Over the decade following his undergraduate graduation in 2010, Angelo Miguel Calabio built a solid career in banking in the Philippines. Then the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted everything—including his thinking. “The magnitude of the work disruptions allowed me to reflect and rethink my aspirations,” he says. “It opened my eyes to the critical importance of a global view of business.”

As he assembled his shortlist of graduate business schools, a colleague drew his attention to Vanderbilt. But his interactions with others cemented his choice. “For an international candidate like me, it’s hard to separate business schools, since each school packages and presents itself very well. However, my conversations with Owen students and admissions team members gave me a positive vibe, as I met impressive and thoughtful people. Owen was one of four admissions offers I got, and those conversations made a world of difference in my decision.”

Being the only member of his class from the Philippines, and having never previously lived in the U.S., Angelo says, made for some challenges. But, he adds, “The administration and student body made everything a smooth transition. I have made a lot of friends here, relationships I will keep for the rest of my life. I even met my girlfriend at Owen.”

Once the program began, Angelo also began to rethink the field he wanted to pursue. Professor Mumin Kurtulus’s Operations class helped point him in that direction. “It was an area I previously knew very little about,” he says. “I never thought I would work in the tech sector, since I barely knew the basics of it, but it ended up being my post-MBA career, and my journey led me to one of the world’s biggest companies.”

His experience, Angelo says, “is proof of the endless possibilities that exist if you work hard and summon the courage to make a bet on yourself. It opened doors that would otherwise be closed for me and helped reinvigorate me for the journey ahead. Coming to Vanderbilt was the biggest personal decision I ever made, and it has been an investment worth its weight in gold.”