

MSBA Alums: Advice on Paying Off Student Loans
UC Davis MSBA consistently ranks in the top 10 for “Value for Money”
More than half of all graduate students take out loans to fund their education—and face repaying that debt. Alice Shen interviewed three MSBA alumni about their experiences.

MSBA Alumnus at Google: “Prioritize Your Time”
UC Davis MSBA offers opportunities to learn, have fun, expand your thinking
MSBA alum Naga “Yashas” Bhaskara Venkata, now at Apple, asked fellow alum Siva Arulkumar, now at Google, about his student experience and advice for prospective students.

“An MBA Lets You Be Bold”: How I Changed Careers and Started a Business
Taking calculated risks to discover my passion
“Thanks to the many lessons I took from my MBA experience, I found my passion for helping students reach their potential,” says alum Justin Chen MBA 17.

Jayce Smalley Named to Poets&Quants' 2022 MBAs to Watch
After playing Division I football for UCLA, recent Full-Time MBA alum Jayce Smalley transferred to UC Davis to compete on the field and earn his MBA. Smalley was recently recognized among Poets&Quants' MBAs to Watch: Class of 2022.

Over the EDGE: Reinventing Myself by Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone
Lessons learned in networking as an extroverted introvert and UC Davis MBA student
Esther Muriithi shares her experience juggling being a Sacramento MBA student, nurse and parent, and how she’s spreading her wings to become a better networking professional.

MPAc Alumna Brianna Dean-Sysum Readies to Join EY
2022 Master of Professional Accountancy grad shares her path to Big 4 firm
Recent MPAc alumna Brianna Dean-Sysum shares the value of UC Davis’ accounting program and her tips and advice for prospective students.

Unlocking the Value of Our Alumni Community
Our new Director of Alumni Relations and Network Strategy Christopher Marshall details his journey to the School, exciting new opportunities for alumni and more.

How I Joined the MPAc Program as an International Student
“A tremendous launch pad” toward a rewarding accounting career
International student and 2022 Master of Professional Accountancy graduate Ziyan Xu shares tips for pursuing a graduate accounting degree.

Bootcamp Basics: Getting Up to Speed in the MSBA Program
From Amazon to PayPal to UC Davis Master of Science in Business Analytics
After working globally for Amazon and PayPal for seven years, Laksh Suryanarayanan’s path led to the UC Davis MSBA program.

Synaptics CEO and Alumnus Michael Hurlston Shares Value of MBA with Full-Time Class of 2024
Sharing lessons from his time in the program and the value of his MBA, Synaptics CEO Michael Hurlston kicked off the onboarding events for the Full-Time MBA class of 2024.

Alumni Spotlight: Susannah Schulze MSBA 21, Senior Analyst at SunRun
MSBA student Lexman Kumar recently had the opportunity to catch up with alumna Susannah Schulze MSBA 21 to ask about her new role, her advice for incoming students and more.

Oakland Bottle Shop Co-founded by MBA Alum Featured in Bon Appetit
Alkali Rye, co-founded by Kori Saika Chen MBA 19 and Jessica Moncada Konte, introduces spirits made by underrepresented BIPOC distillers, brewers, and winemakers, and is featured in Bon Appetit's "Oakland Is America’s New Queer Food Capital."

MSBA Alumnus Embarks on a New Journey as a Research Scientist at Meta
It’s the people that make the UC Davis experience unique
Recent MSBA graduate Ethan Meng pivoted from accounting to data analytics and discovered a new career path.

A Deloitte Dream: How the MPAc program “Changed My Life”
My journey to UC Davis helped me find belonging, support and a career
Struggling to find his fit in college, Kyle Gillingwater discovered the UC Davis MPAc program, pivoted and found the program changed his life.

Pursuing Your MBA: 5 Must-Know Tips to Become an Expert Marketer
Amplify word-of-mouth marketing with five surprising strategies
Sharing from her marketing courses, Lecturer and Online MBA Teacher of the Year Vanessa Errecarte details how to best combine high-converting content with the right tools and tech.

MBA alumnus Mark Otero Raises $15 Mil. for New Web3 Gaming Venture, Azra Games
Prolific gaming entrepreneur and MBA alumnus Mark Otero's new blockchain/Web3 gaming venture, Azra Games, closed a $15M seed round led by Andreeson Horowitz plus NFX, Coinbase Ventures, Play Ventures and Franklin Templeton.


Alumni Spotlight: Larry Yee MPAc 13
Director of Finance, Mayfield Fund | Former Sr. Manager, PwC
"A lot of what I do today was grounded in the things I learned, and all of it started here," says Larry Yee, now a Director of Finance for the Mayfield Fund and a graduate of the inaugural MPAc Class of 2013.
Kyle Gillingwater MPAc 21
"The faculty at UC Davis went above and beyond in helping educate, advocate, and empathize with students. Their care for our success extended well beyond the completion of our courses."
Professional Experience
- Three years of corporate accounting experience at Build.com
- Intern at Reiss, Jackson and Co.
- Summer audit internship at Deloitte
Education
- B.S. in accounting, Chico State
Student Leadership and Experience
- Teaching assistant at UC Davis
- Student accounting society member at Chico State
- Beta Alpha Psi member at Chico State
Fun Facts
- I like to design houses when

What’s Next for You, Class of 2022?
Our largest class ever is ready to change the world
Hear from our newest alumni from the Class of 2022 as they share where they are heading next in their careers and future pursuits.

Q&A with MBA Alumna Smita Madam, Tableau Product Manager
Learning about the technical and non-technical sides of product management
From data deep-dives to interview tips, MSBA student Tushar Kotangale shares seven top questions from our recent Q&A with alumna Smita Madam.