations, as well as financial, operational, and marketing plans. We also delivered a final presentation to TRC’s and Salvadori’s executives.
What were some takeaways from this GAP experience?
1. Even though I had no experience in the manufacturing or recycled rubber industry, I was extremely fascinated by it. By keeping an open mind, as well as the willingness to learn, changed my perspective of recycled rubber and the manufacturing industry.
An espresso vending machine
2. Italians absolutely love good food, wine, and espresso.
Best pasta ever had
3. Working in a team of eight within close parameters is not easy. There were many memorable moments, but there were also moments of tension. It is important to talk through these issues, instead of letting emotions breed over time.
4. Take some down time for yourself. I decided to stroll along the river one evening in Rovereto, where I enjoyed the perfect sunset with a glass of wine.
Rovereto, Italy
5. Communication is key. One of our team members was unable to travel internationally, so we had to find a way to deal with different time zones, interact and engage with our teammate, as well as communicate in a way that made him feel as part of the team even though we were not physically together.
6. Take time on the weekends to explore nearby cities, take a break from work, and enjoy the beautiful scenery. I visited Rome, Venice, and spent the last weekend in Munich visiting the Neuschwanstein castle.
RomeVeniceMunich
7. Rely on each other’s strengths to get things done efficiently. For example, when we were working on the business plan, we had Carl work on designing our logos, Sangyoun/myself on market research, Adam/Abhi on financials, Luke/Vaibhav on technical viability, and Kristen in putting things together. We each had our own strengths and we used them to maximize our output.
8. Having the opportunity to work as a consultant for a global client is something really unique and special. I know that having these relationships with clients and colleagues will carry into the future as I embark on more global projects in my career.
Original HofbrauhausOur Team!Pork knuckle, anyone?
When I was applying for grad school to Ohio State,I often wondered what the transportation system in Columbus would be like. This was a big concern for me because I had become accustomed to living on campus at Fairmont State University in West Virginia were I was studying. Also, I did not, and still do not yet own a car, so I had questions about how I would travel from my place of residence to campus once I started school at OSU.
Likewise, you might be wondering whether you’ll need a car once you start living in Columbus or, if you live in another state, whether you’ll need to drive your car here so you can use it. If that is the case, worry not, dear reader, COTA (Central Ohio Transit Authority) and CABS (Campus Area Bus Service) have you covered.
To be frank, our campus is huge. Walking from one end of campus to the other can be time consuming and tiring. This is were CABS comes in. This service is available to OSU students for trips within the Columbus campus area. There are bus stops at almost every corner of the Columbus campus area and there is an app that provides students with real time bus tracking to figure out bus routes and arrival or departure times. This makes getting around campus super convenient and hassle free.
Riding the CABS bus.CABS real-time bus tracking app
COTA, the central Ohio public transit, is the transportation system I use the most. I live in University Village (UV), an apartment complex that’s about two miles away from Fisher, and although UV has a shuttle that runs to and from campus, I often use COTA because the COTA bus gets to campus quicker and there are COTA buses that run as late as 12:10 a.m. Like CABS, COTA also has a real time bus tracking app which makes it super easy to plan a trip. Just remember to carry your BuckID as this will be the means of payment, otherwise most trips cost roughly $2.
For those of you who may be looking to live further away from campus, COTA is a reliable means of commuting because bus routes are extensive and cover a pretty wide area of central Columbus. With that said, I can safely say you shouldn’t feel tied to accommodation options that are close to campus because there is a good public transport system for you to use if you decide to live, let’s say 6 miles away from campus. In your evaluation of apartments and neighborhoods, I encourage you to visit the COTA website to see if the COTA bus services the area in question. Even if you have a car, using the bus could save you some money on gas and paying for campus parking space.
Rolling out of bed after finals week at the end of our second semester in the MBA program, it was both exciting and nerve-racking to be packing for a three-week trip for Ethiopia and Kenya. After making it through final group projects and coursework, I kept wondering if I was truly prepared for our in-country portion of the GAP global consulting project. On May 4, 2018, most of the members of my GAP team met at the Columbus airport for our journey to Addis Ababa. We were headed to our client’s regional office that was recently opened at the end of 2017. Our client, GOHi, is an NGO based at The Ohio State University focused on education, research, training and outreach programs to build capacity toward a global One Health approach.
My amazing GAP team!
Before leaving for Ethiopia, our team of seven MBA students met with GOHi several times to work through project objectives and develop a plan of action during the in-country experience. We were working toward developing recommendations for their organization structure and a list of potential partners for GOHi to establish a sustainable presence in the region. The months leading up to the trip, we identified organizations with similar missions to connect with in-country and learn more about their strategy and operations on the ground. We prepared interview guides, developed spreadsheets, laughed late into the evenings in Gerlach Hall, made nicknames for ourselves and bonded over Graeter’s Ice Cream.
