Enterprise Experience Leads to Flourishing Career
Recently named Poets & Quants’ Best of the Class of 2015, Alyssa Callister, arrived at the Carlson School with a wealth of work experience and big aspirations.
At 20, she founded an international non-profit that brought technology education initiatives to Eastern Africa that grew to $100K in capital through seed grants and fundraising efforts within the first year.
She then turned her attention to the private sector and started at Goldman Sachs as an equity derivative analyst. Given her lack of finance experience, Callister studied up on the industry and asked plenty of questions, eventually becoming one of the highest performing members of her team.
As she discovered early success, Callister pondered the next stage of her career. On the advice of a trusted mentor, she decided to pursue an MBA in hopes of transitioning into consulting.
Callister ultimately enrolled at the Carlson School for its unmatched experiential learning opportunities. The one-of-a-kind Carlson Enterprise Program offers numerous avenues for students to develop their expertise in marketing, finance, entreprenuership, consulting, and more.
"When looking into schools, I wanted a hands-on learning experience to help me feel comfortable about the transition from finance to consulting," she says. "The Carlson Consulting Enterprise gave me the opportunity to work with previous McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group consultants on real-world client engagements. I saw this as a huge opportunity to not only learn the concepts but put them to the test within a safe environment as I prepared for a future career."
As an MBA student, Callister thrived. She developed her skills and confidence by participating in the Elite Eight case competition, exploring international business through a global experience, joining student organizations, and speaking up in class at every opportunity.
“Alyssa is a truly remarkable student. Whenever there is a more challenging question to address during a case discussion, I can see from the corner of my eye that Alyssa’s sharp mind has formed an opinion. I can always count on her to invigorate the argument. She is brilliant, respected by her peers, thoughtful, and innovative in her thinking,” says Supply Chain and Operations Professor Enno Siemsen.
Callister graduated in May of 2015, and began working as an associate at McKinsey & Company shortly thereafter.
"My goal is to have a long and impactful career at McKinsey. I hope to add value to my colleagues and clients through consistency, positivity, creativity, and tenacity. My goal has been and will always be to affect change and make the world a better place, wherever that may take me," she says.
Join Alyssa and the 53,000 Carlson School alumni who discovered an internationally respected, well-connected, tight-knit program in Minneapolis. No matter your career goals, the Carlson MBA can help you achieve them.