Full-Time M.B.A. Marketing, Brand Management

From her early teen years, Sarah Hansen has followed a guiding principle learned from her parents: Identify opportunities when they come your way and then act on them. An early focus on communication led first to a college internship in the White House Press Office and, later, while still in her twenties, a stint as director of communications for International Data Group, overseeing a $2.5 million budget. Gradually she discovered that she enjoyed the marketing aspects of her job more than the communications side and that stronger financial skills would be crucial in a long-term business career. An M.B.A. was the clear path to her goals.

Sarah made the most of the opportunities offered by her Simon. In her internship at Proctor & Gamble’s Clairol Division after her first year of study, she developed a credential claim program with cross-functional teams for a new product launch within Clairol’s largest brand, Nice ‘n Easy. As an intern, she also analyzed national trends to gauge the success of a product relaunch and evaluated the impact of a price change in the market. Her work resulted in management’s implementing her recommendations and credential plan. By summer’s end, Sara was offered a full-time job in brand management at P&G. “The most important thing that I took away from my Simon School experience was the knowledge that I will never be an expert in every aspect of business, as there are so many things to learn – but I now have the skills to identify and conquer the challenges at hand in order to succeed in any capacity.”