From an Olympian flag bearer to a U.S. Army officer who landed in Normandy on the 74th anniversary of D-Day, the incoming Full-time MBA class at the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business includes a variety of stories and personalities. This unique group of students will begin their two-year MBA program this fall and are poised to make an immediate impact.
We sat down with a husband and wife from Chile, an Olympian who is currently a physical therapist, and a U.S. Army officer who has also worked at Amazon to learn why they chose Scheller and how they’ve been preparing before their MBA journey begins.
Fernanda Canessa
Hometown: Santiago, Chile
Pre-MBA Role: Demand Planner, L'Oréal Chile
What (and/or who) brought you to Scheller’s Full-time MBA program?
Georgia Tech is a prestigious university, internationally recognized for its strong engineering focus. I am particularly interested in a concentration in Supply Chain and Operations, an area in which I have developed over the last four years. After talking with alumni and some of the staff, I knew it was a place where I would fit in perfectly!
What are you doing now to prepare for the new school year?
I am taking advantage of these weeks to spend time with friends and family in Chile before moving to Atlanta to start the program.
What do you want your future classmates to know about you?
I am very excited about this new experience and particularly happy to be able to do it with my husband Diego, who is also an MBA student in this class. I love eating, walking, dogs, and traveling!
Diego Miranda Tapia
Hometown: Rancagua, Chile
Pre-MBA Role: Customer Success Manager, ALTO Group
What (and/or who) brought you to Scheller’s Full-time MBA program?
After an arduous search for the best fit, considering variables such as quality, prestige, location, and reaching a consensus with my wife, who is also pursuing an MBA, we concluded that Scheller was the perfect place for us.
What are you doing now to prepare for the new school year?
I am wrapping up my work-related tasks, attending many farewell events, packing my bags to start this new adventure, and completing all the pre-MBA assignments.
What do you want your future classmates to know about you?
I am a very sociable person, always willing to meet new people and participate in activities, especially if they involve sports or travel.
Andrew Chetcuti
Hometown: Marsascala, Malta
Pre-MBA Role: Physical Therapist, Physio
What (and/or who) brought you to Scheller’s Full-time MBA program?
After practicing as a physical therapist and being directly involved in healthcare for the last four and a half years, I’ve grown frustrated with my limited ability to make impactful change in the grand scheme of healthcare as an industry. Despite loving what I do and getting joy in seeing my patients return to 100%, I want to be able to be more involved when it comes to making key operational and strategic decisions that both better the patient and the industry.
After speaking with one of my best friends, Yuval Safra, who just graduated from the program, as well as completing my undergraduate degree at Georgia Tech, it was clear that Scheller was the best fit for me to successfully pivot into a new career in consulting.
What are you doing now to prepare for the new school year?
I’ve still been working as a physical therapist at my clinic in Midtown, as well as spending some vacation time back home in Malta to see family before school starts. Besides the finishing up of assigned pre-program schoolwork, I’ve also been involved with ExperienceBain and I’ll be participating in Bain’s AI think tank this coming week!
What do you want your future classmates to know about you?
Something I’m super proud of was getting to compete in the Olympic Games in 2012, 2016, and 2020 (2021) and representing my nation Malta, as well as getting nominated as flag bearer for the last two editions.
As a person, I’m relatively social and have a hard time not getting involved in some events during my free time. I love spending my weekends golfing, exploring the Atlanta brewery/bar scene, and watching soccer (I’m a massive Liverpool FC fan). I’m looking forward to getting to know you all!
Allison Ziants
Hometown: I’m from Selinsgrove, PA, and I’m currently living in Alpharetta, GA
Pre-MBA Role: US Army Officer and Operations Manager at Amazon
What (and/or who) brought you to Scheller’s Full-time MBA program?
The location and welcoming feeling I got when I reached out for info brought me to Scheller. The Veterans Club was amazing and so helpful and made me feel like I was on the team before I even applied. The focus on small teams and the array of practicums for real-world experience was also extremely appealing.
What are you doing now to prepare for the new school year?
I’m trying to enjoy some time off before the hecticness of the program begins. I’ve been working on math skills through MBA Math and will be attending the Forté MBA Women's Leadership Conference in Dallas.
What do you want your future classmates to know about you?
I love the outdoors and being active. I have two dogs and a girlfriend that mean the world to me. I love sports, playing and watching. I'm a big Harry Potter fan. I think of myself as being kind of boring but am always up to try new things. One of the coolest things I did while in the Army was go to Normandy, France, and jump into Normandy on the 74th anniversary of D-Day with paratroopers from across the world.
Learn more about Scheller’s Full-time MBA program.