My name is Susanna Wright and I’ll be continuing our MBA Blog for the Leeds School of Business for the next academic year. I moved to Boulder from Ohio in June of 2016. Before coming back to school full-time, I worked as a plant manager for an animal feed mill. After spending seven years in the Midwest in plant operations, I was ready for a career—and location—change.
For me personally, one of the biggest selling points about the Leeds’ MBA Program was the location. I love being outdoors and had recently gotten interested in backpacking and rock climbing; not exactly ideal hobbies for someone that lives in the middle of cornfields. Because of this, I only looked at high-caliber MBA programs with mountains, specifically focusing on Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. Of these programs, Leeds was the best fit for me—it is the #1 ranked MBA program in Colorado, and the 8th oldest business school in the United States. The campus visit really sold me on the program; the school vibe was relaxed (no one dressed in suits!) but the classroom discussion was intense.
Before starting the program, I took some time off and spent about a month backpacking the Colorado Trail. It was an amazing experience and a great mental reset to prepare myself for going back to school!
Within the program, I’m focusing on a developing my skills for a future career in marketing. I had the opportunity to work two different internships this past summer, which got me experience at a large non-profit in the tech industry, and in the Organics + Natural’s space at a startup. Both of these opportunities came from networking throughout the year; I can’t overemphasize how important it is to network.
One thing I’ve learned since coming back to school is that I love planning events and getting people together. There are so many things that I want to do and experience in Colorado—and since starting the program, I’ve had 90 friends to go on adventures with! Because of this, the VP of Social Relations was a natural fit for me. My unofficial (and more embraced title) is the official Fun Captain of the MBA’s. I’ve been working closely with our MBA Association to plan a variety of events throughout the year to get everyone together. We’re doing some tried-and-true events, like attending a Rockies game, and also some new ones—like going hiking with llamas! I’m looking forward to another awesome year and getting to know a new cohort of classmates.
