Aleena Karamally

Dina Uzri is a Senior Scientist at Abreos Biosciences, a local assay development company which focuses on precision dosing and drug development. She earned a Ph.D. at Harvard University and a postdoc at Stanford University School of Medicine. When Uzri began searching for an MBA program, she knew exactly what she wanted, but wasn’t quite sure where to find it.

“In addition to picking a business school that fit my educational needs and was compatible with my busy work schedule, I wanted to go somewhere that emphasized innovation and entrepreneurship in science and technology. It was also very important that the school have faculty who are top-notch both in their research and in the classroom. Finally, I wanted to be surrounded by talented, inspiring, and driven students from diverse backgrounds who would provide me with new ideas and perspectives,” said Uzri.

Uzri was one of many Rady School students who benefitted from a student referral. Uzri was first referred to the FlexEvening program by a student at the time, Shu Tu Boles. Boles had a similar educational and professional background.

When Uzri found the Rady School, conveniently located in the heart of the biotech industry in La Jolla, California, she was surprised by how well the program fit all of her needs. Uzri did, however, have qualms about how well she would be able to balance work, school and family life.

“It was very encouraging to see that [Boles] successfully balanced school with work and other activities, and I was also impressed by her enthusiasm for the FlexEvening program and how much she had learned in her first year,” said Uzri. “This conversation definitely gave me the last bit of convincing I needed to apply.”

Although Uzri is only in her first year at the Rady School, she has already begun to develop a valuable network of connections with other students, professors and mentors. Not only does she cite her classmates as a strong support system, she also recognizes their value as professional connections who will be important in identifying future business opportunities.

Overall, Uzri is thankful for her referral to the Rady School, and excited for the future of her MBA journey.

“The dynamic and innovative culture of the Rady School definitely sets it apart from other older schools that are less nimble in the face of today’s challenges and needs. The Rady School embraces change, openness, agility, and creativity, and, importantly, it instills in its students the goal of making meaningful and long-lasting contributions no matter where we go.”

Aleena Karamally is a student writer for the Rady School and a sophomore at UC San Diego. She is a Human Development major and a member of the UC San Diego Equestrian Team.

Rady School alum Lt. Commander RoDeece Dean (MBA ’13), who currently serves as Deputy Director of Strategy and Future Requirements at  Naval District  Washington and as a Military Social  Aide to the President, spoke with current MBA students about how his Rady School MBA impacted his life and career post-graduation at a professional seminar.

Dean graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor’s in Computer Science in 2001, after which he began his career in the military. Dean chose to pursue an MBA at the Rady School because of the quality and reputation of the Rady School, and because of its location in Southern California. After graduation, Dean moved to Washington, D.C. Although Dean is now very successful in his career, he explained that success did not come easily. After being rejected from his dream jobs on three separate occasions, Dean says he used skills he learned at the Rady School to persevere.

“One of the things I learned while I was at the Rady School was from the Israel Immersion Class that I took,” says Dean. “One of the valuable lessons that I learned from that experience was that failure does not carry the same stigma in Israel as it does in the United States. Learning how to fail and how to transition from failure was a very important lesson that I got from my time at the Rady School.”

Dean also cites his Professional Communication course at the Rady School as a major influence on his career. As a Military Social Aide, Dean assists the President and First Lady at White House functions, and interacts with guests including celebrities, professional athletes and foreign diplomats. The communication skills Dean gained at the Rady School were instrumental in helping him not only secure the job, but also carry out his responsibilities.

In addition to his extensive military career, Dean directly applied the practical business knowledge he learned at the Rady School to start his own small business. The business has been running for two years and is already successful and profitable.

Since moving to D.C., Dean and other local alums have established an informal alumni network. The alums participate in Rady School recruitment events in the area, as well as host networking events.

Ultimately, Dean attributes much of his success to both the practical knowledge and the versatile skills he learned at the Rady School. He encourages current MBA students to take risks and to learn from their failures.

“Every person who has ever done anything of value has failed at something at some point along the way,” says Dean. “That’s okay, but if you leave yourself down you won’t be able to achieve whatever it is that you want to achieve. So embrace failure, learn from it and move on to success.”

Aleena Karamally is a student writer for the Rady School and a sophomore at UC San Diego. She is a Human Development major and a member of the UC San Diego Equestrian Team.

In an increasingly-globalizing economy international experience is becoming more and more important for emerging entrepreneurs. Almost all MBA graduates will either work in a foreign country or with a foreign business at some point in their careers. The Rady School of Management offers a variety of travel and study abroad experiences, which help students develop a broad perspective, build connections, gain experience and learn about foreign cultures and their business practices.

Study and travel abroad options for students of the Rady School include class trips or immersion programs during spring or winter breaks, various student clubs, independent student-organized group trips and exchange programs with other universities or business schools.