After all this time, May 4th finally came around, and we embarked on our journey. Our team spent the first week in Addis Ababa getting to know the GOHi team and beginning our interviews with similar organizations working in the region. We were able to walk to the office every morning from the hotel where we stayed, passing by the ongoing building construction and liveliness of the capital city. The GOHi staff was extremely welcoming and supportive, inviting us to learn about their daily activities, taking us to a traditional Ethiopian lunch and dinner where we tasted our first authentic injera and later experienced the traditional dance of eskista, and allowing us to observe project sites and learn more about the on-the-ground project work taking place.
We met with organizations like Amref Health Africa, PSI Ethiopia and the Ethiopian branch of the CDC. We learned about the importance of maintaining relationships with government entities to gain support for organization success, we identified potential partnership opportunities and recommendations for increased visibility and flexibility in organization structure.
Meeting with GOHi team and PSI Ethiopia
After our week in Addis Ababa, we traveled to Kenya to further our research with organizations based in Nairobi. There, we met with and learned from organizations like the International Livestock Research Institute, World Animal Protection and the University of Nairobi. Although most of our time was spent in meetings, we had time for a quick weekend safari to Maasai Mara as well!
After a week in Nairobi, we flew back to Addis to bring together our final report and presentation to the GOHi team. Throughout the entire project, we had established a strong group dynamic that enabled a strong final product for the client, one that they are still using today! Although a short trip, I found this to be an amazing experience, full of learning, the chance to build new relationships and the opportunity to consult for an organization working toward an important mission.
Beautiful sunrise on our last day in Addis!
A huge shout out here to my amazing Fisher MBA GAP team: Aziza Allen, Ariel Cooper, John Cox, Kaitlyn Kendall-Sperry and Obi Nnebedum
And to the GOHi staff and leadership team: Wondwossen Gebreyes, Emia Oppenheim, Ashley Bersani, Getnet Yimer, Kassahun Asmare, Tigist Endashaw, Tewodros Abebe and Joshua Amimo
Do you love to travel? Are you interested in a full cultural and business immersion during your time here at Fisher College of Business? If your answer is yes, then a graduate Global Business Expedition might be for you!
After a ski lesson in the Alps, Austria 2017
My absolute favorite memories from both high school and undergrad are from the study abroad opportunities I took advantage of. In high school, I took a two-week trip to Spain with my spanish class. Throughout Barcelona, Madrid, Granada, and Cordoba, we had the opportunity to have a hands-on experience with the culture and history! Then in undergrad, I spent the 2017 spring semester studying at WU (Vienna University of Business & Economics) in Vienna, Austria. During my semester abroad, I visited 11 countries and dozens of cities. While in Europe, I learned more about the world and myself through travel than anywhere else!
Flamenco dancing class, Madrid 2012
For this reason, I was so excited to find out that the Fisher College of Business provides opportunities for short study-abroad programs over spring break that count for class credits! The rich and diverse cultures across Europe left me craving future travel opportunities, and I am so excited to look into the different programs that I can apply to with my fellow grad-students here at Fisher. Right now, I have my eyes on the Israel: Innovation & Entrepreneurship trip. Here are the other neat trips taking place this year:
MBA student Rajat Gugnani reflects on creating a career trek to Washington state and the opportunity it provided to graduate students at Fisher to connect with industry leaders Amazon, Expedia, Microsoft and Starbucks.
With the academic year coming to an end and everyone finishing final presentations and papers for various courses, I look back and feel blessed to have spent a wonderful first year with some fantastic people at Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business. One of the things I feel passionate about is serving as an MBA Ambassador. It gives me a chance to speak with prospective candidates from across the world, show them our campus, and take them for coffee and lunch while sharing my perspective about our program and school.
I recently took the initiative to build a new “career trek” to Seattle. My motivation for creating a new career trek targeting tech companies came from innumerable phone calls I answered while working with the Admissions Office during my first semester at Fisher. Many students asked if we have established connections with organizations on the West Coast, and I always wanted to say “Yes!” This consequently led to the development of a formalized trek to Seattle.
As soon as I decided to undertake this initiative, I approached a current second-year student, Thais Batista Ronconi, who interned at Amazon and will be joining Amazon in a full time-role this year in Seattle. She was enthusiastic about the idea and was happy to mentor me throughout the development of the trek. We approached the process step by step and started reaching out to alumni and talent acquisition heads/recruiters at various organizations in Seattle. In the meantime, we gauged interest from current students and started working on the timing.
The response we received from students was massive — something that kept us going even after hearing “no” from some of the organizations. After working with companies for almost three months, we got our final “YES” list: Starbucks, Amazon, Microsoft and Expedia. Yes, the Big 4 in Seattle.
The timing worked out well with the organizations. We visited in mid-March during spring break with a group of 15 first- and second-year MBAs.
