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MBA Student Ambassadors

Connect with a current student to learn first-hand about life in the Illinois MBA. The MBA Student Ambassadors are here to help answer your questions about the MBA program, University of Illinois, and Champaign-Urbana. Don't hesitate to reach out to one or several of the Student Ambassadors to introduce yourself and ask questions about the Illinois MBA.

Sylvia Chen

Class of 2012

schen68@illinois.edu

Photo: Sylvia Chen

Prior to joining the MBA program, Sylvia Chen worked at Ogilvy Public Relations in Taiwan and managed her client, Nike, for almost 3 years. She was primarily responsible for project management, media relations and event executions. Sylvia holds a B.B.A. in International Business from National Taiwan University, Taiwan.

Sylvia chose the Illinois MBA because of its worldwide alumni network, and she believes that the Illinois MBA program takes every candidate seriously. Sylvia attended the Intensive English Institute (IEI) last summer; this program helped her improve her speaking skills and become more familiar with the Champaign-Urbana community. She has met many wonderful people and has had a great experience so far. Sylvia is currently serving as the VP of Finance for the Graduate Marketing Association. She enjoys dancing and watching movies.

Starza Kolman

Class of 2012

kolman2@illinois.edu

Photo: Starza Kolman

Starza Kolman received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and English in 2003 from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. After graduation, Starza worked for a non-profit organization both as the Executive Assistant to the President and as a Special Projects Coordinator where she performed data analysis and research to develop and implement the marketing strategy for the organization's website and social networking sites targeted at the youth demographic. She also published a vegan college cookbook that has sold more than 220,000 copies to date. After her MBA, she would like to work for a corporation as a marketing researcher and transition from a non-profit to a corporate environment.

Starza is highly involved within the Illinois MBA program. She holds the following titles: Vice President of Social Planning, MBA Association (MBAA); Fellow, Forte Foundation; Supervisor, Graduate Management Team, Bus101; Member, Women in Business; and Consultant, Illinois Business Consulting (Fall 2010). Starza is also a member of the Illinois Synchronized Swimming Team and the Champaign Vegetarian Society.

In her spare time, Starza enjoys cooking, watching movies, and reading psychological thrillers. Starza lives in downtown Champaign with her boyfriend and her 3 cats: Jezabelle, Chloe, and Tia.

Josh McDonald

Class of 2012

jamcdon2@illinois.edu

Photo: Josh McDonald

Originally from Nashville, TN, Josh McDonald attended the University of Louisville and received his Bachelor's Degree in Business Management with a minor in International Business and Spanish. He has previous work experience as a sales manager at Alliance Marketing.

In the Illinois MBA program, Josh is involved in Illinois Business Consulting (IBC) as a Project Consultant and serves as a Graduate Assistant for Economics 199. Josh says that his favorite part of the MBA program is the in-class discussion: "It is always interesting and poses a secondary method of learning from peers in addition to learning from our skilled professors."

Josh chose the Illinois MBA for the opportunity to attend a highly-regarded Big Ten university; its proximity to the large, dynamic market of Chicago; and the opportunity to gain practical work experience as he gains a quality education in his specialized interests. He plans to pursue a career either in brand management or entrepreneurship. In fact, he has already accepted a summer internship as a Technical Marketing Intern at Caterpillar.

His advice to prospective students is as follows: "Choose the university where you feel most comfortable and from where you can get the most in the interest of advancing your career." In his spare time, Josh enjoys football (he played football at University of Louisville), writing, traveling, and listening to music.

Jack Rhim

Class of 2012

jrhim2@illinois.edu

Photo: Jack Rhim

Sponsored by LG in Korea, Jack Rhim plans to return to the company after graduating from the Illinois MBA. Ultimately, he is seeking a management position so that he can lead LG CNS to become a global IT company. Prior to his enrollment in the Illinois MBA, Jack graduated with a BBA from Hanyang University in Seoul, Korea where he was President of Management Studies; organized study groups for business cases; and led his team to win the 3rd place award at the National Business Case Development Competition.

After graduating from Hanyang, Jack took a position with LG as a Business Strategy Planning Manager in the High-Tech Business Unit. In this role he led the special task force "New Business Strategy Under Recession" and proposed ten unprecedented services which generated more than $160 million in revenue.

In his spare time, Jack likes to golf, has a special interest in wine tasting, and enjoys photography.

