Bios

Serdar

An international man of mystery, Serdar was born and raised in historical Istanbul, Turkey. At the age of 18, he decided to take a short trip to United States after receiving a NCAA Division I volleyball scholarship from Indiana University, where he received a degree in finance. Upon graduation, he made his way into Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management, where he is currently a first-year MBA student. At Owen, Serdar is concentrating in finance and strategy, and acts as President for the TVA Investment Club, as he has a special interest in global equity markets & macroeconomics. Now, he will delve into the challenges & opportunities he is currently facing at business school as a young MBA student. Please feel free to contact him.

Brooks

A self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie, Brooks was born and raised in Southern Louisiana. Upon graduating high school, Brooks made a life-changing decision of moving 60 miles from his hometown of Lafayette to attend Louisiana State University. While attending LSU, Brooks was very active in the Greek community and also became addicted to LSU football. Somehow in the midst of all the chaos, he managed to graduate in four years with a degree in management & entrepreneurship. Afterwards, he made the journey straight to Vanderbilt University’s MBA program, where he is concentrating in entrepreneurship and finance, and is attempting to gain a specialization in real estate. Brooks plans to provide insight on how MBA applicants can leverage their minimal work experience, grades, GMAT scores, and interview skills to help aid them in the admissions process.

Amy

A tone-deaf music lover, Amy is proud to be a native New Orleanian. She traded Cajun rhythms for country tunes when she began her undergrad career at Vanderbilt University in 2003. Amy took advantage of college life to pursue a wide range of opportunities, including majors in chemistry and philosophy. She also served two years on Pi Beta Phi’s Executive Council, and worked for nearly three years in a diabetes research lab at Vanderbilt University Medical Center while still in school. Always impatient, Amy thought now was as good a time as any to begin her MBA, and the health care MBA program at Owen was a perfect fit! She is thrilled to answer any questions you may have, so don’t hesitate to contact her.

Colleen

Colleen is a first-year MBA student at Owen Graduate School of Management, studying finance and health care. She came to Vanderbilt after finishing her undergrad degree in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia. On any given day you may find her at a tailgate, the library, or espousing her views on certain income brackets and the people in them. Also, you’ll be able to pick her out of a crowd by the awesome shoes she is always supporting. She is hoping to provide valuable insight on why she’s getting her MBA now and if following the same path may be right for you. And how much she misses Trader Joe’s.

Kyle

Kyle is a movie obsessed MBA student concentrating in finance and accounting. After studying abroad in Italy for a semester and in Spain for a year, Kyle graduated from Clemson University in 2005 with a major in Spanish. He continued his studies at NYU in Madrid, where he got his master’s degree in Spanish and Translation. Being the excellent real-world avoider that he is, he moved to Beijing, China in August 2006 to study Chinese and teach English. Wanting to get into business without a business background, Kyle knew that an MBA was the next logical step. Vanderbilt’s strong finance department and Nashville’s live music scene were exactly what he was looking for in a b-school. He is now ready to enter the work force but will forever miss his traveling days.

Jimmy

Jimmy Cruse grew up in a town with cows across the street from his high school; his hometown is even called Farmington. After high school, Jimmy would mooove on to Truman State University where he earned his B.S. in Business Administration with a minor in Economics. While there, Jimmy captained Truman’s inline hockey team to a 20-4-0 season his senior year, earning a #2 rank in the nation among DII teams at one point. Jimmy chose Purdue University’s MBA program for its emphasis on “teamwork.” At Purdue, Jimmy quickly earned a spot as a defenseman on the Purdue inline hockey team. Jimmy hopes to be a useful resource in helping future YoungMBAs tackle the application process with success. If you’re ever in the neighborhood, Jimmy never turns down a late night Taco Bell run.

Jason

Jason Teo was born and raised in Singapore. Apart from hip-hop dancing and bowling, his hobbies include an insatiable lust for learning about new cultures. In addition to being fluent in English and Mandarin, he sharpened his Thai skills after volunteering in Thailand for several summers. Jason studied economics at The University of Chicago where he was inspired by economist Steven Levitt and psychologist Pascal Wallisch. His next stop will be at Wharton, as he will begin his MBA/MA in International Studies in the Wharton & Lauder joint-degree program at UPenn in May 2008. He wishes that a resource like YoungMBA.net had existed earlier to help him through the application process; and he hopes that prospective MBAs will contact him liberally with any questions they have.

Symon

Symon was born in China and grew up in Los Angeles. Symon attended University of California, Irvine, where he earned dual degrees and Latin honors in EE/CS and economics. During his senior year, Symon participated in Harvard’s Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP). Inspired by what he learned there, Symon chose to apply to b-school that same year. Now a second-year MBA at Stanford, Symon is focusing on real estate and entrepreneurship. He completed his summer internship at a commercial real estate investment & development group in Santa Monica, CA. After b-school, he will be joining a real estate private equity group based. In his free time, Symon enjoys golf and working on his Chinese, investing, and restaurant concepts. You can contact Symon here.

Joe 

Joe Sargent is an easy-going guy with self-proclaimed “Denzelian” good looks. Hailing from Virgina Beach, VA, he graduated from Cornell University in 2006. Joe has spent the last two years earning his master’s degree in Sport Management from Indiana University (with a short stay at The University of Kentucky). After deciding that he eventually wants to become a sports marketing executive, Joe decided that an MBA be the most effective way to reach this goal. Joe joins the Class of 2010 at the Kelley School at Indiana University, hoping to take advantage of the excellent marketing department. Move over Phil Knight.