Alumni Panel Brings Career Paths into Focus

The MBA Alumni Entrepreneurship Panel, organized by the business school’s graduate programs Student Leadership Council (SLC), brought together alumni and current students to talk openly about careers, risk, and the realities of life after business school. The event welcomed graduate students and highlighted an alumni panel who had built businesses across industries and stages.

For Ashley Buffey, the event’s facilitator and primary organizer, the tone was clear from the start.

“You could tell students weren’t interested in high-level overviews,” she said. “They wanted to understand what this actually looks like in practice, how you go from idea to execution, how you think about risk, and what challenges you don’t see coming.”

That focus led to a discussion grounded in honesty. Panelists shared not only successes, but also missteps, like what it took to secure early funding, where they struggled, and how their graduate experience prepared them for the road ahead. Representing a wide range of industries, from brick-and-mortar businesses to food production to founders to consulting, the group reflected the many directions a career can take.

Buffey found herself scribbling notes throughout the evening, trying to keep up with the steady stream of advice.

Some themes surfaced again and again: “Iterate, iterate, iterate.” “Find your unique differentiator.” “Get comfortable with sales—like it or not, you are a salesperson now.” And perhaps most emphatically, take your finance classes seriously.

Beyond tactics, it was the mindset conversations that lingered. When the topic turned to imposter syndrome, Buffey underlined a quote shared during the discussion: “If you can’t believe in yourself, then nobody should,” shared from Kim Baker, marketing strategist and CMO.

For attendees, the impact was immediate and personal.

Sarah Adams, who will graduate in August and currently serves as assistant director for community-engaged learning at the Bonner Center, came to the event looking to better understand entrepreneurship from a distance.

“I don’t have a strong drive toward entrepreneurship,” she said, “but I wanted to learn more and see whether that shifted my perspective.”

While the panel didn’t change her career direction, it reshaped how she views the field. “It gave me a new appreciation for both the benefits and challenges of being your own boss,” she said.

She also found value in the broader career insights shared throughout the evening. “Even if you’re risk-averse, you need to put yourself out there so you’re ready when opportunities emerge,” she said.

For Jessie Harper, a member of the incoming MBA cohort who works in asset management and mergers and acquisitions at a commercial real estate firm, the event reinforced why she chose the program in the first place.

“I wanted to build a stronger foundation behind the experience I already have,” she said. “Seeing panelists from such different backgrounds, each bringing something valuable to the table, that’s exactly what drew me here.”

What she didn’t expect was how personal the experience would feel.

“I thought I’d hear helpful advice and a few success stories,” Harper said. “But I left with a real sense of connection.”

That sense of connection was fueled in part by a recurring theme throughout the panel, that there is no single path to success. For Harper, hearing that careers are rarely linear was both reassuring and motivating.

“It reinforced that growth comes from staying open and stepping into opportunities, even when the path isn’t perfectly mapped out,” she said.

Both students emphasized the value of hearing directly from alumni, something that brought the classroom experience into sharper focus.

“It’s invaluable,” Adams said. “Alumni understand where we’re coming from and connect us to what’s next.”

Harper agreed, adding that it made the program's rewards feel tangible. “Seeing where that work can lead gave me something real to look forward to.”

As the formal program ended, the energy in the room didn’t fade. Students lingered, continuing conversations, exchanging contact information, and revisiting ideas raised during the panel.

For Buffey, that was the clearest sign of success. “You know you’ve done something right when you’re breaking down the room and people are still there,” she said.