MSTC
Meet the MSTC Student Ambassadors
Connect with recent graduates and current MSTC students who can answer questions about their experience at Texas McCombs, balancing work and grad school and life in the program. Student ambassadors don't address admissions questions but can share their personal experiences as a student.
Student Ambassadors
Meet Andre
- Hometown: Quito, Ecuador and Austin, TX
- Undergraduate Institution: Trinity University
- Undergraduate Major: B.A with a focus on Marketing and Entrepreneurship
- Years of work experience: 10 years of experience in product management, product development, CPG, and AI chatbot architecture. A pivoted in recent years to entrepreneurship and practice in starting businesses.
- “The MSTC program is the perfect fit for my background in tech, business, and entrepreneurship. While I explored MBA options, this program was the only one that aligned with my career goals and provided the specific framework I was looking for.“
Meet Chris
- Hometown: Canberra, Australia
- Undergraduate Institution: University of Queensland
- Undergraduate Major: Engineering
- Years of work experience: 24 years as an engineer, primarily in environment and water.
- “I feel confident having chosen the MSTC program. As we develop some amazing technology in class, completing engineering projects and driving revenue using the framework taught as part of the course will be key to my career moving forward. The faculty are top notch and our classmates are amazing. I really look forward to class weekend. I’ve developed amazing relationships both professional and personal.”
Meet Dennis
- Hometown: Buffalo, NY
- Undergraduate Institution: University of North Texas
- Undergraduate Major: B.B.A in Business Analytics
- Years of work experience: 10 years of experience working in tech as a product manager and two time founder. The products he has brought to market have either been in the B2B SaaS, more focused on federal customers or on the consumer side in the wellness/sports space.
- “I chose MSTC because I was looking for a graduate MBA-like program whose core outcome was not “consultant.” I also needed a program that would allow me to work full time. MSTC let me simultaneously build real entrepreneurial skills like customer discovery, fundraising, and go-to-market strategy while also strengthening my corporate marketability through a UT McCombs credential and a powerful alumni network. It was the rare program that let me de-risk the future of my young family without having to choose between the startup path and career advancement. Additionally, my spouse is a PhD candidate at UT, my kids are in daycare at UT, and I really felt left out.“
Meet John
- Hometown: Lagos Nigeria & Houston, Texas
- Undergraduate Institution: Kelley School of Business, Indiana University
- Undergraduate Major: Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology
- Years of work experience: 7+ Years, Product Leader, FinTech. As a Product Leader in fintech, he built and commercialized scalable products and platforms that solve real financial problems, working at the intersection of technology, strategy, and user needs.
- “I wanted a practical program that would allow me to continue gaining work experience while earning a top-notch degree. I found MSTC to be the perfect balance. The program brings together accomplished classmates and faculty who challenge you to grow to the next level as a corporate innovator or founder.“
Meet Michele
- Hometown: Scottsdale, AZ
- Undergraduate Institution: University of Texas at Austin
- Undergraduate Major: B.A in Government (Political Science) with a minor in Business Foundations
- Years of work experience: Early-career professional with experience in legal, policy, and technology startup environments
- “The MSTC program stood out to me because it’s hands-on and practical, giving students the opportunity to work on real projects while learning how technologies move from concept to market.”
Meet Mukta
- Hometown: Seminole, Texas
- Undergraduate institution: UT Austin
- Undergraduate Degree: Marketing
- Years of work experience: 25+ years in the pharmaceutical /biotech industry both from a medical side and commercial side.
- “I chose the MSTC program because I wanted to expand beyond the boundaries of my industry and engage with the leading edge of innovation. After many years in a single space, I found fewer opportunities to explore new disciplines, especially the technical side of how ideas are built and scaled. In today’s environment, success requires the ability to think differently, adapt quickly, and understand how technology is reshaping business. I didn’t want to be reacting to change I wanted to be part of driving it. MSTC stood out because it is designed for professionals like me who bring strong business experience but want to deepen their understanding of technology and commercialization. It bridges that gap in a very practical way.”
