Tom Jones Initiative Helps BBA Students Make Impacts in Their Careers

Thomas C. Jones Initiative for Innovation in Undergraduate Education

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Finding ways to make an impact

yesha Mohan, BBA ’22, BS ’22, a dual-degree senior from Mount Pleasant, Michigan, isn’t one to limit herself. Her passion for both business and computer science resulted in her pursuing a degree in each at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and the College of Engineering’s Computer Science and Engineering Division.

As an undergraduate student, Ayesha has been extremely active in both schools with a genuine interest in helping shape the present and future for her fellow students. For example, in 2020 she was a member of the Michigan Ross BBA team competing in the National Diversity Case Competition. Tasked with proposing creative solutions to a diversity-related business issue, the Ross team (pictured in bottom photo) placed third out of 42 teams from other business schools across the country.

Ayesha Mohan, BBA ’22, BS ’22

We asked Ayesha some questions about her experiences with the programs and resources available that help shape the Ross learning experience for BBA students.

You’re pursuing both a BBA and BS degree from U-M. What type of position most appeals to you?

Ayesha: To be honest, my dual-degree wasn’t fueled as much by career benefits (though I value those, as well) as much as it was a genuine interest in the subject matter of computer science.

However, even without intentions, the dual degree has served me well. In the past, I have worked corporate finance internships where it may have seemed like my dual-degree wasn’t directly related to the work I did. However, I found that the overall analytical and problem solving skills that I gained from my dual degree proved useful in different ways. I also like the versatility of my career paths that this dual degree granted me — I love that I can just as easily be a software engineer as I could a business analyst. Right now, roles in product management have piqued my interest, since it really blends both of my interests and skill sets since I can work with engineers and business people simultaneously.

Why did you decide to get involved in Ross Undergraduate Student Advisory Board?

Ayesha: The Ross Undergraduate Student Advisory Board

Ayesha (right) with National Diversity Case Competition teammates Johanne Vincent, BBA ’21; Kenneth Daniel Jr., BBA ’20; and Rashmita Gandhe, BBA ’23.

(RUSAB) interested me because it was a group of students looking to make changes to academic issues facing the business school. I loved the idea of getting to experience a grouping of courses and then serve as a voice for my peers on changes that could make the coursework more impactful.

The student experience is unique since it is something that can only be shared by students, which is what the board gives space for. An example of a project I have been involved with on

the board that personally impacts me is dissecting the dualdegree experience for a student in Ross and creating unique methods to make the process more efficient and streamlined.

This position has helped my leadership skills because it really helped me hone in on the idea of using a position of “power” to be a voice for others, rather than just myself. On the board, I represent all students and, particularly, the class of 2022 of which I am a part. I view it as a duty of sorts to make sure that I am sharing all views, even if they differ from mine.

You’ve been active in the National Women and National Diversity Case Competitions.

How did Ross resources help you in them?

Ayesha: This is unique because I experienced the National Diversity Case Competition both in-person and virtually, so I feel like I can speak to the differences I experienced. Particularly, the main challenges arrived when it came with working as a team for the case — the process of ideation and rehearsing the presentation was much more challenging, though still possible and we could still be successful.

Virtually, we relied much more on the Ross faculty and staff members to provide feedback on how our team was coming across and how feasible our ideas were. Since a case competition involves many different components — legal aspects, communication, environmental impact, financial information, amongst other things — many professors came together to help us rehearse and sharpen our presentation. Many of these professors weren’t even instructors of mine or of my teammates!

This was an example of how the Ross community is always there for its students.

What was your biggest takeaway from the Ross Integrated Semester (RIS)?

Ayesha: The RIS gave me a taste of how different functional areas in business work in tandem to solve problems. For example, we would take a simple case — such as supply chain issues facing the smartphone industry — and examine it from a legal perspective in Business Law (BL 300), human resource perspective in Management and Organizations (MO 300), a communication perspective in Business Communication (BCOM 350), and supply chain perspective in Technology and Operations (TO 313). This was eye-opening to me because it is simply reality: When any issue faces an organization, all of these different groups need to work together in order to derive an effective solution, which was what RIS really taught me.

My professors were always available to me during RIS to speak about coursework and more. I remember having an issue when I was negotiating with companies for internship offers and my Management and Organizations professor helped me though that even though it isn’t remotely MO-related. Additionally, RIS helped me grow closer to my peers through all the group work that the semester consisted of — I got to know the people in my section as friends rather than just colleagues.

Ayesha (middle) at an event with her BBA Ambassador peers.

What has being on the search committee for the new Dean at Ross taught you?

Ayesha: One of the biggest takeaways I have gained from being on the committee is understanding how different groups require different methods of communication to be most effective in gaining insight. For example, students have been more active through online forums, whereas faculty members have engaged more in town hall meetings. The committee has really prioritized reaching out to as many stakeholders as possible to get as much information and feedback before making any key decisions. The committee also really focuses on how we can reduce implicit biases as we are gaining information and seeking out candidates, which has been a key learning experience for me to be aware of as I enter the workforce.

Is there anything you want to express to donors impacting the Ross BBA program?

Ayesha: Thank you for your contributions towards making the Ross experience what it is! I have been fortunate enough to take advantage of several of Ross’ resources, and I attribute a great deal of my collegiate success to the availability of these within the business program. Thousands of students have already been positively impacted by your contributions and many more will be touched in the future. For that, we say thank you! I hope my experiences have served as a testament for some of the amazing things that students like me can do with support from amazing people like you.

The Thomas C. Jones Initiative for Innovation in Undergraduate Education was made possible by generous support from Tom Jones.

Since being established in 2005, the initiative has introduced a diverse range of undergraduate programs, learning opportunities and courses that have reshaped and enhanced the BBA experience at Michigan Ross.