Imogen Roberts didn’t just change careers. She changed countries.

The British native met Vanderbilt’s Christie St-John at a career fair in London. “I loved her attitude and the sound of the program,” says Imogen, who at the time was been handling project assignments for an emergency engineering company in Europe. (The variety of the projects, in fact, propelled Imogen’s interest in consulting, the career track she’s now pursuing.) She says that, throughout her research of MBA programs, Vanderbilt remained at the top of her list “because of their strong focus on leadership and collaboration.” When she was finally able to visit, she was sold. “The people here are extraordinary,” she says, “and made me feel welcome from the moment I walked through the door.”

Still, the first week in Nashville before the start of school, with no furniture in her apartment, was hard. Fortunately, she says, “the social events began quickly, and I started getting to know people.” She met some of her closest friends on the pre-school class trip to Costa Rica.

“Moving countries is difficult at times, but it will make you amazingly flexible,” says Imogen, an avid rugby fan who made time during the spring to follow her beloved Welsh team in the Six Nations Championship on the BBC. “Employers really appreciate that.”

One employer, Deloitte, appreciated Imogen’s strengths enough to offer her a summer internship in its Atlanta office. “The people at Vanderbilt have been massively supportive during my move,” says Imogen, who will serve as president of the Women’s Business Association during her second year. “Vanderbilt has given me the confidence in my new skills and helped me to achieve so much. I hardly recognize myself!”