Adam Sherer

Class of 2012

sherer2@illinois.edu

Photo: Adam Sherer

Adam Sherer is a second-year MBA student with concentrations in Finance and Real Estate. He graduated from University of Northern Iowa in 2006 with a major in Finance and a minor in International Business. After earning his Bachelor's degree, he moved to the Chicago area and spent four years working for the investments subsidiary of Allstate Insurance, where he was an analyst in the Commercial Real Estate Investment Group.

In Adam's time in the MBA program he has made the effort to take advantage of as many of the opportunities in the program as possible. During his first year, Adam was a consultant with Illinois Business Consulting (IBC) and a member of Illinois MBA team at the American Bankruptcy Institute's Corporate Restructuring Case Competition, as well as the treasurer for the Rho Epsilons Real Estate club. In his second year, Adam has remained involved with Rho Epsilon and will be competing in the Eisenberg Foundation Real Estate Challenge this spring. Adam has also been active in the admissions/recruiting process for next year’s MBA class, and was a faculty assistant for the MBA 501: Managerial Economics course this past fall.

After earning an MBA, Adam plans to return to the investments industry as an analyst in either commercial real estate or asset management.

Outside of life in the MBA program, Adam enjoys spending his limited free time with his wife. They are both avid runners, and are currently training for the Illinois Marathon, which will take place in Champaign-Urbana in late April.

Abby Sullivan

Class of 2012

aesulli2@illinois.edu

Photo: Abby Sullivan

Abby Sullivan is originally from the Chicago suburbs and was raised to be an Illini fan from birth! Many of her family members have attended University of Illinois, so she is very excited to be completing her MBA at such an esteemed institution. Abby graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and completed her CPA certification. After graduation, she spent two years in the assurance practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Chicago, where she worked in the media and technology industries.

At Illinois, Abby serves as President for Women in Business (WiB), an MBA student organization. Her goal is to further strengthen the programming on campus, both social and professional, as well as increase participation with the National Association of Women MBAs (NAWMBA). Last fall she attended the NAWMBA conference in Louisville, KY and participated in the conference case competition. Her team advanced to the final round and the experience was well worth the hard work! In addition to WiB, Abby is also a member of the Illinois Synchronized Swimming Team and she works in the MBA office.

In her free time, she enjoys exploring Champaign-Urbana. Abby enjoys traveling and participated in the winter study abroad to the Freie University in Berlin, Germany, with a little extended getaway to London and Paris!

Colleen Symansky

Class of 2012

symansk2@illinois.edu

Photo: Colleen Symansky

Colleen Symansky is a 2005 Graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. An active duty Lieutenant in the United States Coast Guard, she is currently assigned to the University of Illinois to earn her Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE). Colleen will be acting as the New Student Orientation Coordinator for the incoming MBA class in 2011. In addition she is working with the MBA program on recruiting new, talented, students to the program. Upon graduation she will continue her service in the U.S. Coast Guard and look to serve in a Facilities Engineering or Capital Construction planning position.

Originally from Fort Salonga, NY, Colleen enjoys surfing, swimming, skiing, cooking and playing lacrosse. Colleen is currently the Women's Lacrosse Club coach at Illinois.

Previous Coast Guard assignments include a three year tour at Civil Engineering Unit (CEU) Cleveland. While at CEU she served as a Construction Project Manager, Tower Climbing Instructor, Facility Asset Manager, and Design Engineer. Colleen earned her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification while at CEU. She also served a 2 year tour as a Deck Watch Officer aboard USCGC RELIANCE (WMEC-615) out of Portsmouth, NH where she served as the 1st Lieutenant and Weapons Officer.

Diana Vallejo

Class of 2012

valljch2@illinois.edu

Photo: Diana Vallejo

Diana Vallejo received her undergraduate degree from Purdue University in Industrial Engineering and went on to work at General Electric Company in the Consumer and Industrial division. She started in the Operations Management Leadership Program, then moved to Business Team Leader, and finally transitioned to Hydraulics Subsystem Leader/Six Sigma Black Belt.

During her time in the MBA, Diana has been involved in multiple projects. During the fall semester she worked as a consultant with Illinois Business Consulting (IBC) on a project with a Fortune 500 company. Most recently she was promoted and will serve as a project manager in her second year. As a Dean's Fellow, Diana has had the opportunity to meet and interact with College of Business Deans as well as meet very important business leaders from a variety of companies. Finally, Diana is working with three other Dean's Fellows and the MBA Board to develop a strategy for the MBA program for prospective students.

In addition to these projects, Diana also serves as the VP of External Marketing for the Kola Foundation and will represent the Illinois MBA at the Big Ten Case Competition during the spring semester.

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