Nick DiMaggio (MBA ’21) is now a consultant at Gallup
Today, Nick DiMaggio (MBA ’21) is a business strategy consultant at Gallup.
Just a few years ago, DiMaggio was enrolled in the full-time MBA program at Kellstadt.
It was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Business was changing, and fast.
DiMaggio was at a turning point of his own. He had grown up in a family of business owners; conversations about “people, process, and products” were standard dinner-table fare. He had garnered extensive experience in sales across multiple industries. He aspired to one day lead a Fortune 500 company.
To get there, he’d realized, the best next step was to become an enterprise strategy consultant.
“I was looking around for programs that could help me do that effectively,” DiMaggio says. Two things stood out about Kellstadt. First, its business strategy concentration. And second, the ability to create a custom MBA concentration.
“This gave me flexibility,” DiMaggio says. “And it gave me the opportunity to stretch my business strategy skills.”
Read on for DiMaggio’s reflections on how Kellstadt equipped him to make an impact – and for how you can make the most out of your time in Kellstadt’s MBA program.
Find someone whose vision aligns with yours
“It’s important to find those professors who see the light,” DiMaggio says, “but can also challenge you.”
For DiMaggio, that person was Rafael Tenorio. A professor of economics, Tenorio approaches business strategy and decision-making by deploying tools from behavioral finance and game theory.
“Humans often act illogically,” DiMaggio says, describing one of the core tenets of behavioral economics. “We as humans understand that every day. Take going to the grocery store. We don’t need the Kit Kat bar. We know that. But every time, you find yourself buying it.”
Historically, researchers excluded irrationality from their models of the economy. A key insight of behavioral economics is that these models work better when researchers find ways to add irrationality – human behavior as it actually functions – back in.
“These undertows flow through our daily world,” says DiMaggio. He recognized them from his experience in sales. But have a “framework,” he says, made all the difference in his ability to harness insights from behavioral economics in his career.
Get the reps in
Another thing DiMaggio says was key to launching his career change? Putting theory into practice – and doing so over and over again.
He likens the hands-on learning he experienced at Kellstadt to a workout.
Learning new tactics, he says, is all about “getting the reps in.”
He cites a business strategy class as one example. He and the rest of his full-time MBA cohort got the chance to run a simulated market. This meant that students weren’t just practicing the strategies they studied. They were seeing how their actions impacted the market as a whole.
“How does the market move?” recalls DiMaggio. “How do the decisions we make help our company move forward?”
The exercise was meaningful precisely because students could see the results of their choices. In this regard, it was far from alone.
Work with real businesses on real challenges
A consulting class, DiMaggio says, took putting theory into practice to the next level.
Student groups partnered with firms to address urgent challenges. Many of these firms, DiMaggio says, were connected to the class via DePaul alumni.
DiMaggio’s group partnered with a third-party logistics company. The company’s charge for the MBA students: At a time when logistics are more essential – and complicated – than ever, how do you increase the retention of truck drivers?
In tackling this challenge, DiMaggio received guidance informed by on-the ground experience.
“Our professor was doing consulting himself,” DiMaggio says. This allowed him to teach models in a way that made their practical applications clear.
At the end of the quarter, the group presented their research to leaders at the firm. The group didn’t get to see the end results of their work. Instead, it functioned as a starting point. Equipped with the team’s thorough research, leaders would be able to conduct further analysis of their own.
Getting to work directly with key decision-makers, DiMaggio says, was an invaluable opportunity.
“These were real-world problems that we got to work on,” he says. “These businesses needed our perspective to move the needle.”
Be an entrepreneur in your own education
Looking back, DiMaggio sees his Kellstadt experience as lying the perfect intersection of three fields: business strategy, behavioral economics and game theory. DiMaggio’s passion and skillset led him to that intersection. At Kellstadt, he found the expertise and hands-on learning to combine the three areas.
Now, that intersection has become the launch point for the next phase of DiMaggio’s career.
“At Gallup, I found the intersection that I want to base my career on,” he says. In his consulting work today, he is able to combine all three areas of expertise. This has been especially impactful, he says, when he is able to help businesses keep employees engaged.
