Keltan Lawler, MM '18
When Keltan Lawler was looking for a way to transition from his pre-med path to a career in marketing, the Michigan Ross Master of Management Program stood out. “I spoke with former MM students from Ross and they were excited to meet me and eager to help. I felt welcomed and at home — that’s not something I noticed with other schools.”
Keltan considered marketing-specific degrees, but wanted to avoid an overly narrow approach. “I hadn’t even taken a marketing class yet, and didn’t want to feel stuck for the rest of my career. The Ross Master of Management gives you leeway to explore your options and switch.”
Gaining a wider perspective is another advantage of the MM’s broad curriculum. “I think about marketing from a variety of perspectives. I tie in finance, operations, accounting, and other areas — I would have been super myopic in my thinking if I had chosen a program strictly focused on marketing.”
Still, the Ross MM offers Keltan opportunities to dive into his chosen field. He works on the Marketing Committee helping to promote the program and represent the student voice. “It’s different talking about marketing in class and then actually living it. There are a lot of factors and restrictions that come forth in the ‘real world.’ You have to take a systematic approach to everything and make sure you meet brand standards. It’s been invaluable.”
For Keltan, the feeling of family and community he gets from the MM program is among its biggest benefits. “We’re all here to grow together. We are strategically paired with people from different backgrounds, like engineering, sociology, psychology, and more, so it gives you many different perspectives.”
The MM culture is about embracing those different backgrounds and working with each other to become better at business.
He also takes advantage of resources such as the Center for Positive Organizations. “I have participated in many CPO talks where you learn from world-class business influencers and apply the concepts to make positive change in the business arena. I will always keep the ideas I learn to inspire positive change in the future.”
Keltan is confident about his next steps. “Michigan Ross is one of the top business schools in the world. I know the skills I learned here will allow me to perform well in the workplace and add value to any company.”
He concludes, “I love the program. This has been the best year of my entire life, and I don’t say that lightly.”