The Michigan Ross Alumni Network Has Given Me So Much — I’m Committed To Paying it Forward

By Charlotte Rath, MBA ’19

I knew there was something different about Michigan Ross alumni from the moment I was accepted to the Ross School of Business.

In the days that followed that highly anticipated acceptance phone call, I received emails, calls, and handwritten notes from members of this community letting me know they were there to help, and sharing just how excited they were to welcome me to Ross.

I can vividly recall candid conversations with alumni helping me to make the decision about what MBA program would be best for me. Their pure joy for the journey I was about to start makes total sense to me now, at the end of my two years.

For current students, interactions with alumni are often coupled with recruiting and job search experiences, but some of the most impactful interactions for me have been sharing simple Ross moments together. I have relied on candid conversations with Ross alumni to determine how to spend my time at Ross — what events not to miss, what clubs to join (the band!), and how to make career decisions.

In the last two years, Ross alumni have hopped on the phone with short notice to provide guidance on a club or class I sought help with.

Throughout internship recruiting, Ross alumni prepared me for interviews and shared their career experiences with me, leading me to a summer internship with Amazon. During that summer, I met with more than a dozen Ross alumni who were more than willing to have coffee, review my intern deliverables, and connect me to other Rossers in the company. I couldn’t leave one meeting without a recommendation for another Ross alum to meet.

From the first week to the last, this network set me up for success, and ensured I was enjoying my internship experience.  

When alumni have returned to Ann Arbor to visit, I have quickly realized the instant connection of sharing a drink at Skeeps on a Thursday, getting dinner at Mani, or having sangria at Dom’s. It is these moments that make you realize that two years in Ann Arbor are full of shared experiences that connect every Ross student and alum.

Having just graduated with my Ross MBA, I am certain I will be just as passionate as those who have come before me. It shouldn’t be surprising that Ross alumni are uniquely supportive — Ross students are fiercely committed to each other while on campus, and that attitude carries through our life as alumni. I know that as an alumnus, I will be ready to send welcome emails, have phone calls with students, and return to campus for as many football games as possible.

I am beyond honored to join the Michigan Ross alumni family.

For today, goodbye; for tomorrow, good luck; and forever, Go Blue!