Student Blogs
Melissa Sommers, MBA '08, Park Fellow
I'm a second year student originally from Allentown, PA. I received a Bachelor's degree in Management Science and Information Systems from Penn State University and worked for Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. for six years in various IT roles. I am interested in switching from IT to supply chain management, which is one of the reasons that I am pursuing my MBA. I chose Johnson because of the smaller size and collaborative atmosphere. I've loved my experience so far and am looking forward to my second year.
Jeff Gangemi, MBA '09, First Year Park Fellow
I grew up in York, PA and attended Middlebury College, majoring in Religious Studies. After graduation, I spent two years working as an AmeriCorps*VISTA for the San Diego Council on Literacy and then the International Rescue Committee. After traveling with my now-wife, Shannon, I moved to New York, where I joined BusinessWeek's B-Schools Channel and later the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Channel. I recently spent five months in Argentina writing for BusinessWeek and volunteering for a microfinance organization. I'm now a Park Leadership Fellow and excited to share my experiences with you.
Clint Stone, MBA '08, Cayuga Fund Portfolio Manager
My wife and I are originally from Salt Lake City, UT and we have three beautiful kids (they obviously take after their mom). After spending three years within the Private Wealth Management unit at Goldman Sachs, I returned to school to follow my dreams of running an equity fund. Cornell has been the perfect place to gain the network, experience, and skills needed to succeed in the investment management industry. I spent my summer internship at Bear Stearns Asset Management and I'll be part of the Cayuga MBA Fund this year. I love sports and enjoy traveling with my family.
Adrienne Martinez, MBA '08, Second year student
I received my BS degree from Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations in 2001. I then worked with The Riordan Programs, a non-profit organization providing career-based outreach programs. I returned to school to pursue my MBA and launch a new career in investment management. Last year I participated in the Capital Markets and Asset Management Immersion program and spent my summer with the CalPERS Investment Office in Sacramento, CA. I'm a Forté Foundation Fellow, a New America Alliance Institute Fellow and was awarded a Robert Toigo Foundation Fellowship.
Ulka Ranadive, Accelerated MBA '08
I'm an Accelerated MBA 2008 student. Prior to that, I earned a MS in Computer Science and worked for over eight years in computer networking startups and industry leaders. As a software engineer, I learned a lot about various leadership styles and how they affect team dynamics and deliverables. But most important, I realized that in order to achieve my long-term goals in entrepreneurship, I needed to gain a business perspective. The challenging Johnson School AMBA program with world-class faculty and a talented, focused student body provides exactly what I was looking for. I am excited to share my experiences with you and provide my perspective on life at the Johnson School.
Dina Keswani, EMBA '09
Seeing my parents succeed in life through various trials and tribulations has taught me that reality is truly what you make of it. My street smart attitude therefore developed towards work and life in general, is what has got me this far in my career and my professional accomplishments. This has particularly equipped me to be an effective professional, having gained over a decade of business experience while employed with companies like NIIT, MphasiS (an EDS company), IBM, Accenture, and presently American Express. I have worked with both functional and matrix type organizations, at various levels, specializing in diverse capacities and functions namely sales/management, IT consulting, business process operations, and general management. This fruitful exposure both in the United States and in India included collaborating with teams in these countries, as well as project teams in Slovakia, Germany and the United Kingdom. My degree in Economics, from the Stella Maris College, Chennai India, provided me a good backbone as I made my way up in the corporate world. Gradually I developed an increased need, respect and motivation to absorb and apply fundamental yet critical business perspectives, in my everyday work. My academic accomplishments with Cornell University's ILR Off Campus school, made me even more keen to expand my scholastic potential and in particular - the Cornell Executive MBA program.Studying at Cornell will mark yet another new beginning to reflect on the past, contemplate the present and to dream of the Ivy future. I am indeed fortunate to be given an opportunity to share my insights and experience with the Cornell's Executive MBA program.
