My Smith education has been an exceptional resource for me throughout my career. Smith is essential to enhancing soft skills as much as imparting core curriculum. Classes like business strategy and negotiations have been extremely important to my career as a management consultant, and then later as an entrepreneur.

I consider the education I received from the brilliant professors at Smith to be the most precious gift and valuable resource that has propelled my career forward all these years.

The Smith MBA program gave me the flexibility to get a degree without specialization. My focus had been finance and strategy, but as I worked at different roles within banking, the advanced courses in accounting and marketing that I’d taken in earlier semesters really helped.

My professors at Maryland Smith have been my most valuable career resource. I could reach out to them for advice, coaching and feedback. My favorite professor is Dr. Liao Hui, who I could easily talk to about my thoughts and bold ideas.

After graduating from Smith I met several Smith alumni, both in the U.S. and China. Some of them helped me with work issues, some offered me jobs and still others connected me with business opportunities. There is a natural trust among Smith alumni. I’ve been amazed by how much the Smith Alumni Network has grown in China.

During my time with the Smith MBA program, I dreamt of being a consulting partner and I’m happy to have realized that dream. My goal is to mentor CFOs – especially those with start-ups – to help their companies progress and become profitable quickly.

The EMBA program allowed me to combine my past experiences in the business world with theories and principles in a systematic way, and it provided answers and alternative thinkpaths to various challenges and issues that I have encountered–especially outside the sales and marketing arena.

When I graduated with my MBA, companies would ask me what I would like to do long term? I said I’d like to start my own company one day, but at the time it was only a pipe dream. As I approached my 40’s I realized it was now or never, and I started Simplotel. In that sense, I’m where I wanted to be with my career. My goals are to make Simplotel a global SaaS provider for hotels.

As the business world is growing more global, recognizing cultural differences and values is an ever-important skill. For Principal Advisor for Strategy and Corporate Affairs at IDB Invest, Alejandro Prada, not only celebrating our differences, but also recognizing what we have in common, is what truly fosters respect and open-mindedness and is the key to developing a global mindset. “Be mindful that there isn’t just one subset of cultural value, so that means being cognizant of differences.

Working in international markets means seeking opportunities outside of familiar markets, and that requires engaging with people from different regions and cultures. For Mikael Baker, senior information and communications technology (ICT) advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), developing a global mindset is key to working effectively in these markets. “In international development, like many fields, it’s important to be able to effectively work with people from different cultures.