Immersion Programs and Class Trips

Each year, the US-Israel Center of Innovation and Economic Sustainability (USIC) at the Rady School sponsors an immersion program led by Professor Uri Gneezy. The program includes four class meetings on the Rady School campus during the fall quarter, and a ten-day trip to Israel in December. All expenses, excluding airfare, are paid for by USIC. Students visit numerous companies and, in previous years, have met with people such as mayors of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and successful entrepreneurs from Israel. In addition, a portion of the trip is devoted to cultural exposure. Students go on hikes, visit historical sites and experience authentic food from the region.

“Being exposed to other ways of building and running a company is important,” says Gneezy. “In addition, our goal is to launch entrepreneurial relationships between Rady School students and Israeli ones: Networking plays an important role in many of the success stories.”

Professor Jun Liu leads a similar finance-oriented course during the spring quarter. Students travel to China over winter break and network with companies and business leaders while learning about the expanding entrepreneurial market in China.

Student-Organized Trips

Another way for students to gain international experience is through club trips. In the past, clubs such as the International Business Club and the Asian Business Club have organized trips to countries such as China, India, Brazil and Mexico. These trips are often more laid-back rather than academically-focused, and serve as an opportunity for students to observe foreign business practices and network with companies.

In addition, students, especially in the FlexWeekend and FlexEvening programs, have organized independent international trips to visit foreign businesses. Often, these students are introduced to companies through faculty and staff at the Rady School, who work with their foreign connections to facilitate company visits and networking.

Foreign Exchange Programs

Lastly, students of the Rady School have the opportunity to participate in exchange programs with foreign universities or business schools. These trips are organized on a case-by-case basis. If students wish to participate in a foreign exchange program, they are encouraged to speak with an academic advisor six to nine months prior to when they hope to travel to discuss current opportunities.

“International experience offers students a wider global perspective and a chance to see how business and networking are done in foreign countries,” said Laurel Nelson, Director of Graduate Student Services at the Rady School. “Students are able to pick up the nuances that are not easily conveyed in a class setting.”

Want to learn more about the Rady School’s MBA experience at UC San Diego? Download our eBook featuring student and alumni insights on why they chose Rady, where Rady alumni work, the top benefits for Rady students and more.

Aleena Karamally is a student writer for the Rady School and a freshman at UC San Diego. She is a Human Development major and a member of the UC San Diego Equestrian Team.

The Rady Veterans’ Association (RVA) hosted its first annual Leadership Challenge at the San Diego Paintball Park on Friday, April 10. The event, which was open to all students, staff, alumni and faculty of the Rady School, involved seven different paintball games, lunch, networking and leadership education.

“We wanted to challenge Rady students to get out of their comfort zones and provide immediate feedback to the leaders and players for their decisions in strategy and actions,” said RVA member Vance Lopez. “[The event] required players to embrace fear while working together to accomplish a shared goal or vision. Once people realized what they were capable of in the arena, their decision-making tempo, process and teamwork improved.”

During the event, RVA members focused on four core military leadership principles that are easily applicable to the business world: leading by example, clear and concise communication, the importance of team cohesion, and utilizing the OODA (observe, orient, decide, act) loop process as a strategic element. Players were introduced to the principles in mission briefings before and after the games. They also participated in discussions of their experiences and implementations of the leadership principles.

The event was sponsored by Waddell & Reed, an asset management and financial planning firm in San Diego. The sponsorship allowed RVA to provide lunch and purchase extra paintballs for extended play at the event. In addition, students were able to network and interact with representatives from the firm.

Ultimately, the paintball games gave students the opportunity to network and bond with each other in a unique, fun way and encouraged team building in a relatively high-intensity yet risk-free environment.

In the future, RVA hopes to expand the event, adding elements such as a leadership award, corporate recruiters and an influential guest speaker who is both a veteran and a leader in the business community.

“The hope is that each person learned a little something about his or herself at the extent to which they can push their mental and physical capabilities to achieve greater potential. Our hope is that in their future endeavors, they consider the four leadership principles we addressed to improve their decision-making, teams and companies,” said Lopez.

RVA will continue to host similar events, including the annual Fall BBQ, beginning in the next academic year. Through these events, RVA aims to share military experiences and values with classmates in the hopes of developing strong and ethical business leaders.

Small class sizes, individualized career development and a curriculum focused on real-life business solutions at the Rady School provide a personalized MBA experience to help current and former military leaders choose the right career path or provide a competitive edge for top military positions. Download our MBA eBook for insights from current students and alumni on their professional background, why they chose Rady, the top industries alumni secure jobs in and more.

Aleena Karamally is a student writer for the Rady School and a freshman at UC San Diego. She is a Human Development major and a member of the UC San Diego Equestrian Team.

At the Rady School of Management’s StartR Demo Day, StartR’s Fall 2014 teams had the opportunity to present their startups to investors, industry leaders and the Rady School community.

StartR is a six-month program designed to help Rady MBA students and alumni create profitable companies based on their innovative ideas. Teams are mentored by experienced entrepreneurs, and focus on hands-on company development. The StartR program was founded in 2013 after a request from students to Dean Sullivan for an accelerator program on campus. In the last three years, eighty percent of StartR teams have been incorporated.

