As the AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards will soon be upon us, we’re profiling the MBA students and graduates who have made the shortlist of finalists.
Today we speak to Mecia Petersen a student at Nottingham University Business School, who has been shortlisted in the category of MBA Student of the Year.
Mecia Petersen is an experienced professional, offering knowledge in a range of disciplines. Her 11-year career history spans both the public and private sectors.
Her previous positions include Account Director at Octagon Marketing, a global sports and entertainment management consultancy, as well as Bid and Client Management at Mindpearl Limited, an international contact centre outsourcer in the airline and travel industries. And she has implemented projects across numerous disciplines, including tourism, integrated marketing, socio-economic impact research and business process outsourcing.
She is looking forward to using her strategic insight to help organisations develop and execute plans that apply sustainable solutions, build women’s representation in business and achieve their strategic goals.
Mecia has a passion for both women’s development and the African continent and this led her to conceptualising the Sarabi Foundation, which aims to be a vehicle providing (international) postgraduate study support to women.
She graduated from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in 2006, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in tourism management Cum Laude. She completed an MBA with distinction at the Nottingham University Business School and will be graduating in December 2019.
What qualities do you think defines the AMBA student of the year?
I believe that what sets the AMBA student of the year apart is an ability to see beyond oneself.
A journey as intense and significant as an MBA is seldom walked alone. Family and friends represent a support system that enables and encourages this journey. A diverse cohort of classmates facilitates a rich learning environment by sharing their knowledge and experiences. A team of university staff utilise their advance knowledge and leverage their business networks to create a learning environment that stretches us beyond our comfort zones and in doing so inspires us to excel.
Many people believe that pursuing an MBA is purely a self-enrichment journey. I argue that pursuing an MBA presents so many opportunities to positively impact the experiences of those around us, utilise our newly gained knowledge to create positive impacts in society and take advantage of the networks we forge to create global impact.
By looking beyond ourselves, we are able to utilise the opportunities we have been afforded to enrich the lives of others. This could be achieved through a simple act of kindness or a confidence boost for an anxious international student. Looking beyond ourselves presents opportunities we would not ordinarily see. Being courageous enough to act on those opportunities is what causes ripples in the global ocean we call home.
Improving a fellow classmate’s experience, providing meaningful feedback to the faculty and informally mentoring someone are all acknowledgements of the social value chain that enable our opportunity, providing easily achievable wins that impact a broader society. A willingness to give of oneself along the way is how we, collectively, create an experience that adds value to so many more than just those present in the classroom.
The AMBA student of the year possesses the ability to spot someone in need and has the drive to act on this. He or she does not shy away from assisting a fellow student who may, for example, be learning in English as a second or third language for the first time. He or she is a willing to support classmates who may be travelling away from home for the first time. He or she is committed to working with the faculty to improve and refine the MBA offering for future aspiring leaders.
Furthermore, the AMBA student of the year is not afraid to risk everything they have known for something they may otherwise not have discovered. In addition to the traditionally expected qualities, such as leadership and commitment, they possess resilience, compassion and the ability to lead under high-pressure circumstances.
They push themselves beyond their own boundaries and when opportunities present themselves, are willing to compete on a global stage in pursuit of their ambitions and their passions. They understand the importance of maintaining focus on their objectives, while navigating the inevitable obstacles along the way. While maintaining resilience and persistence to see things through to completion, they possess an ability to identify opportunities for enriching the experiences of those around them.
Reflecting on the last 15 months, I can confidently say that I was presented with repeated opportunities to develop myself, and proud that I embraced each challenge. The girl who embarked on her MBA journey and the woman who has emerged at its culmination are, both literally and figuratively, continents apart. I am grateful for every interaction, every relationship and every experience, that has shaped my development.
If you were to win this award, how would that make a difference to you?
Winning this award would provide me with a platform to launch a dream bigger than myself. A dream that was conceived before my MBA studies began.
Embarking on my MBA journey made me realise how many women find themselves in a similar position to mine. At a point in their careers where they understand their strengths, have discovered their passions and know how they would like to make a difference, they find themselves constrained by their circumstances. In order to transcend their respective circumstances, education in one form or another is usually required. Often, though, they would not have access to the financial means or support system to pursue further education.
It was at this point that I decided that my MBA journey would be bigger than me completing a Masters in Business Administration. I wanted to – I needed to – facilitate access to the hundreds of women in similar positions. I decided that I would become an active role model for these women. My journey would bear testament to dreams becoming reality, through a combination of hard work and the support of those who share in their visions. Out of this motivation, the Sarabi Foundation was born.
Named after the lioness featured in the movie The Lion King, the Sarabi brand encapsulates both the strength and femininity of a woman who holds her family together during tough times. Like the lioness who hunts to provide for her pride, women represent the nucleus that selflessly takes care of and holds their families together.
This powerful symbolism reminds us that women remain the backbone of societies as mothers, nurturers, teachers, role models and breadwinners.
At an average age of 32, the members of Sarabi’s target audience are often bound by financial commitments, and ‘luxuries’ such as further education pass them by, much like a mirage passes weary desert travellers. As a vehicle providing postgraduate study support to these women, the Sarabi Foundation will enable their mirages to become their reality.
Having begun the Sarabi journey before I commenced my MBA, I realised the magnitude of the concept. Together with a few family members and friends, we executed two Sarabi Foundation fundraising events. Once the word spread, the response was phenomenal. The willingness of people to back the cause and the number of women interested in the educational access Sarabi could offer them, became apparent. Simultaneously, I realised the resources required for a concept such as this to succeed. At the time, such resources were not within my reach.
Being awarded AMBA Student of the Year will provide me a valuable platform from which to build and promote the Sarabi Foundation. My hope is that it will position me as someone who delivers to an exceptional standard and can be trusted. Someone who has extended herself in pursuit of a dream bigger than her individual journey.
Exposure to new networks will enable me to connect with mentors, potential donors and partners who collectively could impact women’s lives, increase the percentage of Africans who will have access to international education and contribute to the sustainability of business by advancing women’s representation in commerce and management.
Utilising this platform to educate women and influence society will enable me to come full circle by impacting generations to come, as those before me have impacted my journey.
I look forward to walking that road with the Association of MBAs.
