Pursuing an MBA is a catalyst for personal and professional growth. Tell us how you have you grown in the past? How do you intend to grow at Kellogg?

Trusting a 24-year-old engineer to manage a sales territory is a big risk, especially when the customers are demanding surgeons and the competition is far more experienced. Despite these considerations, I was promoted early to a territory manager and tasked with growing a new medical device business.

After finding initial success, I learned that a key product was being divested due to product consolidation. This threatened my business with Dr. Smith, but I was confident that I could leverage our relationship to retain the business. I assured leadership not to worry and even projected sales growth for that product in my annual business plan. Dr. Smith tried a comparable product I offered, but ultimately went to a competitor who inherited the divested product because it was the best decision for his patients and practice.

I learned from this experience to never assume that past success is an indicator for future success. I began to expect adversity and use feedback to constantly improve my customer service. Overcoming this challenge caused me to become introspective with my relationships and career goals. The professional growth and maturity I developed early in my career allowed me to establish myself as a credible and reliable vendor, which led to retaining other at-risk customers and winning new business.

Now, I crave an opportunity to grow as a leader and become a product manager in the medical device industry. A Kellogg MBA will empower me to follow my passion of creating value for healthcare providers by delivering innovative products and solutions. Kellogg offers experiential and design-centric learning opportunities through the MMM program and a collaborative environment, which I enjoyed when I visited campus in the spring. From our tour guides to the participants in the Marketing Strategy class I audited, the students and staff were engaging and helpful.

The Healthcare Enterprise Management pathway feels tailor-made to my career aspirations. Classes such as Healthcare Strategy and Biomedical Marketing will provide me with industry-specific foundational knowledge and electives such as Medical Product Early Stage Commercialization will teach me the technical skills necessary for my career track. I will utilize the broader Northwestern network by partnering with an interdisciplinary team in NuVention: Medical Innovation and gain entrepreneurial experience taking a medical device concept to market.

Kellogg’s vast extracurricular offerings will help me grow personally and as a leader. I look forward to competing in case competitions with the Marketing Club and coordinating events with industry sponsors as a leader in the Healthcare Club. As an avid skier, I am excited about bonding with classmates at the annual ski trip. Kellogg is the best MBA program for me and I look forward to sharing my passion with the Kellogg community.