“Engagement can be linked directly to business outcomes,” says DiMaggio. “Think about productivity, or turnover, or sales — the list goes on and on.”
DiMaggio is able to trace that impact directly back to his approach to Kellstadt.
“It is your job, no matter where you go, to have an entrepreneurial spirit,” he reflects. “By having a custom MBA, Kellstadt gives you the ability to be that entrepreneur in your own education. To find your interests – and then double down on them. To build the network around you that will allow you to make that career change – and successfully launch it.”
By Mitchell J. Hill
When I was asked to write about my experience in the MBA program at DePaul, what first came to mind was to write about my reaction to the academic challenge that DePaul offered. However, what I think will be more relatable is the experience of my emotional journey through the MBA program. What I have been successful with as an adult is the ability to utilize the emotions I experience. Too often, I have feared the experience of feeling anxious that may accompany a hard task. My journey through the MBA program has taught me not to shy away from said emotions, but to embrace them. I strongly believe that if you’re feeling anxious, or afraid at work or school, then that means you care – that means your passion is aligned with your focus. Because why else would you feel so strongly about work or school, if you didn’t care?
A little backstory about myself – I had a brain tumor when I was two years old. I have had three brain surgeries and 43 MRIs to-date. Experiencing all of this has left me with lifelong trauma that has taken me 19 years to recognize, and eight years of therapy to contain. That said, I feel as though I am in a unique position to have a credible stance on living life to its fullest. What my time at DePaul has taught me is the ability to embrace emotions, not fear them. Being able to accept the fact that there may be some days that won’t go according to plan—that’s okay. The ability to recognize that if I’m feeling anxious, that that’s not a result of something I’m incapable of, or something I’m doing wrong, rather – it’s a reminder that I’m living and experiencing the emotions in life: not fearing them.
So, how does all of this relate to school, you ask? What a great question: You’re all reading this as new graduates, meaning you’ve accomplished a very impressive task. You should appreciate the journey that you’ve been on with tackling this accolade, rather than thinking “okay… what’s next.” It’s easy to view life from a lens of what you should accomplish next, which I do think has some merit to it – I mean, that’s where one’s drive comes from, right? What’s the next challenge? How am I going to better myself?
All I ask, however – from someone who is just starting to learn how to appreciate emotions and celebrate wins, – – is to slow down. Recognize the accomplishment you’ve just made by obtaining your first, maybe second, maybe multiple degrees, and bask in the satisfaction that comes with that accomplishment.
It’s taken me 27 years to learn how to be happy. My advice is to learn how to appreciate your accomplishments, appreciate your emotions. That’s what I think true success is. And that is the biggest takeaway I have gotten from my time at DePaul. Thank you and go Blue Demons.
Mitchell J. Hill received his Bachelor of Science in business communications with minors in psychology and journalism from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He went on to work in business development for a boutique digital agency at Shift7 Digital. After a three-year stint at Shift7, Mitchell left in January of 2022 to pursue his MBA at DePaul full-time. Mitchell since has relocated to Seattle Washington and is completing his Corporate Management Trainee program with a concentration on business development and sales with Hyatt Corporation. Mitchell has some experience with philanthropy as well having created a fundraiser to redecorate MRI rooms so they are more comforting for children. Along with the help of some partners, this project has led to the redecoration of 5 MRI rooms at Lurie Children’s Hospital in downtown Chicago.
Meet Sam Kreft, a 2020 graduate of the Master of Science in Economics program at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. Kreft moved to Chicago from England six years ago. Today, she works at Ankura Consulting, a global consulting firm, as an economic litigation consultant. We sat down with Kreft and asked her about her experiences as an international student at Kellstadt, how her studies prepared her for her career, and what advice she has for others considering leaving their home country to study at DePaul.
Where is home for you?
I spent most of my life in a small town in England, but when someone asks me today where home is, the answer isn’t so simple. I moved to Chicago six years ago with my son to live with my now husband. It was a big adjustment and I wasn’t sure how much I would like city living.
Now I can’t imagine a home outside of Chicago. DePaul has been a big part of that. Having classes on both the Loop and Lincoln Park campuses really allowed me to explore different parts of the city.
