Melissa Kolenovic

Melissa Kolenovic is studying in the Master of Science Degree in Global Business Development (MSGBD) program in the Fowler College of Business.

The one-year long program is intended for those who seek to establish or accelerate a career in international business with an emphasis on global sales and business development.  

The MSGBD program has truly changed my life and offered me opportunities I didn’t expect. 
 
I have an undergraduate degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley. To be entirely honest, I didn’t quite know what I wanted to do, but in the final year of my undergrad studies I learned about “biotech consulting” and was intrigued. I didn’t have the know-how to prepare for the case interviews or studies, and was still considering working in the scientific industry so I put that desire to the side and went home to San Diego to work in a lab at a global biotech manufacturing company. 
 
While I’m grateful for the experience, it wasn’t at all what I pictured for myself. I spent three years attempting to discern what I would do next and in 2020 quit my job and spent all my time looking into other schooling and careers.
 
Very fortuitously, a Google search for “international business programs” pulled up SDSU’s Fowler College of Business and led me to their newest graduate program: the Master of Science in Global Business Development. I looked into the curriculum and found they placed a huge emphasis on seminar learning and case studies, a layout I found very interesting and well-aligned with my personality.
 
One of my favorite things about this program is its international emphasis—a majority of my cohort come from another country. I remember reading all the international biographies of my peers and being so excited to meet people from countries all over the world. Beyond having the ability to expand my network globally and meet enthusiastic young internationals, the program itself is fantastic and the faculty advisor does her best to provide us with the best experiences she can offer.
 
Opportunities I’ve enjoyed include participating in a venture capital competition, working on highly relevant consulting projects (including one for a biotech company), and beginning an internship working on biotech and healthcare policy reform with the National Competitiveness Center of Saudi Arabia. Through this program, I have been connected to some extremely helpful contacts such as a biotech venture capitalist in Saudi Arabia, and a director of a global risk and management consulting firm that is based in the UK. 
]
Finally, I recently landed my dream job in biotech consulting by acing the case interview—directly as a result of the rigorous case analysis and discussion provided by most classes in the MSGBD curriculum.
 
Overall, I think it’s safe to say this program has helped me hone my personal and professional skills, and has given me the chance to expand my network and horizons in a way that made me confident enough to step into my dream industry. In this program you are constantly learning and I truly believe if you enter this program with enthusiasm and effort you’ll be able to experience life-changing moments.