Looking back at my year since I joined and my summer internship, it was fulfilling to see my expectations being met as I not only gained knowledge at McGill, but was also able to translate this knowledge into practical experience through my consulting experience in South Africa.
There are different purposes for which people decide to pursue an MBA.
For some, it is the opportunity to go up the corporate ladder; for others the short-term promise for a secure financial future. For me, it was the opportunity to gain valuable skills and international exposure, while continuing to pursue my passion for social impact.
As you read this introduction, you might be wondering how social impact fits within an MBA.
Here is my story.
My name is Fatuma Said Muzungu and I am from Uganda. Following the completion of my undergraduate degree in Computer Science, I embarked on a Masters program in Information Systems. My work experience ranges from working as a business analyst in a bank to doing research as a consultant for an NGO based in the United Kingdom. As time went by, it was becoming apparent to me that I had a gap in the knowledge needed to perform at various roles. I had learned much through my experience, but I needed an opportunity to gain concrete finance, marketing and core strategy skills. While a 2-year academic program would not make me an expert in all these aspects, it was the best option to gain a wide array of valuable business skills. That is why I chose to do an MBA.
Thinking about the location, I decided to do it outside of Uganda to gain more international exposure, and since I had been in the U.K. for my Masters, North America became a natural choice. I had always thought of going to Canada even in my youth, and I was well aware of McGill University’s excellent reputation. It had always been a school of mine, and so making the choice of coming here upon receiving my admission letter was not a difficult one.
For personal reasons, I had to enter the program late and because of that, a sense of panic and urgency grew in me. I felt like I needed to catch up, settle in as soon as possible and figure out my interests so that I could devote my time to the summer internship search. Based on my previous roles, I knew I wanted to do something that would be related to consulting, as roles in consulting usually have great balance between technical knowledge and people-facing opportunities. It didn’t matter if it was a corporate role or not, but I knew this would be my priority.
With this realization, I joined the McGill Consulting Preparation Program offered by Fiona McFarlane of the Careers Service Team and former McKinsey consultant Mike Ross (MBA’10) to get more insights about the required skill set to make it into this competitive field.
As I was searching for an internship, I spoke to many second-year MBA students (also called MBA2s), such as Sara Mahabadi, who was my MBA buddy. Sara mentioned the summer internship she did at Emzingo, a social enterprise that provides consulting solutions to various value-driven companies, family business and universities. It sounded rather interesting, especially given that I had NGO experience, and it gave me the sense that I would get involved with impactful work while building my experience in consulting. Having an impact and helping people who might not be in a position to help themselves as much while utilizing my skills sounded like the perfect fit.
And in addition to that, I would get to explore South Africa, a new country which meant for the opportunity to continue building my international mindset, an asset that give me an edge no matter where I go.
To increase my understanding of Emzingo, I reached out to the previous fellows who willingly shared their experience. As Career Services brings in many companies to the McGill campus, I also got to attend the on-campus information session given by Emzingo and then went a step further to have a chat with the recruiter, Julie Savaria, on a separate occasion. I did two rounds of interview: a one-on-one and a group case interview. The process was rather seamless and as I was interviewing, I was encouraged to showcase who I was, what was my motivation and what were the skills that I brought in. Shortly after, I was informed that I was selected and I was thrilled!
Heading to South Africa where the internship was taking place was exciting, especially since we travelled as a group (with my fellow MBAs Tim Lane, Karen Vanthuyne and Saikat Roy). The highlight of my internship was without a doubt the fact that I was able to use the skills learned in my first year but in a unique way, given the setting I was adapting it to. This allowed me to think outside the box and also be very nimble in terms of getting the job done.
Many people asked me what a typical day was like, but the truth is that there was no typical day at Emzingo! We had a variety of projects to deal with and had leeway to get involved directly with the clients. We could see our work impacting the target audience everyday, which was very fulfilling in itself. For example, once we had to map out a trainee journey which basically gives an opportunity to unemployed and uneducated South African youth and takes them into a 12-month training program so that they could become employable afterwards. Our role was to gather data and make suggestions of improvement by not only talking to the clients, but also directly to the trainees at different levels (people who went through the program, people who quit, etc.)
I can’t lie that it was challenging at times, but it was also a lot of fun and Cape Town is a must for whoever goes to South Africa! I took advantage of this opportunity to get to know more about South African culture, its cuisine and its amazing activities (bungee jumping was a bonus!).
I am now in my second year and I have been back in Montreal for a few months now. I have continued to get involved with social causes through the Hult Prize and Prereq, an MBA student-led organization that helps newcomers integrate into Canadian society and gives them the tools to better their chances of employment. I am still pursuing consulting, not mainstream consulting but rather the idea of having a role that presents a fine mix between technical skills, business acumen and people-facing opportunities.
Of course, the icing on the cake would also be to find a company that has a social impact or that gets involved with social causes and that would allow me to remain in Canada, my new home, so that I can immerse myself in the North American society and further the tangibility of my experience. In conclusion, what I have realized through my short time here is that everyone comes here for different reasons but that there is so much more to an MBA than just the promise of a better future. It’s also very much about the people around you, the environment that helps you harness your true potential and the impact you choose to make every day as part of your experience.
About the author
Originally from Uganda, Fatuma Muzungu did a Bachelor Degree in Computer Science at Makerere University, followed by a Master's Degree in Information Management and System at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. After working for 3 years in the U.K in an NGO and as a research analyst, Fatuma decided to come to Canada to do her MBA at McGill University. After doing a summer internship in South Africa, she is now in her second year pursuing consulting opportunities while getting involved with the Hult Prize and Prereq. We cannot wait to see where her path will take her!
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