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 Spring 2025 Commencement, we sat down with a few students to learn about their experiences and the wisdom they've gained in the process.
Meet Anthony Teachey, who is graduating from the Full-time MBA program.
Hometown:
Durham, North Carolina
Undergraduate School and Degree:
Georgia Tech Institute of Technology, B.S. in Computational Media
Georgia Tech Institute of Technology, M.S. in Computer Science
Describe yourself in 15 words or less:
Devoted to discovering people’s likes and dislikes.
Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school?
I worked at the Expedia Group as a product manager intern in Austin, Texas.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career?
Whenever someone using Excel Online encounters an error, such as #VALUE!, they can hover over the cell to open a user interface card that will tell them what caused the error, and where to find additional resources. I came up with the idea and started the initial development of that card as an intern.
My manager had told me that customers complain about errors a lot, and he asked me how I would fix that. Having such autonomy early on in my career gave me the confidence to know that I can manage any open-ended problems that customers are facing throughout my career.
Why did you choose Scheller?
The MBA International Practicum was a key part of my decision to come to Scheller. My long-term goal is to be the vice president of product at a multinational tech company. I believed that consulting for a company based in another country would expose me to customs and challenges unique to conducting business in multiple countries. As a result, I believed that the International Practicum would help me become a better leader at a multinational company one day.
Community Work and Leadership Roles at Scheller:
- Decision Support Analyst, Georgia Tech Professional Education
- CHARGE Leadership Fellow
- “TechForward MBA Conference: Innovation at the Intersection of AI” planning committee
- Schell-X Speaker, “Philosophy of Pro Wrestling: Art or Sport”
- Student interviewer for Full-time MBA admissions
Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during your time at Scheller?
Being a CHARGE leadership fellow is the extracurricular achievement that I am most proud of during business school. “We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.” That is a quote from psychologist John Dewey (1933). I believe that the intentional reflection encouraged by CHARGE was one of the biggest benefits of my business school experience. CHARGE reminded me to complete certain tasks, it inspired the kind of leader I want to be, and it helped me discover skills that I did not know that I had.
While I was reflecting on the MBA alumni and student networking and wine tasting event, I remembered to schedule a coffee chat with an alumnus that I had met who is a product manager at a tech company which is the exact role I am seeking.
Another lesson was when I attended the Impact Lunchtime Talks with Mark Peterson, Founder of Ziscuit, Mark pointed out that we (MBA students, entrepreneurs, and employees rising the corporate ladder) have bad role models because we have seen massive layoffs while CEO pay has increased exponentially. This inspired me to be the kind of leader who puts the wellbeing of his employees before himself.
During a session with my executive coach, we discussed my tenure as the international film committee chair of my residence hall while I was an undergraduate student. Initially I told her what I usually tell people, which is that I led a team of students from nine different countries, and I managed a budget of $1,000. During this time, we hosted events screening films from around the world with culturally relevant food, decorations, and attire. We also organized excursions to local cinemas. At the end of the academic year, my fellow residents voted for me as the best committee leader.
However, my executive coach pushed me to reflect on what was hard. I told her about the time that no one else on the committee showed up to a meeting. I had to motivate everyone to return to the committee and keep planning events. My coach pointed out that motivation is a crucial skill for leaders.
I am proud of my time in CHARGE because it reminded me to keep networking after the event, it inspired the kind of leader that I want to be, and it helped me discover that I can motivate people.
Who was your favorite MBA professor?
Dr. Bradford Baker, who taught Leading Teams, was my favorite MBA professor. His passion for leadership and teamwork shines through in every lecture. Despite being a cynic, he genuinely believes in doing what he can for the betterment of humankind. He also has had some insane life experiences that I enjoyed hearing him tell.
What was your favorite course as an MBA?
The MBA International Practicum Nordics course was my favorite MBA course because it included a weeklong trip to Sweden. My group consulted for Moonlighting Industries, and the experience exposed me to challenges that are unique to conducting business in multiple countries. For example, their key product, Moon Smart Focus, is well known among directors of photography and assistant camera operators in the Nordics, but it has not yet taken off in the United States.
While in Sweden, each company presented to all the students before having a meeting with just their team. I was proud to see how each company was innovating and had made sustainability a core part of their business. As a class, we also visited a few cultural sites and museums. My favorite one was the Vasamuseet which houses a 396-year-old warship that is still composed of 98% of its original material even though it had spent 331 years underwater. One more reason I loved the trip: I had the six best dinners of my entire life there.
What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at Scheller?
Schell-X, like TEDx but for Scheller MBA students, is my favorite tradition. Once every semester, we have the chance to present to our peers about any topic of our choosing. My favorite Schell-X presentation thus far was Ankit Sharma’s talk on the history of professional wrestling in the United States. Both Ankit and I love watching pro wrestling. Seeing him share his passion with us encouraged me to present on the philosophy of professional wrestling at the following semester’s Schell-X.
What is the biggest myth about Scheller?
Our football team is underrated. During the 2024 regular season, we beat multiple top 10 teams. I expect us to get even more big wins next season.
What did you love most about Scheller’s location in the heart of midtown Atlanta?
Atlanta is a popular city for professional wrestling. The big companies like WWE and AEW have shows here every year. There are also independent wrestling promotions having shows every month in the Atlanta metro area.
Where did you intern during the summer of 2024?
I interned at FanDuel as a product management intern in Atlanta.
Where will you be working after graduation?
I am currently applying to full-time product manager roles at tech companies.
Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why?
I wish I had networked more. I would meet people at conferences, company information sessions, and office visits, but I would not always connect with them on LinkedIn or get their email so that I could follow up with them later. As a business school student, I knew networking was important, but I would approach it as if it were just a box to check. However, the value of networking comes from building and maintaining relationships with people, which is something that cannot be accomplished during a single meeting.
What movie or television best reflects the realities of business and what did you learn from it?
Silicon Valley did a fantastic job of highlighting the challenges of building a tech startup in a humorous way. One of many valuable lessons I learned from the show is that large investors can be both a blessing and a curse. Gaining a hefty sum of money to run your company is great; however, it is important to keep in mind that those investors have lofty expectations and may not be as patient as smaller investors.
What is one way that Scheller has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI?
The Managing Information Resources professor, Florin Niculescu, required us to use ChatGPT for some of our programming assignments in R and SQL. Niculescu believed that he would be doing a disservice to his students if he allowed us to graduate without gaining experience leveraging generative AI tools. I learned that ChatGPT is incredibly good at programming and that it can assist me in learning new programming languages quickly.
Which MBA classmate do you most admire?
If you ever have the pleasure of being on the same team as Allison Ziants, then she will be fully devoted to your success. In addition to the many group projects that I have shared with Allison, we also conquered a ropes course together. To say that I was nervous on this ropes course would be an understatement, but it is the strongest word that I am willing to admit publicly. Allison was calm and encouraging in a way that made me feel as safe as could be. Additionally, Allison has volunteered to practice behavioral interviews with any of our classmates.
Fun fact about yourself:
I have performed in an original play in Beijing, China.
What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?
I want to help build a consumer product that leverages a breakthrough technology like quantum computing. Additionally, I would like to become a vice president of product for a multinational tech company.