The participating teams included Aira.IO, CB Therapeutics, ServicePair, Genrix (previously Insilico Scientific) and Hydroceuticals. One third of these teams have received angel funding, and two teams have hosted very successful Kickstarter campaigns.

Aira.IO was founded by Rady alum Suman Kanuganti (’14). Aira.IO seeks to help blind or low vision individuals gain independence by pairing them with remote agents who receive a live feed of data using GPS and cameras. Agents help users navigate their surroundings by detecting barriers and judging the distance to a desired point, as well as identifying objects and people in a room.

CB Therapeutics, presented by Rady student Sher Butt (’16), uses biosynthesis to extract rare cannabinoids in a more economical and efficient process than current methods. The cannabinoids can then be used for multiple purposes, and marketed to drug companies and consumers alike.

ServicePair was presented by Rady alum Dutch de Rijke (’07). ServicePair is a unique mobile app designed to connect licensed contractors with construction professionals. The app eliminates friction in the marketplace by cutting out the middle man and providing a cost-effective platform which includes proof of credentials, reviews and user location.

Rady alum Andrew LeBlanc’s (’15) Genrix, strays from the pharmaceutical industry’s “one-size-fits-all” approach to prescriptions by introducing biomarkers in to the diagnostic process. The company has identified and patented 171 biomarkers which can be leveraged to increase drug efficacy, and therefore increase patient satisfaction.

Hydroceuticals, founded by Rady student Rajdeep Sidhu (’15), is a beverage company which creates vitamin-enhanced water specifically designed as a supplement for individuals with chronic disease states, such as diabetes or heart disease. The beverage is the first of its kind to reach the market. It eliminates the need to remember another pill while providing a healthy option for individuals with chronic diseases.

StartR is currently accepting applications for the spring term. More information can be found on the StartR website.

Want to learn more about the Rady School of Management’s innovative and entrepreneurship-focused MBA program? Download our eBook featuring student and alumni insights on why they chose Rady, where Rady alumni work, the top benefits for Rady students and more.

Aleena Karamally is a student writer for the Rady School and a freshman at UC San Diego. She is a Human Development major and a member of the UC San Diego Equestrian Team.

Lieutenant Commander Christopher W. Petro has served in the US Navy since 1993. Seeking a wider range of skills, critical thinking and experience to enhance his leadership ability in the military, he applied for the Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) MBA program. Lieutenant Commander Petro was accepted into the program in 2006 as part of his shore duty and completed his Rady School MBA in 2008. Since then, Lieutenant Commander Petro has served as an executive officer on the USS Gladiator and USS Champion and is now currently serving as a commanding officer on the USS Champion. Lieutenant Commander Petro reflects below on why the Rady School was the right fit for him and how he leveraged his Rady MBA to advance his career within the military.

Out of the eight schools in the Navy’s SWO MBA Program, why did you select the Rady School for your MBA? 

Apart from the desirable location, I had confidence that the quality of education would be high based on the history of both the reputation of the UC school system and Ernest Rady. The Rady School’s classes were relatively small in comparison to other schools, and Rady’s faculty and staff seemed top-notch. With high-caliber educators and small class sizes, I believed I would receive a more personalized and deeper learning experience than I would elsewhere.

How did Rady contribute to your military advancement? 

My Rady experience made me a better leader, a better person and was ideal for my professional development. I have been on active duty for almost 22 years now. I spend just about all of my time surrounded by like-minded military personnel. While we are a diverse bunch, we have the tendency to think and act quite a bit alike. Rady was my first opportunity as an officer to interact with civilian/business professionals for an extended period of time. The personal interaction both in and outside the classroom with such a diverse group really opened my eyes to the different perspectives people bring to the table. This has improved my ability to respond to the differences in those I interact with in the military.

What was your most memorable Rady experience? 

For me, it is always about the people. They make or break every duty assignment. The faculty and staff at Rady were genuinely invested in each and every student’s success. My peers made my Rady experience even greater. Everyone looked out for each other and everyone was willing and able to assist their fellow classmates. Students were encouraged to form their own groups and clubs based on their professional and personal interests. This provided a great opportunity for us to share new ideas and experiences.

What skills from your Rady MBA do you use for your new command? 

Currently, I am charged with mission accomplishment coupled with the continued improvement in mission readiness of the ship and crew. My command is subject to every sort of manning, training, logistic and material issue you can imagine. I use a piece of just about everything I was exposed to at Rady, especially as the Commanding Officer of a ship. Each and every day provides a new challenge and a new leadership opportunity.

What are the greatest benefits your combined military and Rady MBA skills bring to the Navy? 

My Rady MBA enables me to apply critical thinking to military operations. My combined skills give me the ability to take a complex problem, identify the desired end state and the variables that impact that state, make sound decisions based on limited knowledge in a time-restricted environment, and then utilize various feedback mechanisms to measure the success and ultimately achieve the desire goal.

Want to learn more about Rady’s MBA for military? Find out how Rady can help you transition from the military or advance your military career by downloading our MBA Insights eBook.

Aleena Karamally is a student writer for the Rady School and a freshman at UC San Diego. She is a Human Development major and a member of the UC San Diego Equestrian Team.