What was it like for you coming to DePaul as an international student?
Coming in as an international student was intimidating. Degrees in the U.S. are structured completely differently from those back in the U.K., so I wasn’t sure how I was going to navigate selecting classes. Thankfully, DePaul had advising sessions before the quarter started and the advisors were extremely helpful. They showed me how to navigate the various online resources and helped me build a plan. Also, I absolutely adored the online interface where you search and register for classes. It made everything so much easier.
What are some challenges you faced and how did DePaul support you?
Going back into the classroom as a mature student was a bit intimidating for me. DePaul’s small class sizes helped make my transition easier because they created better opportunities for collaborating with peers and really getting to know everyone. I also liked the location of the Loop campus. I knew I wouldn’t be living downtown so it was a good opportunity to get to know the area I would hopefully be working in after graduation.
Another struggle I faced as an international student was finding internships. Many companies are looking for someone who is a potential hire when they graduate and they do not sponsor individuals for visas. DePaul was instrumental in keeping me motivated when I wasn’t hearing back from employers and giving me the skills to present myself. The DePaul Career Center was an excellent resource for résumé and cover letter preparation, career fair opportunities and interview practice.
I also had professors that took time out of their day to do mock interviews with me and many of the classes I took would emphasize the need to network. That’s what ultimately got me my first interview! I had to interview a professional for an assignment. Instead of choosing an easy route, I decided to reach out to management in a company that particularly interested me, and they agreed to meet. We kept in touch, and they offered me an internship the following summer.
What did you choose to study business?
When I started at DePaul, I was planning on going to law school after and knew that business was an excellent precursor to that. I didn’t decide on my major until I took the course, Principles of Microeconomics. It absolutely fascinated me. I enjoyed the way it taught me to think outside the box and challenged my thought processes. I am glad that being part of the business school at DePaul enables you to experience so many different classes, or I never would have even contemplated a master’s in economics.
What did you enjoy most about your DePaul experience?
DePaul was such a happy time in my life. I loved the community and wealth of opportunities. Specifically in the Economics department, I attended fortnightly seminars by visiting professionals discussing their current research, participated in the Economics student conference, where we had the opportunity to share our own research and hear other students present theirs, and I was fortunate to become a graduate assistant to professors in my final year, assisting with tutoring for econ classes and grading assignments. All of this enabled me to build a network and build different skills.
Tell us about your current job.
I graduated in June 2020, which was a tough year to graduate. I was extremely fortunate that I had been proactive with applying and interviewing for positions the prior year and got an offer from Ankura Consulting in February 2020 to be an economic litigation consultant. Most of my work involves analyzing data for various legal actions, from overdraft fee litigation to healthcare disputes.
How did your Kellstadt experience prepare you for your career?
Many of the technical skills I use on a daily basis were completely new to me when I started at Ankura, but my foundation for learning those skills came from my various classes at Kellstadt. I was able to pick up different coding languages easily because I knew how to approach the puzzle. I feel like there is a lot of emphasis on having experience with certain software programs, when in reality, the more critical skill is the ability to dissect a problem and formulate a plan to create a solution.
Beyond that, Kellstadt taught me the importance of networking, which has helped me to build a lot of relationships outside of my team at work. This has given me the chance to work on different kinds of projects.
What advice do you have for international students interested in studying business at DePaul?
Make good use of the DePaul Career Center and the Kellstadt Career Management Center; go to their career fairs, make connections there, and utilize Handshake, which is an online job site where you can search for open positions. Additionally, do your research on the different visa options for when you graduate and for internships. I did not look into this enough and it made things more difficult for me.
Last but not least, build your network from day one! I cannot count the number of opportunities I had from going to alumni events, building friendships with peers and professors and going to the multitude of extracurricular events that DePaul organizes.
Hundreds of students enroll in the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business each year, so what about Kellstadt attracts them and how is Kellstadt supporting their success? In this Q&A series, we’re inviting students and recent alumni to share their perspective on why they chose to study at Kellstadt and why they’re glad they did.
