Student Community
The Evening MBA community is about more than sitting in a classroom together. While you will surely bond over study sessions and classroom discussions, some of the strongest connections will be made through social activities such as student organizations, community events and post-class casual conversation. Get to know our community and start to picture yourself as a Texas MBA.
Student Organizations
The Texas Evening MBA program offers a number of student-led organizations to further professional development, provide additional networking opportunities and serve the broader community. Organizations centered on program enrichment, community service, entrepreneurship and consulting are just a few examples of existing groups serving the Evening MBA community. You are encouraged to explore these organizations or even start your own group. This is an excellent way to develop and demonstrate leadership skills and make connections with classmates and industry leaders.
Graduate Business Council
The GBC serves as the student government for all students in the Texas Evening MBA program. Representatives to the GBC are elected by classmates and work directly with program administration to enhance the overall student experience. GBC representatives serve on a number of standing committees and organize and actively promote community service opportunities, social events and program improvements.
McCombs Admissions Committee
The McCombs Admissions Committee (MAC) within the Evening MBA Program plays a vital role in providing the admissions staff with a student perspective on the MBA admissions process. MAC members participate in many aspects of MBA admissions including planning and attending recruiting events and serving as a point of contact for prospective applicants. As current students who were recently in your shoes, MAC members are a source of insight into the program for you as a prospective student, and a source of constant feedback for our admissions office to ensure we are addressing your needs as potential applicants and future Texas MBAs. To contact a current MAC member, please email
TEMBA@mccombs.utexas.edu.
Texas Evening Entrepreneurs
Texas Evening Entrepreneurs (TEE) is one of the oldest and most active student groups. TEE’s mission is dedicated to the creation, collaboration and dissemination of ideas and resources related to being an entrepreneur. The group facilitates the transfer of knowledge through workshops, guest speakers and articles. The organization also creates opportunities for hands-on entrepreneurial experience through
MBA+ projects and involvement with Texas Venture Labs competitions.
Meet Our Evening MBAs
Texas Evening MBAs are a highly-motivated and inspired group of rising managers and seasoned professionals seeking a flexible path to an MBA that will give them the knowledge and expertise necessary to become leaders in their industry. Get to know them through the profiles below and find out what it is like to be an Evening MBA student at McCombs.
Explore a sample of our Evening MBA class by clicking on one of the photos to the left.
Whitney Pirkle,
MBA '13
Hometown: Briarcliff, Texas
Education: History, The University of Texas at Austin
Job: Senior Associate, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
Organizational Involvement: The Girl Scouts of Central Texas, First Tee of Austin, Safeplace, 1000+ Cranes Campaign, McCombs Admissions Committee, and The Intellectual Entrepreneurship Consortium Graduate Mentor
Favorite Class: Strategy
Favorite Professors: Steve Courter and Kevin Williams
"The TEMBA experience challenges you to think and approach problems differently. The program rewards you with a new perspective, as well as the perspectives of your extraordinary peers. Perhaps you are not destined to be a master of multicollinearity or a wizard of WACC, but you will know what and who to ask. Ask questions. Take chances. Share. Through collaboration, contemplation can turn into implementation. Have you heard of UShip? Qcue? Phurnace? TEMBA dares you to dream big and prepares you to learn from failure. Everyone fails. Learn to fail well."
Syavash Farahmandi,
MBA '14
Hometown: Austin, Texas, originally from Caracas, Venezuela
Education: Electrical Engineering with Diploma in Telecommunications, Universidad Metropolitana
Job: Latin America iPhone Project Manager, Apple, Inc.
Organizational Involvement: Shoreline
Favorite Class: Financial Accounting
Favorite Professor: All
"There has already been an impact in my perspective and my long-term ambitions. I’m building awesome relationships with amazing people. There is definitely a continuous hunger and a responsibility for me to persevere and succeed at a very high level. We are given an opportunity to learn now so we can later lead and change the world for the better."
Amber Lyons,
MBA '13
Hometown: Richardson, Texas
Education: Criminology & Psychology, Drury University
Job: Supervisor of Business Operations – TOLA, EMC2
Organizational Involvement: TEMBA Graduate Business Council, McCombs Admissions Committee, Rogue Running, and Austin Outlaws Women’s Professional Football Team
Favorite Class: Operations Management
Favorite Professor: Britt Freund
"There are many resources available to me as a student and the program staff is constantly working to develop and ensure these programs are doing all they can for the students. These programs stretch from career management to the social clubs created by the students, such as Texas Evening Entrepreneurs, that all play a big role in the skills I am developing as a McCombs student."
Nathan Cliver,
MBA '14
Hometown: Lakeland, Florida
Education: Finance & Marketing, University of Central Florida
Job: Project Manager, Google, Inc.
Favorite Class: Leading People and Organizations
Favorite Professor: Mike Sadler
"What I enjoy most are the stories and debate with my classmates on the different practices at our companies. The diversity across backgrounds and industries gets me excited about the ideas I can bring back to my own organization. This intertwined with case discussions and industry knowledge from the professors make for an educational experience that you cannot get from reading a book."
Jarren Wenderlein,
MBA '14
Hometown: New Braunfels, Texas
Education: Government, The University of Texas at Austin
Job: Attorney, Texas Department of Insurance
Organizational Involvement: Capital Area Legal AIDS Project
Favorite Class: Leading People and Organizations
Favorite Professor: Doug Dierking
“I am really impressed by the quality of professors and both depth and difficulty of the material presented in classes. Coming into this program with a previous graduate degree, I was initially curious about both the nature of subject matter completely new to me and the rigor with which it would be covered in a part-time program. So far, this program has absolutely held my attention and challenged me both personally and intellectually above my initial expectations.”
Jeffrey Shih,
MBA '12
Hometown: Waxahachie, Texas
Education: Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
Job: Data Analyst, Bazaarvoice
Organizational Involvement: Austin R User Group
Favorite Class: Financial Markets
Favorite Professor: Shimon Kogan
"The Texas Evening MBA is a great compliment to any career, and offers students the opportunity to apply lessons in class to real world environments the very next day. The collective wealth of knowledge is impressive and you make lifelong friends."