Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business students come to learn, explore, and build community. As they move forward in their careers, they take everything they've learned and use it to power innovation in industries and businesses across the globe. In celebration of Fall 2024 Commencement, we sat down with a few students to learn about their experiences and the wisdom they've gained in the process.
Meet married couple Andre and Mitchell Weltman Tatar, who are both graduating from the Executive MBA program.
Hometown:
Andre: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Mitchell: Valdosta, Georgia
Describe how you met:
We met in math class at Georgia Tech while pursuing our undergraduate degrees in Industrial & Systems Engineering.
How did you come to the decision to pursue an Executive MBA together?
We applied when I was pregnant with our first child. We started the program when she was only three months old. Since we met at Georgia Tech, we jokingly called doing the MBA program together our “baby moon.”
Would you encourage other married couples to pursue an Executive MBA together?
Yes! It was so much better doing it together. Building friendships, talking about classes, studying together, comparing work related learnings together, and struggling and succeeding together. We really supported each other, and it was fun to learn together. It was great to have the shared experience.
What was your favorite business course?
Strategy! It was so engaging and really relatable.
What advice would you give to an incoming Executive MBA student?
It is hard but it is worth it. Don’t delay it. Once you have finished you won’t know how you got through it all! The Executive MBA program is hard, but what happens with your family, your home, and your career while you are taking on the program can’t be fully planned out. All those factors make the degree that much harder, so take it on when you can!
What activities were you involved with on or off campus, and did your business education impact those activities in any way?
We live three and a half hours away, so it certainly impacted our home life, social life, work, and activities.
What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at Scheller?
I love homecoming! The air is changing. It is near Halloween, and the parades are so much fun! When Andre and I were engaged, we took our first dog dressed up to homecoming at Georgia Tech. When our daughter was around seven months old, Andre and I had Executive MBA classes during homecoming, but my parents (also Georgia Tech grads) took Gilah to her first homecoming dressed as a baby Buzz!
What was your career journey in the Executive MBA program?
We work for a family business, and we both feel like the MBA helped prepare us immensely for our future. It helped us understand better and ask more insightful questions as well as see things from a different point of view.
What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?
I think it is hard to make tangible bucket list items for a family business, because it is just a bit different. But we really strive to understand the needs of our coworkers, customers, and community. That is always really important to us.
What was a moment when you had to practice persistence and/or resilience while in the MBA program?
Right near graduation we were hit with a hurricane. Then, one month later, a flood. All while our daughter battled ear infections and hand foot and mouth disease, and we worked on our capstones and toward finals! We are so tired!
What is the biggest lesson you gained from your Scheller MBA?
The relationships and learnings are worth it more than we could have imagined.
What will you be doing to celebrate your graduation?
Taking our daughter to the aquarium with two of her grandparents and her uncle!