Seattle’s Ferris Wheel at Pier 57
Day 1 started at Starbucks! As soon as we entered Starbucks’ board room, we received a bag full of coffee and goodies for each of us. We started with a session from one of the executives on Sourcing and Global Operations and then learned more about how Starbucks is differentiating itself by investing in technology. We toured Starbucks HQ, which was one of a kind. Every wall illustrated the company timeline by connecting Starbucks’ different product releases with prominent historical events. Also of note: employees can contribute to the less fortunate by buying coffee at a special store inside the building. People from across all departments also meet weekly to discuss how they are impacting people’s lives. From its coffee-tasting space to roasteries, everything at Starbucks is distinct.
Starbucks’ first logo!At Starbucks’ HQ (top floor)
We commenced Day 2 at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington. The first activity took us to the visitor center, a place that has a neat display of everything Microsoft (it features all of Microsoft’s current and upcoming products). From Xbox to Surface book, and from HoloLens to Microsoft’s Age Detection API, we experienced everything.
We were introduced to some cool initiatives at Microsoft and learned how it is utilizing technology to make the world a better place to live. One of the projects that stood out was how Microsoft is helping to find missing children in China. After spending some great time with the recruiter, we met a panel of Ohio State alumni who answered our questions about “all things Microsoft.” Concluding our visit with lunch, it was overall a great day spent in sunny Seattle with our alumni members. Big shout-out to Rafael Williams, university recruiter at Microsoft!
Outside Microsoft’s Visitor Center
Expedia welcomed us with an overview of its organization and later gave a detailed description of its global network of brands. The best part of the visit was a Q&A with the recruiter, who answered more than 50 questions from us.
At Expedia Group’s headquarters in Bellevue, Seattle
Amazon came at last — marking a perfect ending to our Seattle trek. This organization never fails to surprise me — it has now surpassed Google as the best place to work in the United States, according to one survey. We started at Amazon’s “Day 1” building (they consider every day at work to be the first day creating an entrepreneurial start-up environment) with a panel discussion featuring the head of Product Management and a mix of people covering different areas at Amazon! Conversation with each of the panelists gave us more clarity on what Amazon is seeking from its future employees and how its current employees live those 14 leadership principles in their day-to-day work.
After touring the building, we went to the newly opened Amazon Spheres. These spheres serve as a “haven of carefully tended nature geared to letting Amazonians break free from their cubicles and think disruptive thoughts.”Going through each of its floors while experiencing more than 400 different species of cloud forest plants from all over the world was an exhilarating experience. It is definitely a “must-visit” for everyone visiting Seattle. Amazon will soon open the spheres to public.
Amazon Spheres (photo from https://www.instagram.com/seattlespheres/)Inside Seattle Spheres (I am at the extreme left in a white shirt ;))
It was absolutely a delight to take part in this once-in-a-lifetime event and to learn new things about all these organizations. I hope this new trek becomes a legacy at Fisher College of Business.
Organizers (From left to right: me, Rajat Gugnani, current first-year MBA; Thais Batista Ronconi, current second-year MBA, and Alexander Toomey, advisor at the Office of Career Management)
As I’ve blogged about before, one of the amazing things that Ohio State has to offer is the plethora of student organizations available for students to join. Each student organization is different, but the one that I am heavily involved in allows students to travel to exciting places for a low cost. During my spring break, I had the opportunity to join this organization, MUNDO, on a trip to the South. There, we visited Memphis, New Orleans and Birmingham.
In Memphis, we had the opportunity to stop at the National Civil Rights Museum, learn about civil rights history, and see the location where MLK shared his final moments. In addition, we learned about jazz history at the Memphis Rock ‘n ‘Soul Museum, and experienced it firsthand while walking around Beale Street at night.
The Lorraine Motel, sight of the National Civil Rights Museum
After spending two nights in Memphis, we made it to New Orleans. Of course, Bourbon Street is like no other, but let me tell you something: the beignets (a cross between a donut and funnel cake) exceeded any hype that surrounded Bourbon Street by ten times.
Even though New Orleans is known for its nightlife, we spent most of our days learning about its history and exploring town. We went on a number of tours that helped us explore civil rights in the south such as plantation tours, voodoo tours, ghost tours and museum visits. However, the one experience that I‘ll never forget is the swamp tour. For those of you who do not know me, nature and I do not get along. So, as you can guess, the swamp tour was definitely memorable. I will spare you the details, but all you people need to know is that I made good friends with a swamp boar named “Oreo.”
My sister and me posing in Jackson SquareBourbon Street at night
Following a few days in New Orleans, we spent a night in Birmingham where we further explored key movements in the civil rights movements, and we visited sites like the 16th Avenue Baptist Church and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
Overall, the spring trip to the south was very memorable. Not only did it greatly affect my learning and education, but I was able to form friendships which I will cherish as life carries on.
