When Sadia Tanveer and Zach Weisman discussed dreams for their future together, they realized they wanted to live in a well-rounded city; a place with good jobs, people their age, and things to do, and that career changes—and MBAs—provided the options they were seeking. That future, both geographically and upwardly mobile, is now in sight for the married couple—with two Kelley MBAs and two new careers in Chicago on the horizon.
“As a couple, this is one of the best decisions we have made,” Zach said. “Kelley gave us a medium to reach our goals. Everything that we had dreams for in the last five years, we have worked toward and helped each other along as a couple.”
“Consulting gave us the flexibility of going anywhere we desire.”
Zach and Sadia had successful careers in eastern Pennsylvania in business operations and software engineering. Still, they understood that higher education, an MBA, would enable them to maximize their potential as young working professionals and provide them with endless opportunities in the long run.
They sought education from a top business school at a cost that would not be a burden to them moving forward. Zach was set on a part-time program so he could continue working full-time, but that changed after an in-person discussion at a recruiting event made him and Sadia feel warmly welcomed by Kelley’s full-time program. The Kelley MBA also included the attractive combination of scholarships and Bloomington’s lower cost of living compared to other areas they considered.
“The return on our investment is much higher coming to Kelley,” Sadia said.
They came to Kelley set on careers in consulting because they knew it would give them the flexibility they desired. Their first year, they joined the Consulting Club and dove into the demanding Consulting Academy, which exposed them to a variety of consulting firms and executives and prepared them well for their summer internships.
Both received several internship offers, but Sadia pivoted slightly when she accepted the Strategic Finance MBA Internship at PepsiCo, a company she had long admired because of the influence of her role model Indra Nooyi, the company’s former CEO. Zach decided to join EY, working as a MBA Summer Senior Consultant, in their Business Transformation practice. Both have received full-time job offers from these companies and will be moving to Chicago.
A new twist to being a Kelley MBA spouse
The tight-knit Kelley community welcomes spouses and families and supports them in various ways. It is unusual, however, to have both partners enrolled in the program at the same time. For Sadia and Zach, the challenge suited them, and their individual strengths complement each other.
Sadia, who had worked as a software engineer, majored in finance and is drawn to marketing. Zach, who worked in business operations, majored in business analytics. They were in the same cohort during the Core, but on different teams, so they learned from each other’s experiences.
“We were able to branch out and network and meet other people,” Zach said. “And having the same cohort and class schedule was fantastic.”
They also leaned heavily on the support they received from second-year MBA students and alumni, who spent a significant amount of time—sometimes at odd hours—helping them prepare for internship interviews and providing insights about companies. This year, with job offers that thrill them, they are able to socialize more through the MBA clubs and plan to travel a little. But they’re also committed to helping their first-year MBA peers whenever their help is needed.
“I wouldn’t have gotten the internship offers that I did without the help of second-year MBAs,” Sadia said. “It’s nice to pass that on.”
Nice. Best of luck to both of you.