As an accounting major during his undergraduate studies at the University of Central Florida, Christopher Rolle wanted to jumpstart his career as a certified public accountant by starting graduate school immediately. He also wanted to try something completely different, having spent his whole life in Florida, so he thought he’d try out the Washington, D.C., area for its history, culture and even its unpredictable winters.

When Jyoti Sardana started the part-time MBA program at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, she never anticipated she would be working alongside professional athletes before her graduation in December 2018. “I knew I wanted a graduate degree, and I was taking a few tests to get my security licenses so I could trade,” says Sardana, who worked as a registered associate at Morgan Stanley when she started the evening program at Maryland Smith’s Shady Grove campus in Rockville, Md.

During Parker Rist’s freshman year, a senior at the Robert H. Smith School of Business inspired him to go into finance. The older student was headed toward a finance career and spoke about it daily, and Rist began seeing himself pursuing a similar career path. “Coming in, I had an idea that I wanted to pursue one of the more technical majors because that’s the way I am — very numbers-oriented and analytical,” Rist says. Talking with his mentor and becoming vice president of finance for Smith’s undergraduate student association during his sophomore year solidified the decision.

Hayley Smith ’15, MS ’18 has not yet graduated from the Master of Science in Accounting program at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. But already she has people coming to her for tax advice.

Erica Sandidge '19 understood that a career in sports management would be competitive. After all, she had applied to nearly 50 internships during her freshman and sophomore years at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. It wasn’t until she was working for the Washington Capitals and was on the other side of the hiring process that she realized just how competitive it could be.

Before classes even began at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business in fall 2018, senior Julian Colicchio could breathe easy, knowing he already has a job lined up when he graduates. Colicchio, a double major in finance and operations management business analytics, received an offer from Johnson & Johnson after a summer internship with the medical device, pharmaceutical and consumer products company.  

Stephanie Gomez’s desire to help others attracted her to STEM careers at a young age. Now, as an MBA student at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, Gomez is even more determined to bring those dreams to fruition. 

Janna Fernandez’s journey to the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business began roughly 8,000 miles away in Guam, but her experiences are taking her even further.  Fernandez’s passion for public service and helping others pushed her to pursue a career that enables her to do just that. This is evidenced by her tenure as the deputy press secretary for the Office of the Governor of Guam, as well as her involvement in education and workforce development program management for the U.S. territory. 

Natnapin “Nat” Tangpipith emerged quickly as a civil engineer. She worked with several public agencies around New York City, specializing in bridge rehabilitation. But as she moved up the ladder, her career interests evolved. “I was sent out to public events to represent the company as well as interface with clients, and I enjoyed that more than pure technical aspect,” she says.

Peiyan “Pearl” Yu’s startup, NanBoOne New Media Studio, was nearly an overnight success. She and some classmates at Nanjing University in China had an idea to broadcast university events online, such as graduations. They purchased equipment and started streaming. Within a year, an investor bought their company and retained them, and the company quickly grew. By the time Yu left for the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, the company spanned more than 10 universities in Nanjing and Shanghai.