As the days grow sunnier, it means many graduate students will begin the long march to the convocation stage later this year. Each year different students take on a number of leadership roles in the Schulich community that have a direct impact on the quality of experience each grad student has during their time here.
This interview series will provide insight about students’ extracurricular leadership, professional achievements, and personal reflections.
– Frank Paul, Graduate Business Council President, MBA candidate, 2017
Class of 2017 Profile: Meet Talia Mohammed, MBA candidate
Part 1: Quick Stats
Age: 30
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Undergraduate School and Degree: University of Toronto, Biology and Botany
Community Work and Leadership Roles: Supply Chain and Operations Management Club – Director of Marketing and Sales
Part 2: Business Education & Achievements
Q: Where did you work before coming to Schulich?
A: I worked in retail management, in the roles of General Management, Buying and Training
Q: Where will you be working after graduation?
A: Amazon in Vancouver. I will be working as an Operations Manager as a part of the Pathways Operations Management program. This was my target job coming into my MBA and I am extremely excited to join the team in June!
Q: Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during your MBA?
A: Working with younger students, mentoring them and developing coaching skills. I often met with first year students to help them build their resume and interview skills (fostering trust) and being able to see their growth in their overall confidence has been incredible.
Q: What did you enjoy most about Schulich?
A: The continuous journey of becoming increasingly self aware – being in a safe environment where you are provided with ample feedback allowed me to really identify my strengths and weaknesses and take steps to improve.
Q: What was the most surprising thing about your MBA?
A: The willingness of people within the Schulich community to both support and provide you with their time. It is incredible to see the breadth of people we have exposure to, from celebrated Professors to CEOs of Global Corporations.
Q: What’s your best advice to a Schulich applicant?
A: Push yourself out of your comfort zone and try to really take this time to self-improve. For example if you’re not confident at public speaking, force yourself to present for group projects. This really is your time to gain feedback and improve. Make sure you leave this experience stronger then when you came.
Q: Who would you most want to thank for your success?
A: My father. I remember the specific moment I realized in him I have the greatest supporter/cheerleader in life. I was going through a rough patch and to be honest there was one day that I didn’t even want to get out of bed. He knocked on my door, pulled me out of bed, gave me a huge hug and said ‘You deserve more. Choose to be happy.’ In that moment I realized how lucky I am to have a family that loves me and believes in me. The next day I started to look into enrolling into MBA programs.
Part 3: Fill in the Blank…
“I knew I wanted to go to business school when…”
Talia: When I realized that I wanted to go into my next leadership role in a position where I can hit the floor running
“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would…”
Talia: …have continued to work in retail management, but the MBA allowed me to fast track myself into another level.
Part 4: Fast Favourites
Stay tuned for more profiles of the Schulich class of 2017!
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