UNC Kenan-Flagler

 

Kaseem Ladipo

MBA Class of 2009

Kaseem Ladipo

My internship: Summer 2008, associate banker, working with product specialists and investment managers in the private banking division of JPMorgan Chase, New York City

Background

  • Grew up in Atlanta, Ga., came to Chapel Hill from Atlanta
  • BS in Electrical Engineering, Syracuse University, 2000
  • Manager with AT&T’s Atlanta-based Power Planning Division, helping to oversee projects in Northeast and Atlantic regions
  • Worked for Breakthrough Atlanta, a non-profit providing supplemental education, including college prep, for youth in
    low-income families and attending low-performing public schools, first as program director and then as executive director

Career goals

"My involvement with the business community on behalf of a non-profit convinced me I needed to speak their language, and that meant an MBA. In five to 10 years I see myself as a senior manager in private banking, working toward a managing director’s job. Beyond that, I’m not sure, though the idea of an entrepreneurial venture is appealing. And I’ll stay involved with non-profit work, but as a board member helping to funnel resources, not as a staffer."

Why I chose UNC

  • Location
  • Strength of multiple programs
  • Offers a supportive, personalized environment
  • Respected and admired Kenan-Flagler alums

Student life

"I got married right before starting at UNC, so the needs and wants of my wife, Kellie, also had to be considered. She found a good job right away and we enjoy the social life here. It has a nice pace. The MBA program demands lots of long hours, that's a fact, but it also allows you to structure a lifestyle that works for you. I belong to the MBA Soccer Club, and competing in those games gives me a good physical outlet."

My experience of the MBA program at UNC

  • Dealing with a diversity of thoughts and cultures is a huge component to everything you do.
  • Case studies are a constant component of classes, and this is great because it means you’re learning about very real and dynamic situations, not just textbook examples.
  • I’d taken on major leadership roles before coming to Kenan-Flagler, but here you’re humbled at times because you’ve got to step back, take on the role of follower and learn from others.
  • Faculty members are more accessible than they necessarily have to be. I can’t think of a professor who hasn’t been available to me.

The UNC Kenan-Flagler network

"'Extra effort' are the words that best describe the network. For example, someone had a friend working for Goldman Sachs’ private wealth department. They offered to pass the word on about me, and that got me in for an interview about an internship. UNC alumni constantly reach out and are happy to pass the word onto hiring managers. Classmates get together to talk about school and the job market. Someone has planned social events for those of us who’ll be in New York this summer. It’s like the door is always open. I know I can rely on the network and leverage it when necessary."

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