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 Lewis Maye, who is graduating from the Executive MBA program.
Hometown:
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Describe yourself in 15 words or less:
A determined individual that finds the right way to accomplish what I set out to do.
Tell me about the person who most influenced your decision to pursue an MBA?
My mother is extremely inspirational, brilliant, and more than well-educated. One night we had a great conversation about my plans, and things that I had put off for too long in both our opinions, namely graduate school. This was the tipping point for my decision making.
What was your favorite business course?
That is a hard question and kind of unfair! LOL. I do not think I could pick between courses that were individually great. You must find your sweet spot for each course and live there.
What advice would you give to an incoming Executive MBA student?
I would say: take advantage of all that you can and get ahead as much as you can. Also, respect the time and energy of others.
What activities were you involved with on or off campus, and did your business education impact those activities in any way?
Typically, I would attend Georgia Tech football games. Outside of that, I would go to occasional music or arts related events to keep my sanity.
What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at Scheller?
I really enjoyed the Crawfish Boil. I was not able to make the last one due to travel, but I like how it brings together alumni and students in a fun way, and typically during a nice time of year to be outside in Georgia.
What was a moment when you had to practice persistence and/or resilience while in the MBA program?
Outside of trying to maintain some semblance of physical fitness, I would say that the customer discovery journey during our Management of Technology project proved to be a challenge. However, digging up internal motivation to go out and purposefully talk to strangers week after week was challenging, fun, and fruitful in many ways.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from your Scheller MBA?
I learned the importance of not just empathy, but making room for others, and letting others know how you communicate when building coalitions and working through problems or process improvements.
What will you be doing to celebrate your graduation?
I’m not quite sure, but I believe it will definitely entail travelling to a quiet and remote place somewhere on Earth.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
I was a campus kid. A lot of the time I spent growing up was done on a college campus, even before I was actually born.