Learn About the 179 Members of the Michigan Ross MM Class of 2022

These scholars come to Michigan Ross from 38 different undergraduate institutions, including 127 from other schools at the University of Michigan. Many started at Michigan Ross after recently earning their undergraduate degree, or with less than two years of work experience, in industries that span the performing arts to sport management to engineering and computer science.

Women account for 60% of the newest MM class, and 10% are from underrepresented minority backgrounds. Seventy-three percent of the class earned liberal arts degrees, while 16% have STEM and 5% have creative arts degrees. 

As they begin their fall term courses, the MM students have been united by their enthusiasm to immerse themselves with the world-class faculty and take advantage of all the resources Michigan Ross has to offer as the the No. 1-ranked MM program in the country.  

Below, hear from members of the Michigan Ross MM Class of 2022 discussing why they were compelled to join the Ross community and their excitement to learn among the leaders and best. 

Arielle Sturr

Hometown: Rochester Hills, Michigan

Undergraduate degree/school: Bachelor of political science and international studies with a concentration in international security, norms, and cooperation from U-M

Why did you decide to pursue an MM degree at Michigan Ross right now? Making the jump from being pre-law to business during my senior year of college felt very daunting and full of new challenges, but I saw it as an opportunity to grow. Learning I want to have a career in fintech, but having no background in this field, the MM degree felt like the perfect opportunity to soak up as much information as possible and improve my quantitative skills over the course of a year.

What are you most excited for this year in the MM program? I am most excited about the group work projects that the MM program works to emphasize. Coming from a very individualized major like political science, I know this will be a wonderful opportunity to meet other young professionals and gain experiences functioning in a group setting on major collaborative projects.

What are your career plans? After graduation from the MM program, I plan on working as a product manager in the fintech industry with a focus on making new features more accessible for customers.

Jered Jackson

Hometown/where you're currently located: I am originally from West Bloomfield, Michigan, and am currently located in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Undergraduate degree/school: My earned undergraduate education was in electronic media at the University of Cincinnati, where I focused in communications, marketing, and more. 

Why did you decide to pursue an MM degree at Michigan Ross right now? I decided to pursue an MM degree at Ross to learn from its phenomenal professors, grow my career in business with other students, and make a societal impact.  

What are you most excited for this year in the MM program? I am excited to learn, read, study, and practice business in our MM program. My hope is to use inculcated lessons to make a positive change.  

What are your career plans? My career plans are to continue to work and drive value in communities through business, while also giving back. It has been a blessing to be included in our MM cohort here at Ross and I am proud to be a Wolverine. Go Blue!

Emily Papale-Homm

Hometown/where you're currently located: Santa Rosa, California (hometown), Naples, Florida (current location)

Undergraduate Degree/School: BA in studio art from Sonoma State University

Why did you decide to pursue an MM degree at Ross right now? After graduating from Sonoma State University, I dove headfirst into the startup world. I co-founded a manufacturing consulting firm and learned on the job. The Master of Management Program at Ross is perfect for me because it is fine tuning my foundational business knowledge and allows me to network with like-minded individuals who are talented and driven. 

What are you most excited for this year in the MM program? I am most excited about starting the Master of Management chapter within Michigan Business Women. I want all of the women at Ross to have the chance to be a part of something beyond the scope of the classroom. The MM program is an accelerated one-year master’s degree, so strengthening our bonds with each other is important. This new chapter will provide the opportunity for women in my class and future classes to network and exchange ideas.

What are your career plans? My passion for entrepreneurship, leadership, and creativity are at the forefront of my career plans. I have a wide variety of interests but I am focusing the majority of my career prep efforts on operations management. In addition, I am working on an IoT company that I would like to launch in the next five to 10 years. My biggest hope for my future self is that regardless of my career path, I love what I do. 

Maddie O'Reilly

Hometown/where you're currently located: Villanova, Pennsylvania

Undergraduate degree/school: BA in sport management - University of Michigan School of Kinesiology

Why did you decide to pursue an MM degree at Ross right now? I saw this as an opportunity to immediately combine my sport management acumen with a higher degree of expertise in business. The Ross School of Business is a world-renowned school and could not pass up an opportunity to learn from the best while living in Ann Arbor for one more year.

What are you most excited for this year in the MM program? I am most excited to meet students in my cohort and get to learn alongside them in the classroom again. It has been a long time since we all have been able to interact with professors and fellow students in person, and I can't wait for the fall semester when we get to all be together and enjoy time as the Class of 2022.

What are your career plans? As a female student-athlete, I aspire to pave the way for more women to sit in leadership roles in the collegiate athletic industry. I hope to become an athletic director in the Power 5 conference and uplift female student-athletes in any way that I can.

Shaohua Li

Hometown/where you're currently located: I was born in Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe.

Undergraduate degree/school: I went to Michigan for my undergrad and pursued a degree in computer science with the College of Engineering.

Why did you decide to pursue an MM degree at Ross right now? I decided to pursue a degree in the MM program because I wanted to do something that involved both people and tech and I thought that this would couple really well with my undergraduate degree. 

What are you most excited for this year in the MM program? I'm really excited about the classes I'll be taking as well as just spending some time with my cohort. I feel like with the pandemic gradually easing up I can be a lot more engaged with my peers and professors and I'm really looking forward to that. 

What are your career plans? I'm really trying to get into project management in tech. I alluded to this earlier, but I really like the people and business aspect of technology, so a role where I can leverage my interests with my undergraduate degree would be amazing. 

Isabelle Jacobs

Hometown/where you're currently located: Westchester, New York

Undergraduate degree/school: University of Michigan - organizational studies major

Why did you decide to pursue an MM degree at Ross right now? I decided to pursue an MM degree at Ross because I believe that the program would enable me to become more facile and marketable in a continually evolving business environment. I will gather a vast network of colleagues and contacts which will help advance my career and identify leadership opportunities.

What are you most excited for this year in the MM program? I am most excited to learn from my peers as well as my professors. Being back at Michigan, especially on campus and for in-person classes, is very exciting and I can’t wait to learn the Ross curriculum. 

What are your career plans? Although I do not have concrete plans for the future, I do know that I want to work with people who push me to be the best version of myself, the best colleague, the best marketer or manager. I want to work at a company that is fast-paced and relevant to the modern-day world. I want to work with products or in situations where I can use my energy, enthusiasm, and skills strongly.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MICHIGAN ROSS MASTER OF MANAGEMENT PROGRAM