During the pandemic, Emma Dodi lost her job in the music industry, which led her to consider afresh the pathway that had long interested her: obtaining an MBA. “I always had a goal of working in the music industry,” she explains, “but when I got there, I realized I craved learning the foundations of business I did not learn in school” (her undergraduate education was in music and communication).

Emma came to another realization as she explored graduate business education: “It is difficult,” she says, “to work in an industry that is also your personal passion. So, I decided to look at jobs outside of the industry, but I had difficulty being taken seriously without a more advanced degree.” Her goal: gain the core business knowledge she lacked to transition into a brand/product management role with a well-known CPG company outside of the music industry.

Personal scale drew her to Vanderbilt. “It’s real,” Emma says. “The students, professors, faculty, and staff are a supportive community, and I’ve felt that from day one. We want people to bring their unique selves to Owen, and I’ve been able to meet some amazing people because of that.”

As one example, Emma cites her Managerial and Organizational Effectiveness class with Professor Ranga Ramanujam. “I wrote an assignment about preparing for a saxophone recital a few years ago, and Ranga asked me to let him know of any performances I had coming up. I played saxophone with the Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra in May of 2022, and Ranga—along with many of my Owen classmates—came to my performance. It was so wonderful to see them in the audience supporting me!”

Looking back, after landing a position in brand management for a large, consumer-focused company, Emma did more than achieve her original career goal. “The experience was transformative,” she says. “My time at Owen has given me the space to learn and grow as a leader and businessperson and human being. I’ve had the space to experiment and confirm who I want to be professionally.”

Fun Fact: Emma plays seven musical instruments, has performed with the Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra, and is a soccer referee.

“It is difficult to work in an industry that is also your personal passion. So, I decided to look at jobs outside the industry, but I had difficulty being taken seriously without a more advanced degree.”