Even though she had established herself in a seven-year banking career in New York City—forecasting the bank’s $3.5 billion technology usage across 230 products, and managing a team that included five SVPs, VPs, and analysts—Angela Keenan still regarded herself as a “late bloomer” in business.

“Despite graduating from college with a business degree,” the Dallas native explains, “I didn’t feel like I got the most thorough understanding and toolbox that I needed in order to take the next step in my career confidently.” She decided to return to school—“I always knew I wanted to go back,” she says—to sharpen her skills and leadership abilities and to prepare herself for a career pivot. “I realized that [banking] was not what I wanted to do forever and that an MBA would be the best tool to help me switch careers and switch functions.”

At first, Angela was drawn to Owen’s Human & Organizational Performance (HOP) concentration, and during her first fall in the program, she began interviewing for positions in human resource consulting. Then, working closely with Sandy Kinnett in Owen’s Career Management Center, Angela says, “I realized that, with my skill set and background, consulting was actually a little bit better fit. Sandy helped me home in on what I was looking for.” Once she settled on consulting as her direction, Angela says, the Owen Student Consulting Club helped her with interview prep, case prep, and “figuring out which firms were right for me.”

Angela also found Owen’s Leadership Development Program exceptionally helpful. “I think people often hope they’ll get leadership development through certain experiences in their career, but there’s no actual coaching or leadership development,” she says. “I saw that a lot in my old job. I thought having a really structured, separate approach, where you are paired with an executive coach—that’s very expensive if you had to do it on your own—was really effective.”

Now, Angela believes her career is blooming at last. “I was challenged to get out of my comfort zone, work hard, and think in ways I never have before,” she says. “I am walking into a career in a new industry and function with confidence, and I am prepared to tackle almost any challenge.”

Fun Fact: During the summer of 2021, Angela and her husband visited 11 national parks (Arches and Yellowstone were her favorites) during a month long road trip.

Having a really structured, separate approach, where you are paired with an executive coach—that’s very expensive if you had to do it on your own—was really effective.