After spending all of her post-collegiate professional career in Illinois, MBA student Emily Thompson headed to sunny California for her summer internship with Cisco Systems, Inc., in San Jose. Emily had just completed her first year of the Illinois MBA, concentrating in Marketing and General Management.

Emily joined the MBA program after working in marketing for a global electric company near Chicago. She chose the Illinois MBA after visiting campus. “I met for lunch with two current students, and they told me about all of the great activities and groups that the IMBA had to offer. They also really enjoyed their classes and thought the professors were top-notch.”
 
Emily has been quite active in her first year of the Illinois MBA. She is the current Vice President of Social Programs for the MBA Association and is also involved in Illinois Business Consulting, the Graduate Marketing Association, and the Women in Business Society.

Her initiative and leadership experiences proved valuable as she interviewed with companies for summer internships. When asked why she believed she was selected for the Cisco internship program, she replied, “I think I just fit well with the culture of the company and its ideals. Most of the people in our intern class have unique experiences working or studying abroad. They are not afraid to take risks and step outside of their comfort zone. It [Cisco] is quite a unique place to work - the company is incredibly global, and the work we do is mobile in every way. I enjoy the people at Cisco and how willing they are to network and help when needed. I also like the entrepreneurial spirit that somehow still exists in this huge company.”

In terms of the future, Emily is looking forward to her second-year classes that delve deeper into global marketing including New Product Development and the Marketing to Sustainable Marketplaces course that allows the opportunity to travel to India. Upon graduating from the Illinois MBA, Emily has also already set a few goals to achieve. “I hope to be working for a global company in some sort of human capital development capacity. I may even be living in another country!”