Alia Tabet

MBA, Marketing, Finance Class of 2009

International Business Development and Analysis/Digital Products
National Basketball Association

Soccer is Alia Tabet's passion, but she followed another bouncing ball to a career in international business. Alia parlayed an internship with the National Basketball Association while a student at Simon into a position in International Business Development and Analysis/Digital Products for the world's preeminent professional basketball league.

An Orange County, CA, native, Alia was attracted to Simon by the small class sizes, quantitative-based course work, and the opportunity to study on the East Coast. The Simon Soccer Club also was a big draw for Alia, who was the team captain, as well as vice president/special events of the Graduate Business Council and a member of the Simon Tennis Club and Simon Entrepreneurs.

"I appreciated the international diversity of the school and enjoyed traveling with the soccer team and playing in tournaments with other business schools from around the world," Alia says.

Alia says her Simon experience has affected her career path by helping to provide her with the skills and confidence to handle more challenging and robust work assignments. She gives Simon faculty high marks. "I enjoyed Professor Safdar's Finance class; it was challenging," Alia says. "Pricing with Professor Shaffer was really interesting, I enjoyed Professor Seidmann's class for its variety. Brand Workshop with Professor Nelson was very useful."

"What impressed me most about the School was the accessibility to professors and faculty members and how close-knit the students were."