Thomas C. Jones Initiative for Innovation in Undergraduate Education
Maximizing the Ross Experience
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Ben Schuster, BBA ’21, Cleveland, OH; Layaill Mustafa, BBA ’21, Dearborn, MI
en Schuster and Layaill Mustafa are two undergraduate students at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business who have made it a point to be involved in the direction of the school for the benefit of their fellow students. Both members of the Ross Undergraduate Student Advisory Board among a number of other organizations, Schuster and Mustafa took the time to answer some questions about their experience as BBA students at Michigan Ross, and how the Thomas C. Jones Initiative for Innovation in Undergraduate Education helped expand their educational opportunities in ways they did not imagine as first-year students.
Why did you choose Ross? Ben: Ross’s reputation for being a top business school for the most driven and intelligent students drew me away from LSA and into the world of business. When I applied, I was looking for an emphasis on positive business, an element of the school that Ross has grown over the years and is still in the process of defining. I wanted a community where I felt I could use the best Michigan has to offer, one that would empower me to be my best and do my best. I can say I’ve found most of that to be the case in Ross, even despite my “nontraditional” business career path and aspirations. Layaill: I was someone who was extremely unsure of what I wanted to do after graduation or with my career. Because of this, I was drawn to Ross because of the amazing flexibility of the BBA degree. I knew that I would have access to so many different career opportunities. Additionally, I was someone who really wanted a holistic experience in college. I always loved the humanities and the flexibility of the Ross degree and the way it pushed to pursue other classes enabled me to minor in Arab & Muslim American Studies and pursue supplemental studies in Public Policy. Additionally, I knew that I was someone who learned by actually doing things, when I was applying to college and learned more about Ross’s focus
on action-based learning I knew it would provide projects and engagements that allowed me to grow.
Why is it important to be involved? Ben: Being involved in student programs and organizations, to me, is the core of Ross. Put simply, my Ross experience would not have been the same without exposure to service learning in Guatemala, corporate strategy in China (Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen), or a semester studying ethics and management at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Nor would it be the same without my organizations — Out For Business, an organization I have had the privilege of leading for the better part of my BBA experience; the Ross Undergraduate Student Advisory Board (RUSAB), a group of some of the most dedicated and service-minded individuals I have ever met; Delta Sigma Pi, my business fraternity that makes up a large part of social and professional exposure at the school; and the Big Ten Voting Challenge as the Ross Voting Lead, a position I find extremely rewarding in connecting my Ross network to the power of civic engagement. In RUSAB specifically, I have had several takeaways that will undoubtedly shape my perspective post-graduation. First, I’ve learned that sometimes the best ideas are often the hardest to put into action. On the advisory board, we have had some incredible ideas, but often struggle to put them into practice given the complexity of the Ross curriculum, student interests, and faculty perspective. However, these projects are often the most rewarding. Second, I have learned to lead by example and with my values, an opportunity I had this past summer when leading the board and student body in the creation of the BBA Call to Action in support of Black Lives Matter and students of color in the BBA program. My personal philosophy is to act as a trustee on behalf of the student body — i.e. doing what is right, regardless of the consequences.