Advancing

Elaine Kub (MBA ’07) was one of the few students who came to the Rady School of Management directly after earning her undergraduate degree in engineering.

“It was great to learn from classmates who had already been out in the real world, and at the same time to contribute a different kind of wide-eyed energy,” she said. “Our class had a good time harnessing the startup spirit for a multitude of new clubs and organizations. Ultimately, it was the math and analytical skills, refined in Rady’s finance and investment courses, which set me on my professional career trading and writing about the commodity markets.”

1. What impact has Rady had on your career progression?
   When I entered the program, I was fairly unsure about what direction I wanted my career to take, but my Rady connections opened my eyes to career opportunities I wouldn’t have otherwise known even existed. An idea and a connection will get you just so far, however. It was the knowledge and skillset learned in the classroom which truly made it happen. Without the classes and events at Rady, I would have had no idea there was so many opportunities for funding new business ideas, nor would I have known where to begin the formal process of starting a business.
2. Has your Rady MBA enabled you to change industries or functional areas or even achieve a promotion?
   I started with just an undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering and ended up with a career in the investment industry. That might have been possible without an MBA, but my years at Rady were definitely an inspiration.
3. What event or realization served as a ‘turning point’ for during your Rady School and/or professional career?
   After speaking at a conference, someone came up to me and asked for reading recommendations on the topic I was presenting (agricultural commodity prices). It occurred to me that there wasn’t really anything out there. Looking at it in the entrepreneurial mindset taught at Rady, that meant there was a market opportunity! I think having a well-rounded education from Rady gave me the confidence to step up and write my book, which fits well into that particular niche of market opportunity.
4. What is the most memorable moment from your Rady School experience?
   Early in the first year, we were individually captured on video, just speaking extemporaneously about ourselves. This was so we would have to watch it and truly see how we appeared to others. That was eye-opening. It really showed me the value of growing up and getting “polished” by business school before going out among others in the real world.
5. What is the best thing about being a Rady alumni?
   Always having a great reason to go back and visit beautiful San Diego!
6. Tell us a fun fact about you, or something people may not know about you.
   So far I’ve been to five of the seven continents. It’s just the long flight to Australia and the next leg to Antarctica which are holding me back!

Seyi Oshinowo (MBA ’14) is currently a Business Operations Specialist at Boeing supporting the company’s Security and Fire Protection team in the NW Region. His role entails project management, data analytics and process improvement/optimization of resources for the team’s firefighters and security officers.

Prior to joining Boeing, Oshinowo attended UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management MBA program, graduating in Spring 2014. While at Rady, he directed the Leading with Service Club, as well as the Sports Business Club. He also interned with the San Diego Padres during his last year in graduate school, which later turned into a full-time position.

1) What impact has Rady had on your career progression?

Rady has provided me with the tools to understand the ever-changing dynamic workforce. For example, analyzing data and reporting to executives is one of my job responsibilities at Boeing, and I had ample practice at Rady of feeling comfortable to express ideas and provide insight to those in leadership positions. In addition, Rady has allowed me to expand my network to people across the globe. It is refreshing to see my friends succeeding throughout the world and improving their respective careers after utilizing a Rady MBA to catapult their development.

2) Has your Rady MBA enabled you to change industries or functional areas or even achieve a promotion? 

Rady has definitely enabled an industry change in my career. For most of my life, I was primarily focused on sports management. I feel more versatile than ever before with a Rady MBA, because I am able to utilize knowledge and skill sets that are applicable to any industry. Transitioning from sports to aerospace and security/fire protection has been rewarding and eye-opening and it has broadened my horizons to a multitude of career opportunities.

3) What event or realization served as a ‘turning point’  during your time at the Rady School and/or professional career?

I was able to utilize my internship with the Padres to organize and lead an event at the Rady campus with team executives! Hosting the San Diego Padres CEO Mike Dee, CMO Wayne Partello, and former MLB pitcher Mark Prior at the Rady School was by far the biggest turning point in my graduate school career. Entitled “The Business of Baseball”, these three individuals (highly esteemed in the sports and business industry) were willing to share insights with students and staff about the intricacies of baseball. I am honored that they took time out of their schedules to engage with Rady about the business components of running an MLB franchise. I am not sure if this event has ever happened before at Rady, so etching a place in history is incredible. This gave me confidence to dream even bigger, and pursue goals that I previously believed to be unattainable (i.e. working at Boeing).

4) Tell us a fun fact about you, or something people may not know about you.

