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 Janice Jean, who is graduating from the Full-time MBA program.
Hometown:
Bangkok, Thailand
Undergraduate School and Degree:
Rice University, B.S. Chemical Engineering
Describe yourself in 15 words or less:
Curious and intentional, seeking deep connections, balance, and growth—learning through experience, yoga, and food.
Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school?
I worked at Tesla as a global supply analyst on the Indirect Supply Chain team, managing strategic sourcing and operational programs for R&D, service chemicals, and consumables/MRO commodities.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career?
I was proud to support production through supply chain efforts during such a critical and busy time at Tesla. I was involved in critical programs like the R&D and commercialization of the Cybertruck, ramp up of the Megafactory in Lathrop, and deployment of the first Megapack in Hawaii for energy storage from an indirect procurement perspective. I’m proud that I was a part of such a pivotal time at Tesla and had the opportunity to work with peers and leaders who supported and empowered me.
Why did you choose Scheller?
I chose Scheller because of the small size and tight-knit community. I did a lot of research trying to understand the culture of the schools that I applied to. Knowing that I thrived in a collaborative and smaller community, I put Scheller on my list of schools to apply to.
Scheller truly has some of the most humble, down-to-earth, and supportive people I have ever met. We celebrate every win, no matter how small. We have plenty of opportunities to build long-lasting friendships through our weekly socials. I wanted to be part of a community where we prop people up, we consistently advocate for each other, and we have the mindset of “we all win when one person wins.”
Community Work and Leadership Roles at Scheller:
- President, Operations Club: Our leadership team’s goal this year was to broaden everyone’s perception of operations, create awareness for all operations-related roles, and form connections and create opportunities between our current students, alumni and leading companies in Atlanta. In the past year, we hosted information sessions, panels, and office visits at Honeywell, Norfolk Southern, Intuit/Mailchimp, and Delta Air Lines. We wanted to showcase the breadth of opportunities within the world of operations.
- VP of Finance, Net Impact: Our leadership team works in tandem with the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business to highlight the importance of environment, diversity, and governance in the business world. We share and subsidize professional learning opportunities, including the annual MBA ClimateCAP conference.
- Board Fellow: I worked with Passion for Life, a local nonprofit in Atlanta, dedicated to empowering students in underserved communities to grow their passions into careers. I was a non-voting board member for eight months and had the opportunity to learn about challenges in scaling impact and transitioning from a working board to a governance board. I helped to identify and create evaluative criteria and assessments for board chairman candidates, establish an interview process, and led candidate interviews.
- Sustainability Fellow and Consultant: I worked with Cox Automotive for a year to identify a cost-effective bumper recycling strategy and logistics model. This was a great opportunity to make a tangible impact on a business locally headquartered in Atlanta. Additionally, I worked on a supply chain decarbonization project with Creature Comforts, a brewery based out of Athens, Georgia. My team quantified their scope three emissions and created a strategy roadmap to support their commitment to reducing emissions and innovation.
- MBA Ambassador: I love the community at Scheller and get to rave about it as I sit on panels, webinars, admissions interviews, and coffee chats with prospective candidates. All the Scheller staff, faculty, and students support each other and empower each other to succeed and thrive in all endeavors.
- Hobby Night Host: I am known for two things: First, yoga and health; second, eating spicy food. Our social committee provides the opportunity for MBA students to host events related to their hobbies. Some of my fondest memories have been at the hobby night events I’ve hosted where we did a vinyasa flow and feasted on healthy snacks and challenged our mind and body in various spice challenges like the x2 buldak fire noodle challenge.
- Peer Mentor: I served as a mentor for some of Scheller’s first-year students. We discussed how to make the most of your MBA journey, balancing life, classes, networking, and building lasting friendships in the program.
- Case Competition: My team placed sixth out of 32+ teams at the 2025 Leeds Sustainability Case Competition. I had the pleasure of working with some incredible classmates and traveled to Boulder, Colorado, to present our energy sourcing strategy for AI data centers. I am passionate about supply chain sustainability, responsible sourcing, and collaborative partnerships to mitigate risk and scale impact.
Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during your time at Scheller?
