7 - Meet Your New Hosts Ben and Kara!

Humans of Tepper

Welcome back to the Humans of Tepper Podcast, a show about the MBA experience at Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business. Cynthia and Rohit will be transitioning the show over to two new co-hosts, Ben and Kara. Kara is a Pittsburgh native. She studied business management and, from there, started working in market research and healthcare companies. Ben is originally from Upstate New York and studied broadcast journalism at Syracuse University with dreams of breaking into sports broadcasting. Eventually, he transitioned into digital marketing before moving on to study at Tepper.

Kara wasn't entirely sure how or when she'd pursue her MBA, and Cynthia asks what inspired her to finally make the jump. Kara explains there's so much experience to obtain from working in the real world, and she wanted to ensure she was getting the most out of her MBA. It mostly came down to when she felt ready.

Tepper's community really jumped out to Ben and the exposure to diversity and different backgrounds it offered. He really appreciates the ability to form a community, despite the hybrid experience of online and in-person classes. The amount of support he's received from peers and staff has been phenomenal. Kara agrees, stating that it played a surprisingly massive role in her recruiting journey. Kara is also looking forward to working with the marketing and healthcare club boards. Community and club involvement form the backbone of Temper and provide excellent opportunities for networking and experience.

Ben will be taking over as marketing club president. He plans to continue exposing the club to companies that use marketing as a core function. Many of those companies are local, so there are many opportunities to go to those businesses and show classmates how marketing works on a ground level. In-person events are something he's looking forward to next year, and he is excited to impact the next class coming in.

Cynthia asks Ben and Kara what brought them over as co-hosts to the Humans of Tepper Podcast. There might be instances where students can't be in-person, and Kara has experienced many challenges with experiencing the culture of Temper without being there firsthand. This podcast allows her to bridge that gap and do a deep dive into that culture. For Ben, it stems from his radio background and that it's something he can have fun with. He also wants to encourage other students with his story and remind them that every path is unique.

What You Will Learn:

1. Background on Ben and Kara, the Humans of Tepper Podcast's two new co-hosts
2. What sets the community of Tepper apart
3. What goals, aspirations, and impacts Ben and Kara hope to achieve