I studied abroad in South Africa during the 2010 FIFA World Cup! I researched the political, social, and economic impact of having a World Cup on African soil for the first time ever, and it was incredibe.

5) Why did you decide to come to the Rady School?

I would be remiss if I did not mention the location — San Diego is impeccable, and an incredible place to live. Outside of that, I liked the notion of small class sizes, and during prospective visits I was informed by Margie Frazee and JoAnn Starr that I had the opportunity to shape the legacy and create a tradition at Rady.

6) What was your favorite class and why?

Social venturing by Professor Ayelet Gneezy. She is one of the sharpest people I have ever met, and she challenged us to think outside the box when it came to organizations serving a bigger purpose than merely increasing profits.

7) What advice do you have for prospective students?

Two years go by QUICKLY, so embrace each moment that you have there! Integrate with the UC San Diego campus at large too, so you can expand your network and utilize the resources that are meant to help you.

8) What is the most memorable moment from your Rady School experience?

Initiating and hosting the Business of Baseball event with the San Diego Padres.

My Destination: ECG Management Consultants

My friends joke that my life decisions are based on where I find the best ocean views. They have a point—I’ve been spoiled for two years by the incredible views at the Rady School and am excited to be joining a firm with yet another killer ocean view post-MBA.

In July, I’ll begin my journey as a Senior Consultant at ECG Management Consultants, a leading healthcare management consulting firm that provides specialized consulting services in the areas of strategy, finance, technology, and operations. I’m excited to leverage my consulting background, my experience interning at a health system, and the broader business skillset I’ve developed at the Rady School to tackle problems ranging from improving an organization’s patient access processes to enhancing its ability to diagnose and treat cancer. I chose ECG for the fast-paced environment; the culture of learning and professional development; the community of hardworking, bright, and fun colleagues; and the ethos of working passionately to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

Although I haven’t officially started, I’ve already had a great time with ECG. The firm includes me in their Friday professional development seminars (plus lunch!) as well as various social activities—everything from opening week baseball games at Petco Park to bike rides to happy hours. I even recently ran into some colleagues at a conference!

Like many of the best things in life, this opportunity found me. I’m especially grateful to Terra Saltzman-Baker from Rady School Graduate Career Connections for flagging my resume in the resume book sent to ECG, April Papst from ECG for reaching out to me initially, and Dave Wofford and Mark Johnston (Rady Flex Evening ’15), also from ECG, for answering my early questions about the firm.

Looking Back: Why I am #RadyMade

I’m also thankful for the skills I honed at the Rady School that prepared me for my new role, as well as all of the memories I made along the way. There’s no doubt that the Rady School core classes, especially Professor Parsons’ Finance class, Professor Sprenger’s Strategy class, and Professor Shin’s Operations class, will help me do my job more effectively and efficiently. Elective courses such as Professor Pollock’s Economics of Healthcare Technologies class, which helped me pick up important industry-specific knowledge, and Professor Hansen’s Analytics in the Wild class, in which I led a team of students in analyzing data to inform decisions at Rady Children’s Hospital, gave me valuable practice applying my business knowledge in a healthcare setting.

Perhaps even more importantly, I’m grateful for the confidence, leadership skills, and friendships I gained at the Rady School. Memories like grabbing sushi with friends after class and making dumplings at Rady China Night will last a lifetime! Another highlight of my experience was being a team leader. I led the teams that won the Grand Prize at the BIOCOM Hackathon for Health, sold over 100 Thanksgiving pies to benefit people with cancer and AIDS, and put on the Rady[X] Technology & Analytics conference that brought together over 200 students and industry leaders. And to top it all off, last month, I travelled to Israel with a team of students to represent the USA in the semifinals of the Sofaer International Business Strategy Case Competition. We met teams from all over the world and experienced the rich history and culture of Israel (including, I might add, eating the best falafel I’ve ever had in my life)!

(Left-to-right: Grand Prize winning team at the 2016 BIOCOM Hackathon for Health; Rady Net Impact Club leaders selling pies for social impact; Rady Technology Club leaders hard at work prepping for the Rady[X] conference)

Looking ahead

As the sun sets on my time at Rady (excuse the cheesy line, it’s my excuse for sharing my favorite Rady sunset photo), I look forward to the future. I’m excited for what the next few years at ECG Management Consultants will bring and I’m thrilled to be staying in San Diego. To my Rady School family, thanks for an awesome two years!

Allison Noel (MBA ’16) is a graduate of the Rady School of Management and specializes in business analytics, strategy, and healthcare administration. In her spare time, she enjoys triathlons, beach volleyball and cooking with her husband.