Meet Nessie
- Hometown: Hsinchu, Taiwan
- Undergraduate institution: Yuan Ze University (BA in Global Business Management)
- Graduate institution: King’s College London (MS in Marketing with a specialization in Neuroscience and Consumer Behavior)
- Years of work experience: 4+ years of working across venture and go-to-market in the UK and US for early-stage deep-tech startups in AI and climate tech, helping startups sharpen their commercial and product marketing strategies. She has also led institutional partnerships with organizations ranging from global banks to government-backed research bodies.
- “I started my career running end-funnel marketing for early-stage tech companies—campaigns, content, digital presence. But as I moved into more product-focused work, I realized my background didn’t give me enough to work with when it came to actually bringing early-stage tech to market. MSTC gave me the framework I was missing in customer discovery, prototyping, go-to-market, and UT and Austin gave me the environment to put it into practice.”
Meet Ray
- Hometown: Dallas Fort-Worth, Texas
- Undergraduate Institution: Morehouse College
- Undergraduate Major: Bachelor in Business Administration
- Years of work experience: Over 10 years of experience delivering technical sales solutions to government agencies.
- “The MSTC program is in a class of its own and hard to compare against others. The program equipped me with the tools to either build a company from the ground up or step into an existing organization and drive immediate impact against key objectives. It provided a well-rounded foundation across product, sales, leadership, and financial strategy. The experience closely mirrors real-world business environments, emphasizing teamwork, goal attainment, and balancing organizational priorities with individual responsibilities. You will benefit from the in person time from the professors and fellow cohort members. Plus, I think that I look great in burnt orange.”
Meet Ryan
- Hometown: Saint Paul, MN
- Undergraduate Institution: University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
- Undergraduate Major: Economics
- Years of work experience: 6 years of experience in medical device sales, where he worked closely with cross-functional teams, customers, and technical stakeholders to solve complex problems and deliver value.
- “MSTC stood out for its hands-on, real-world approach to taking technologies from concept to market. The curriculum’s focus on venture creation, product development, commercialization strategy, and customer validation aligned closely with my background in entrepreneurship and medical device sales, making it a strong fit for my pivot into product management.”
Meet Tiffany
- Hometown: Arlington, Texas, home of the Texas Rangers.
- Undergraduate Institution: University of Texas at Arlington.
- Undergraduate Major: BA in Criminology and Criminal Justice
- Years of work experience: 24 years in IT across healthcare, energy, military retail, and technology. Her experience spans network operations, enterprise infrastructure, military Exchange retail partner and EDI support, end user support, Microsoft licensing, online and on-prem systems engineering, and program and project management, with stops along the way in some of the largest corporations in their respective industries.
- “I chose MSTC because I wanted to advance my career without putting my life on hold. My elevator pitch is simple: I did not want my experience to outpace my education. When I found MSTC it seemed perfect. Every two weeks, set classes, one year, and less than half the time and cost of an MBA were the deciding factors in reframing graduate school from a heavy load to something manageable. The ability to immediately apply what I am learning to my professional life has been remarkable. MSTC transformed my career from day one.“
Alumni Ambassadors
Meet Christianna
- Hometown: Carlisle, PA
- Undergraduate Institution:
- Undergraduate Major: BA in Communications
- Years of work experience: 20 years / 4 years as an Active Duty U.S. Army Officer and 16 years of corporate industry experience
- “The MSTC program offers its students many unique benefits and opportunities, and being a student ambassador allows me to share those insights so forward-looking students can make informed decisions about their academic future.”
Meet Sean
- Hometown: Houston, TX
- Undergraduate Institution: University of Texas at San Antonio
- Undergraduate Major: Communications
- Years of work experience: 20, primarily in Financial Technology and most recently as a Director of Product Management
- “I have a passion for bringing new products to market, and the MSTC program has been instrumental in building my foundation for success.”