Sharron Zhu (ELMBA ’15) took inspiration from startups when deciding what to do with her career.
She was working at a venture capital firm at the time. Watching the success of her clients, she realized she needed to equip herself with the very tools they used to succeed in order to succeed herself. Though she already had a bachelor’s in International Relations, she decided to further her education through an MBA.
“In the competitive world of startups, I saw first-hand how companies that were able to thrive were also the ones that employ novel technologies, streamline efficiencies, and use data analytics,” says Sharron. She sought an MBA program that offered an education in all of these skills.
Choosing Bentley for a Well-Rounded MBA
Sharron chose Bentley University’s Emerging Leaders MBA, a two-year, full-time program designed for young professionals to fast-track their career.
The well-rounded curriculum taught Sharron the skills she had admired in the startups with whom she worked, providing her a background in all aspects of business.
“I learned how a business functions in Accounting and Finance,” she says. “I analyzed workflow practices in Business Process Management. And I realized how companies optimize from a people, process, and technology standpoint in Business Strategy.”
She applied these skills to the real world while still a student. For example, during her Corporate Immersion class, she and her teammates worked as consultants for their corporate partner. Sharron created a market expansion plan, segmenting potential customers and increasing visibility and reach. The corporate partner joined the class for weekly deliverables, scoring the teams and discussing the recommendations.
This wide range of classes prepared Sharron to be a better leader. Rather than simply looking at a business problem through an International Relations lens, she learned how to approach problems as a marketer, accountant, IT coordinator, manager, and more. All positions in a company have different goals and needs, and by recognizing all of them Sharron is better able to see how they work together.
Diversity in the Classroom
Not all of Sharron’s classes took place in the Bentley classroom. She also took hybrid online classes, meaning some students attended in person and some virtually, allowing greater flexibility for adults with busy lives.
“I was pleasantly surprised with how interactive the online class experience was,” she says. “I was able to follow along, ask questions if needed, and even participate in breakout sessions with my classmates while remote.”
Sharron’s classes also took her overseas. As part of the Emerging Leaders MBA program, she traveled to Nantes, France, to tour the Manitou Forklift Facility, their corporate partner. They also took classes and competed in a case competition at Universite de Nantes while in France.
The trip abroad allowed Sharron to work with a diverse group of students, but her classes at home were also made up of students from around the world.
“In today’s world, globalization is inevitable,” she says. “I felt that having a diverse and global MBA class would expand my own horizons and help me transition into a world where understanding people of all cultures and ethnicities is paramount.”
Today, Sharron has applied her well-rounded and global education to her career. Upon graduation she joined Metlife’s Global Leadership Development Program on their customer analytics team, creating data-driven strategies for Metlife’s customer solution center. However, when offered the chance to relocate to California, she couldn’t say no, and now works in the Leadership Development Program with Blue Shield of California.
Written by Jennifer Wright