Shelby Cain, Chicago Booth’s MBA Class of 2022
Age: 25
Hometown: Lone Tree, Colorado
Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of Iowa, Bachelors in Business Administration – Major in Marketing
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): After undergrad, I worked in Washington, D.C. for about a year doing communications and marketing work for an international non-profit that did work in international development and corporate social responsibility. I then received an invitation to serve in the U.S. Peace Corps which was a life-long goal of mine. I lived in Zambia for two years, from 2018 to 2020, helping farmers in my village address issues regarding food insecurity by employing improved conservation farming practices and assessing other income-generating activities. At the end of March, there was a global Peace Corps evacuation, and about a month after returning home, I worked for the summer as a Disaster Recovery Specialist with the U.S. Small Business Administration, guiding small businesses through Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. Additionally, this summer along with some friends and volunteers in Zambia, I started a non-profit e-commerce shop to sell handmade Zambian goods in the U.S. We provide funding for education for children who are orphaned by the impacts of AIDS and HIV (Ukupapa.com).
Why business school? Why now?
I decided while I was in the Peace Corps that the next step that made the most sense to me was business school because I wanted to pivot from the international development work I was in, to working with companies with social missions. A big part of business school is the fast immersion into any business ecosystem you want to access. Because Peace Corps is a set two-year contract, I knew when it would be ending and that let me be very clear about my planning for my next steps rather than possibly delaying my business school decision for later down the road.
Why Chicago Booth? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I chose Chicago Booth for two main factors, the rigor of the academics and the warmth of the Booth community. Even though my undergraduate degree is in business since graduation I have taken a hiatus from the business world working with an NGO and then for the U.S. Government. In order to work in a corporate setting, I wanted to re-formalize my business skills and explore more advanced concepts and Chicago Booth was top of my list for accomplishing that goal. Chicago Booth is infamous for having challenging academics and that challenge was very exciting to me, additionally, Dean Rajan places a high priority on making sure that faculty at Booth are top of their field.
I did my best to talk to current students from all of the schools I was interested in and applied to, but what stood out to me the most about Booth was that after every interaction, I left with a strong sense that the students and the staff at Booth were doing their best to help each other succeed. One experience that stuck with me was when I expressed my interest in learning more about Booth’s African American MBA Association (AAMBAA), the student group reached out to offer to do mock interviews and even host prospective students at their homes when they came into town to interview. This was more support and engagement than any other school offered for a mere applicant and it spoke volumes about the culture of peer support at Booth. When it came down to making my final decision, I wanted to be in an environment where I could feel like a part of a cohesive body and in turn a life-long community.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2022?
My most valuable and differentiating contribution is my grassroots experience and my “scrappiness.” For the last two years, I was working in a culture completely different from my own, helping subsistence farmers, in a foreign language, try different conservation farming business projects to increase the diversity of food on their tables and generate additional household income. Oftentimes in this role, I had to be crafty like when I worked with a local beekeeper to add value to his beeswax by figuring out how to make candles using empty paint tins and home-made wicks. We then experimented with extracting the citronella from locally available lemongrass to deter mosquitos, as malaria is still a prevalent threat in the community.
I also had to develop strong social networks that oftentimes helped me out in a pinch. For example, I purchased a hundred hens for an egg-laying operation, but there were no suitable crates for transporting the hens because in that area, people did not transport hens in that quantity – fortunately I knew a prominent farmer from the a place we held our conferences at that let me borrow their crates on a moment’s notice.
This unique experience helps me to digest problems and creative solutions in a different way than my peers. I think having students with non-traditional backgrounds like myself help enrich the MBA experience for everyone in the school. While in class, collaborating in student organizations, or talking about future opportunities it is fascinating to see how the input of everyone’s background experience comingles and overlaps in fascinating ways.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application?
I love experimenting with different methods of food preservation and fermentation. This was a side project during Peace Corps, that has now become a hobby bordering on obsession. I always tend to have sauerkraut or kimchi fermenting in my house and have a big tap of homemade kombucha.
Post-MBA career interests?
Social impact is a major interest of mine, currently, I am exploring career paths in either Corporate Social Responsibility or in Social Entrepreneurship, working in project management or corporate strategy for an organization in either the food, environment, or tech industries.
Advice to current prospective applicants:
–One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
One thing I was thankful that I did was to apply to my safety school first and save the preparation for my top pick school for last. I applied to all of my schools in round two, but I submitted my safety school’s application first. This was helpful because as I reviewed my essays again and again when applying to other schools the quality of my applications got better and better. I saved applying to my top pick school last and it felt much easier than applying to my safety school, because I was so well prepared in writing the essays, asking for letters of recommendation, and had already gathered all of the information I would need to submit.
–One thing you would change or do differently?
One thing that I would’ve done differently, possibly if I was applying from the states and had more consistent internet access, I would’ve looked into MBA support from organizations such as the Consortium or Forte. No one in my family social circles has gotten their MBA, so it was not until I met fellow minority and underrepresented admits that I found out about these programs that aid applicants with things like scholarships and advising.
–Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
I would have loved to skip the GMAT! I studied for it entirely while in the Peace Corps, and at my home, I did not have internet access or electricity. My study routine was using a well-worn 5-year-old study guide during the week, but not at night because I couldn’t read in the dark. And then biking into town once-a-week to access online study resources and do marathon study sessions. The only testing center in Zambia was in Lusaka, which meant a 16-hour bus ride to the capital. I am thankful that I only needed to take the test twice because by the second time I took it, there was a huge drought causing nearly 18-hour power outages that meant I was unable to study using online resources even when biking into town or to the provincial capital.
Even though the academics of school are challenging, they do not compare to the situational challenges I had to navigate on top of the GMAT, so I am very thankful every time I can charge my computer and establish a secure internet connection.
What is your initial impression of Chicago Booth’s students/culture/community?
My initial impression of Chicago Booth’s community is that the students are incredibly collaborative. If I express my interest in learning more about something or wanting to do a certain project, the first thing other students do is think about how they can help you to reach your goal. This has been incredible! Because of my non-traditional work experience background, I do struggle from time to time with imposter syndrome. How kind the other students are in trying to make sure we all succeed has reassured me that I am exactly where I should be.
Thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
I am most anxious about taking my foundations microeconomics course next quarter. It has been a while since I’ve last taken an economics course and students who have already taken it have warned that they cover all of the content from an undergraduate microeconomics course by class three.
Thing you are most excited about in your first year?
This is a very difficult question because I am very excited about a lot this first year! I am most excited about my classes in Entrepreneurship. I am in a class on Entrepreneurship right now and it is incredibly hands-on and experiential despite being an introduction course to the topic. The professor is guiding us through the process of ideating and assessing the viability of a breakthrough business. Students in this class come up with fascinating new ideas and many are able to further their ideas along with the other entrepreneurship course offerings at Booth. It’s really exciting to be a part of this incubator environment and I feel so fortunate to have a front-row seat to it all.