While I’ve been able to be a part of many incredible opportunities, I am most proud of my work with Creature Comforts and their sustainability program. My team’s project was to quantify their scope three emissions, aligning with the GHG protocol, and identify opportunities and provide recommendations for high impact projects they could initiate and implement.
The first time I stepped foot in Atlanta was when I drove across the country to attend Scheller. I didn’t know much about Atlanta or Georgia local businesses, and one of my goals was to support and learn more about local businesses through projects at Scheller. Everyone in Atlanta knows about and loves Creature Comforts, so I’m extremely proud of the impact I was able to make and the experience working with such a well-loved local brand.
Who was your favorite MBA professor?
Michael Oxman! He’s the director of the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business and teaches the Sustainability Business Practicum. The connections he has in the sustainability world are unparalleled and he continues to expand the impact of the center at Scheller, providing additional opportunities to both undergraduate and graduate students interested in pursuing sustainability.
What was your favorite course as an MBA?
I enjoyed our Legal and Ethics class, partly because our professor Steve Salbu is amazing, and partly because the way the class was taught was very engaging and thought provoking. Professor Salbu created a safe space for us to discuss our experiences and had a story to share for each class.
What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at Scheller?
It might have to be the Crawfish Boil every spring semester. Scheller students, family, friends, and alumni all gather in the Scheller Courtyard for a big plate of crawfish, spiced potatoes, and corn bread. I’m a huge foodie and was pleasantly surprised how good this tasted. It was my first time having crawfish during my first-year spring semester, and I finished the entire mountain of crawfish on my plate (and almost went back for seconds). This tradition represents Scheller’s focus on community, even once you’ve completed your program.
What is the biggest myth about Scheller?
Probably that students are mostly from engineering backgrounds. Yes, there are quite a few students with STEM backgrounds, but you’d be surprised how diverse each class is. In my class, there are doctors, nurses, physical trainers, lawyers, and actors.
What did you love most about Scheller’s location in the heart of midtown Atlanta?
There are some amazing restaurants and local businesses in Atlanta! I live to eat, not the other way around. Some of my favorites are Little Tart, Big Softie, Bomb Biscuit, and Del Bar.
Where did you intern during the summer of 2024?
I interned at Dropbox on their Infrastructure Supply Chain team, focused on determining the strategy for their next generation of data servers and enhancing the standard of excellence for NPI at Dropbox.
Where will you be working after graduation?
I will join Russell Investments as a manager on the Global Sourcing and Procurement team.
Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why?
Some of my favorite memories from the program have been trips and hosting dinners with my friends. We went wine tasting several times in Northern Georgia and once in Sonoma County, hiking in Pisgah Forest in North Carolina, tubing in the Chattahoochee River, hosting friends for coffee hour with homemade specialty coffee drinks, and skiing in Boulder.
I forget that two years can really fly by and that this is one of the rare moments in life where your friends are all together in the same place and are experiencing life in a similar way. While it seems like we did a lot, I wish we did more!
What movie or television show best reflects the realities of business and what did you learn from it?
Ted Lasso. Even if you aren’t an expert, knowing how to motivate your team through strong leadership, optimism, and empathy can inspire ordinary people to do extraordinary things.
What is one way that Scheller has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI?
Scheller has integrated AI by teaching us how to effectively leverage AI tools for productivity and problem-solving. In some classes, our professors encourage us to leverage AI to better understand its application in the field and course we’re taking. I’ve learned how to craft effective prompts, framing the right context and providing sufficient detail to obtain my desired output that’s tailored and specific. AI should be used to establish frameworks for broad problems, making work more efficient and insightful.
Which MBA classmate do you most admire?
Brooke Sharee Luster’s commitment to learning, connection, mentorship, and leadership is inspirational. She plans on making an impact in the fashion tech space and is a fashion icon herself. Brooke attended New York Fashion Week, is a CHARGE leadership fellow, and mentors young professionals in the Atlanta community. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her in a future edition of Forbes or any business magazine!
Fun fact about yourself:
I hiked to Everest Base Camp in 2015. The entire expedition took a little over 2 weeks.
What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?
I would like to come back as a panelist at Scheller to connect with current MBA students and bolster the connection between current students and alumni. I also look forward to eventually managing my own team in supply chain. I hope to continue to empower and advocate for others and help my teammates thrive and succeed.