Bill Dolan
Next up is Bill Dolan, a graduate of the Master of Science in Economics & Policy Analysis program. Dolan works in economic consulting. He started as an analyst at Compass Lexecon a week after completing his MSEPA degree in March 2022. Before graduate school, he worked in a similar industry but at a much smaller firm, so although not technically a career change, he says his new role does feel like it sometimes given the significantly different type of work a large company does compared to a small company in finance/economics.
Why did you choose Kellstadt?
What proceeded grad school was a random occurrence in life that knocked me off the train tracks I was on and set me on a new path. I would say, in a few words, this new path initially started with a thirst for knowledge, so I started a journey of self-education with an ambitious goal: to understand how the world works. After a while, I realized two things: first, it’s difficult to turn yourself into a scholar without help, and second, economics—specifically industrial organization—seemed to be the lens through which I was seeking knowledge, the vehicle to better help me understand how things worked.
After deciding I wanted to stay in Chicago for grad school, I researched Chicago universities’ graduate econ programs including their respective classes, and I chose Kellstadt because it had many of the industrial organization topics I wanted to learn about. In fact, my first class—Antitrust—had an optional book to complement the class, and I had already read that book. To be more concise, I felt the MSEPA program and I were a good fit for each other based on curriculum.
What did you enjoy most about Kellstadt?
The Industrial Organization classes—labeled the strategy concentration within the program—was my favorite part of my experience. It wasn’t just the topics that I loved, it was how they were structured and the man that taught most of them. Rafael Tenorio was the professor for five of the seven IO classes I took. The classes were half lecture and half student-lead discussion, which I believe is the future of education, because one day someone will study, measure and show that giving students more equity in the class makes for better learning. Rafael too, specifically, was my favorite teacher I’ve had at any level, in any form of education, so I guess that probably explains part of why I loved those classes too. He had the perfect blend of wisdom, patience and a great sense of humor. Plus, he really cared, which is what matters most.
Also, I have to say the classes not only helped me better understand the world, they taught me how to think about the world, which changed me as a person and helped me mature.
There are a handful of MSEPA professors who structure their classes as half lecture and half student-lead discussion. I had a total of eight: the IO classes plus Gabriella Bucci’s class, Economics of the Public Sector. I loved all of those classes, and I’ve never had an academic experience with a 100% approval rating until that specific type of class structure.
Giving the students a chance to reason through case studies together makes for more engaging classes, more focused students and more fun. Despite the tough days of the pandemic, we laughed a lot in those classes. They were always the highlight of my week.
Which professor has made the biggest impact on you?
I’ve spoken about the biggest impact on me being those eight classes. After that, Gabriella Bucci’s mentorship was the biggest part of my experience in the program. Simply put, she’s a wonderful person, and I’m lucky she was the director during my time in the MSEPA program. There are always a handful of professors who really care and want to help their students achieve better lives. Gabriella specifically not only cares but is a powerful personality, a great listener, and gives excellent advice on life and career.
What would you say to someone who is considering studying at Kellstadt?
I can only speak for the econ side of Kellstadt. I will say, regarding the MSEPA program, there’s great leadership that cannot be accounted for enough. There are several people who care and will lend you their time and wisdom, which again is invaluable. It’s a linear equation: you get out what you put in. If you’re focused and care, the education will transform you. You’ll be much closer to the version of yourself you want to be because you’ll learn how to think. Lastly, there’s just a bunch of wonderful people who run the program and are a pleasure to be around; it’s kind of an underrated part of life, spending your time around good people.
Learn more about Kellstadt’s Master of Science in Economics & Policy Analysis Program.
Read the other spotlights in this series:
Chaunice Dixon, an MBA alumna, shares how she discovered her interest in sports business marketing while studying at Kellstadt.
Randa Mahmud Ulankiewicz, a student in the Master of Science in Marketing Analysis program, shares how much Kellstadt’s faculty members have impacted her professional career.
Palak Patel, a graduate of the Master of Science in Business Analytics program, shares how she discovered her passion for global supply chain management at Kellstadt.
By Krystin Simoy
As a recruiter in the tech industry, I connect with people in short amounts of time and analyze them based on their skills set on paper. I have to know people well within 30 minutes. Nothing more or less. Talent acquisition is a career I fell into after graduating from DePaul as an English major back in 2013. I gained insightful soft skills that I use today from my undergraduate experience, but I always knew that I wanted to earn a post-graduate degree. I just needed to find the perfect time.
