The best and brightest online MBAs 2024: Robbin Lee, University of Michigan (Ross)

“Robbin is a born mobilizer and has made bringing people together the core of her career and identity.”

Age: 31

Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland

Fun fact about you: When I started my MBA, I shared this as my introductory tip with my classmates, and it really stuck—my absolute squat max is over 400 pounds.

Basic education and qualification: University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) – BA in Media and Communication Studies and BA in Art History

Where are you currently working? Director of Partnerships and Mobilization at UpSurge Baltimore

What achievement in your professional career are you most proud of? I have had the privilege and opportunity to inspire many people to invest their time, talent and wealth to improve Charm City. That could be measured in millions of dollars, countless hours of human time, or libraries full of intellectual capital, but what really matters to me is that I can say I made a small but meaningful contribution to improving the national story of Baltimore – the city and community that I love because it embraced and shaped me as a whole person.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? I chose the online MBA program at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business for several reasons.

1) To be honest, I was drawn to the Michigan culture by my partner, who earned his PhD from the engineering school. I was impressed by the faculty and the school’s pride.

2) I wanted an online MBA program that also offered me many personal opportunities to connect with and learn from my fellow students.

3) The University of Michigan alumni network is unparalleled!

What did you like most about participating in the online MBA program? What I enjoyed most about my online MBA program was that I was able to meet and learn from many different colleagues from all walks of life, careers, cultures and backgrounds. Many of us were able to immediately apply what we learned in class to our everyday work and our shared reflection was so valuable and interesting.

What was the most surprising thing about an online learning environment? What surprised me most was that the online learning environment was much more collaborative than I thought it would be. I give credit to the fact that our curriculum was intentionally designed to mitigate the often isolating aspects of online learning.

How did your online experience compare to your classroom experience as a student? Of course, my online experience certainly required more personal responsibility to keep up with the course material.

What is your best advice to an applicant who wants to succeed in an online MBA program? Any MBA program is a commitment. Those who choose an online MBA program often want to continue their education while continuing to work in some capacity. Negotiate with your loved ones early on about the sacrifices you will have to make to make time for classes and school activities. Make the most of your experience in the program by getting to know as many of your fellow students as possible and as well as possible.

How has your online training helped you in your current job? During my online MBA program, I managed a nonprofit organization. My MBA studies helped me better understand how to run an organization efficiently and with a more long-term perspective, and gained confidence in my leadership skills. In my current role, I continue to use much of what I learned during my MBA on a daily basis, especially now that I support entrepreneurs scaling their companies in our city’s tech ecosystem.

Did you receive a promotion during the program or immediately after graduation? Immediately after graduating, my education led me to leave the nonprofit I had led for six years and join a new organization where I could expand my scope of work and focus more on what I had identified as my strengths in my MBA program – partnerships and mobilization. My MBA certainly added value to my career, and I am grateful that my MBA experience opened the doors to a new career chapter.

Why did you complete an online MBA program rather than a full-time on-campus program? I knew I wanted to continue working alongside my education. I also knew that my career and values ​​at the time were very place-based and I didn’t want to be disconnected from my community. However, I wanted to pursue an education outside of the regional bubble where I had grown up, gotten my undergraduate degree, and started my career. All of these factors combined to make an online MBA program the most sensible option.

Number of hours per week for an online MBA: 12 hours per week

What is your ultimate long-term career goal? I want to be remembered as someone who maximized relational capital for the benefit of a community. Eventually, I’m thinking about starting my own company that provides creative solutions for connecting across generations and cultures.