Jyoti Mishra
How would you describe your “Life at Rady”?
I began the Rady MBA program during the pandemic so more than half of my “Life at Rady” was virtual. This in no way reduced the rigor. I found the faculty fully dedicated to making it an engaging experience online, and my fellow students actively participated in all classes. In fact, our cohort has been called out as the most interactive class by many of the educators. We chat constantly on class content and its relevance to our life goals, and on several communication channels at once — Zoom chat, WhatsApp, and others. Whenever there is an opportunity for a meet-up, most everyone in our cohort shows up and with much enthusiasm to participate, whether it may be professional presentations or karaoke. Since we are the Executive MBA cohort, with busy work week professional lives, we really value each other’s time — everyone gives their 100% on team assignments. I have so much respect for my fellow classmates, and I have developed strong friendships at Rady with so many folks outside my areas of expertise. I hope to stay in touch with both students and educators for a long time to come — it’s an amazing network!
What was your favorite course and why?
I enjoyed several courses very much, including Leadership, Leadership in Practice: Coaching and Inclusion, Venture innovation, Venture Finance, Biotech, Corporate Governance, Management Communication, Negotiations, and even Quantitative Analysis, the list goes on. Many of these were very practical courses that can hone career leaders. It’s hard to pick a favorite but I would say Social Entrepreneurship (aka Purpose, Profit, and Practice) was a recent favorite because it really aligns with my values to develop a self-sustaining business that does good in this world.
What other schools and departments at UC San Diego did you collaborate with?
I am a School of Medicine faculty at UC San Diego, so studying at Rady was a collaboration in itself. I also regularly collaborate with faculty in the Jacobs School of Engineering, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Veterans Affairs. It is great to have so many of these schools and departments so accessible, and I find that the campus community has a highly collaborative spirit.
How did you form community and create a network at Rady? Were you part of any clubs or organizations?
I have a busy schedule as a full-time faculty and with two little kids. It has been quite a balancing act to also include all-day weekend classes and homework in this schedule! So, I’ve missed out on career networking-oriented clubs and organizations. Yet, I really feel I am part of a very diverse community of professionals. I have regular interactions with my cohort on chat groups and in person. The educators constantly bring in domain experts within the classes and all of these speakers have welcomed connections on LinkedIn that I have followed up on. Much of networking is self-initiated anyways, and it’s been good to follow up with new connections one-on-one.
Did the analytical focus of the faculty and coursework help to prepare you for your career?
Yes, absolutely. I was able to take the project I started in Quantitative Analysis to a peer-reviewed publication. Then, Finance and Investment fundamentals were really great, even for my personal financial needs. In Venture Finance, we were able to compare venture capital term sheets for their pros and cons — such learning opportunities that don’t come by otherwise. And finally, for our capstone business venture, the quantitative financials have really helped to ground the project. The school’s analytical focus, although challenging and time-consuming, has been quite valuable.
