Keleen McNamara

When Keleen McNamara started researching programs for her business school education, she quickly discovered Goizueta’s Full-Time MBA program checked all of her boxes. After graduating with a bachelors in marketing, the Texas-native began working in higher education. However, she always knew getting her MBA would be her next step, and she was ready to pivot her career from working in the nonprofit world to corporate. “I chose Emory for my business school education because I wanted a small school in a big-city environment. A couple of other things that were on my list included professional sports teams, diversity, people, and food. After going down the list of all of the schools in the top 20, Emory was the one that checked all of the boxes.”

Keleen soon found her place at Goizueta by connecting with her community and even being placed in charge of various social events. “I am now in a position where I can go and meet new people across the different cohorts, and I can try to bring the sort of welcoming energy that I experienced. I’m really trying to bring the cohorts together and create a sense of community, which is the whole reason why I came here in the first place.”

Creating that sense of community directly impacted her classroom experience as well. One of the biggest skills Keleen gained from the program was how to work in a team dynamic. By learning how to approach different people and leverage classmates’ strengths, she learned how to work cohesively as one unit. “It's not always going to be easy. You're always going to have someone in a team environment that you don't get along with, but as long as you understand where they're coming from and you approach them with respect and kindness, ideally, they would be able to give that back to you as well.”

Throughout her time in the program, Keleen has learned to step out of her comfort zone, network with others and truly push herself to get the most from her MBA experience. “One thing that surprised me about myself is that I am OK making new friends and not having to have that anchor or that safety net within another person. I have branched out and made close connections with people across the program and in different cohorts. I think that's a testament to not only the people that Goizueta admits into the program, but also the community that is fostered here.”