Krystin Simoy (center) with two of her MSHR cohort members at DePaul University’s June 2022 commencement ceremony.
Finally, in 2020, while working full-time as a recruiter, I decided to pursue my Master’s in Human Resources at Kellstadt. The irony is that the economy was in recession when I graduated the first time from DePaul in 2013. In 2022, when I graduated for the second time, we will likely enter another recession.
Navigating this job market has been challenging for everyone. Whether you are looking to transition to a new role or are new to the market, it is intimidating as companies are laying off a significant part of their employee population. Layoffs tend to be a cost-savings strategy to leverage the funds to get through a short amount of time. If companies are smaller, like start-ups, layoffs tend to be more permanent as the money was probably not allocated accordingly.
If I could give the 2013 version of me advice about job hunting, here is what I would tell myself. These tips helped me land my current role as I transitioned to another job while pursuing my MSHR degree at Kellstadt.
Be honest with yourself, really know your strengths and acknowledge your areas of improvement.
Employers these days are looking for people they can coach and mentor. Think of it this way, if you keep getting 100% in everything you do, are you actually learning anything? If you are starting in your career and do not have much experience, really think about what you know how to do. Create a list of soft and hard skills you possess. This will help you deliver a clear and concise message about your professional brand. Articulating your strengths and areas of improvement during a job interview shows maturity and accountability.
Know the industry landscape you are applying in and understand their hiring trends.
I know I will be in the technology industry for the foreseeable future. The reason being is because I know that it is stable. I know you are probably thinking, but Krystin, “LOOK HERE and HERE. How is there stability?!” For starters, FAANG-based companies (Meta aka Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google) are companies that have colossal employee populations. When I started my career, I knew I did not want to work for those companies because I wanted the impact of my hard work as an individual contributor to be visible sooner rather than later. I targeted companies with an employee population of 500-1000 and researched their CrunchBase.com profile. Sometimes at more prominent companies, you have to negotiate with yourself.
Typically what it comes down to is, “do I want to make a ton of money and work on the one thing I was hired to do?” or “am I comfortable to take x salary but know that my work can have an impact on the business?” I caution people, especially in this work climate, to think about where they will be in two years if they take the higher-paying job. I give a two-year timeline because if this recession is imminent, you have to prepare yourself accordingly. Will this compensation sustain you and your lifestyle before you look for another role? When you get a job offer, you also negotiate with yourself about your needs versus your wants. (If you are a current or incoming student at Kellstadt, I highly recommend taking the negotiations class.)
When applying for jobs, your best foot forward is actually a piece of paper.
Having a clean and tailored résumé is your first impression to any employer. Recruiters spend five seconds, if not less, looking at résumés to determine if they want to connect with the person on it. I recommend highlighting your internship, extracurricular and work experience if you are entry-level. If you have experience, I recommend adding quantitative values to your bullet points to showcase what you have done. Always start your bullet points with verbs or adverbs while using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action and Results).
Example: Successfully hired 20 people within the first five months of starting across the human resource, finance, accounting and marketing departments; 20% of hires were passively sourced candidates from underrepresented groups to align with the company’s hiring goals.
Be selective with your job search.
I know you must cast a broad net to gain traction on your candidacy. However, I would highly recommend assessing what market you are applying to and why. Interviewing, at its core, is to determine if you have the foundational skillset to do the job. If you understand the industry well, it will be easier to articulate your experience from a soft skill perspective in an entry-level role. If you seek opportunities outside your current industry, leverage your foundational expertise to transition into another position. Recruiters are listening for the soft skills that will make you successful in the role and assessing your baseline knowledge about the opportunity.
Krystin Simoy graduated in June 2022 from the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business with her MSHR degree. While attending school, she worked full-time as a talent acquisition partner within the technology industry. She was president of the Society for Human Resource Management at DePaul from fall 2021 to spring 2022. A Double Demon, she also holds a BA in English from DePaul. In her free time, Krystin provides career coaching guidance. She also likes to travel, as she grew up in Germany and is multilingual.
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