Ana Simoes, EWMBA ‘20 - Makes the Most of Her Time at Haas From Connections to Three Study Abroad Opportunities

Episode #38: Host Sean Li talks to current MBA student Ana Simones. They discuss the multiple careers and degrees she had before starting at Haas, how she’s making the most of her time (even with 3 teenage kids!), and what she’s up to in quarantine. 

Episode Highlights: 

• Ana speaks six languages and studied linguistics for her undergraduate and Master's degrees.
• She went on to start her Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP)
• She pivoted into storytelling and film because that’s what she always had a passion for
• Launched her own video production business in the US
• She moved to the Bay Area and got back into the excitement of AI and NLP
• Ana shares some examples of where AI is headed next and the potential implications
• She tells us why the Haas community is so impactful for her
• Ana shares with us all the international trips she took through the EWMBA program from Paris to Uganda, to being a Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) for Seminar in Business (SIB) Brasil

3 Key Takeaways: 

1. Fully immerse yourself into the program
2. Take advantage of all the international study abroad opportunities
3. Apply to become a graduate student instructor if you have the opportunity

Quotables:

• “It’s not just the interactions now but the people [we meet] are going to be in our lives for the rest of our lives.” - Ana Simoes
• “GSI'ing gives you an opportunity to meet people across many years and also allows you to interact with professors on a different level.” - Ana Simoes
• “Haas has so much to offer that I feel like I could be here for another five years and still be doing things that are new.” - Ana Simoes