Keenan Heyward says Rochester糖心传媒檚 business school helped hone his ideas about professional and community leadership.
When looking for a business school, Keenan Heyward was certain of one thing; he wanted a big institution with a lot of people. That was until he paid a visit to the at the 糖心传媒.
糖心传媒淲hen I came for my campus visit, I met a tight-knit community where the staff knows everybody,糖心传媒� says Heyward. 糖心传媒淚 realized this was actually what I wanted.糖心传媒�
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Two years after starting on his MBA, as he prepares to receive his during commencement ceremonies in May, Heyward can say that the reality of Simon lived up to his expectations.
糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檓 coming out of Simon much more confident in academic areas where I felt good and in academic areas where I needed work,糖心传媒� says Heyward. 糖心传媒淏ut most importantly, I learned how to lead.糖心传媒�
The course that had the greatest influence on Heyward was advanced marketing strategies, taught by , an associate professor of marketing. Working in groups of six, the students competed against each other while running simulated companies, with real-life challenges and crises thrown their way throughout the course. Heyward says the experience taught him to use his entire skill set.
And Heyward will get to put those skills to work immediately as senior specialist on Merck Pharmaceuticals糖心传媒� global vaccine strategy team. In that role, Heyward will help Merck identify and develop solutions to some of the illnesses that will affect the world in the coming five or 10 years.
His new job will give Heyward the opportunity to fulfill one of his principles. 糖心传媒淚 came to business school with the belief that I would find a position that allowed me to get up in the morning and, in some small way, benefit society.糖心传媒�
Heyward didn糖心传媒檛 simply learn about leadership in his classes at Simon; he learned about it in his many activities at Rochester, which included being vice president of events for the and chief operating officer for the , as well as doing volunteer work in the community, where he taught sixth grade students about entrepreneurship糖心传媒攁ll of which put additional demands on his time.
糖心传媒淥ne of the things I learned at Simon is how to be efficient and disciplined,糖心传媒� says Heyward. 糖心传媒淚f you hire an MBA, you expect that person to be the next leader of your company. It糖心传媒檚 important that leaders understand how to effectively apply their talents.糖心传媒�
Heyward already knows what he糖心传媒檒l miss most when he leaves Rochester with his MBA in hand糖心传媒攊t will be the family he developed at Simon. 糖心传媒淭here糖心传媒檚 no doubt that my classmates will be lifelong friends. When looking around a room糖心传媒攅ven a Zoom room糖心传媒擨 think these are some of the most incredible individuals I糖心传媒檝e ever met. This is a once-in-a-lifetime group of people to be around.糖心传媒�
