At the end of the most challenging year in this generation we welcomed our new class of enthusiastic and determined Full-time MBA students, excited and ready to hit the ground running.
With the class coming from all over the globe in the midst of a global pandemic, we caught up with Ishita Prabhu who flew from India to join our class in Manchester.
Ishita had been working as a Senior Associate at Ernst & Young in Mumbai before she decided to pack her bags and embark on her Full-time MBA journey at Alliance MBS. She originally joined Ernst & Young in 2015 in International Taxation and Transfer Pricing after completing her Chartered Accountancy qualifications. During her time at Ernst & Young, Ishita took a sabbatical where she travelled to London to study on a summer school programme with London School of Economics. It was here that she knew one day she would study an MBA programme and preferably in the UK.
The decision to study an MBA fell in Ishita’s lap, she knew that this was the final piece of the puzzle she needed to achieve her career goals. She said, “I always knew an MBA would be part of my career plan, but the final decision to do an MBA came when I knew I wanted to progress. I knew having an MBA would prepare me for my next role and help me climb the ladder to a managerial position. An MBA gives you the rounded business knowledge and leadership skills that you can’t learn anywhere else.”
Studying an MBA in the UK was always the first choice for Ishita, despite having family living in the US. After her summer school experience in London, she knew that the UK was the place for her. The diverse culture was a real push for her to come and study her MBA in Manchester; she believed that studying an MBA in a multi-cultural city with a diverse range of students would really add to her palette of skills. She said, “Learning from academics outside of your home country helps you to adapt to a whole new environment.”
The big question for Ishita was: why did she decide to move to another country and begin studying an MBA programme during the COVID-19 crisis? She answered with optimism: “Time waits for no man. I did not want to delay my study, I have to keep moving and continuing with my life as planned.”
When Ishita first arrived in Manchester from Mumbai she had to quarantine for 14 days due to COVID-19 regulations. However, she speaks of this experience in a positive light; telling us how the Alliance MBS community helped and guided her through the quarantine. There was never a point that she felt lonely and before she knew it she was able to travel to campus and meet, of course socially distanced, some of her new class mates.
Since starting the Full-time MBA programme in December she has already been put in a group and thrown straight into the first project, which focuses on third sector consultancy. She said, “Everyone has a different professional background, so all the students in the group are able to contribute something unique from their experiences. I have already learnt a lot from this project, such as the values and ethos of a new organisation, and it is very different to working within a big company. I have found that I need to connect with clients and understand their needs in a new way, it has been a great way to start the MBA.”
"I believe that I must continually build upon the sound upbringing, good education and human values I received from my parents and contribute to economic progress and social change. My MBA is a step forward in this journey.
While I was exploring the city streets, I came across a sign at a construction site that said “Restoring the Past and Building the Future”. This struck me as a core principle which would drive inclusive, seamless and enduring change."
Manchester is a city that respects the past, celebrates the new and heralds the future. This gives it character and culture and instantly gave me a sense of belonging. The city of Manchester and AMBS are now my home away from home.”
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