B-Speak English Stories and Spotlights

Xiaoyu Song - China 

Rice Full-Time MBA '25

Q&A with B-Speak! Director Christina Ball 

Xiaoyu, tell us a little about yourself! Where are you from and what are your professional goals and other interests?

I’m from Beijing, China. I worked as a Senior Accountant at Big 4 before I decided to pursue my MBA at Rice. I currently have no specific goal after graduation but willing to take a...

Pedro Henrique Giacomeli de Almeida - Brazil

Darden Full-Time MBA '25

Q&A with B-Speak! Director Christina Ball 

Pedro, tell us a little about yourself! Where are you from and what are your professional goals and other interests?

My name is Pedro and I am originally from Brazil. I have always been passionate about business and have a strong interest in transitioning to a career in whic...

Rifqi N. - Indonesia

Darden Full-Time MBA '24

Q&A with B-Speak! Director Christina Ball 

Rifqi, tell us about yourself?

Sure! I’m from Jakarta, Indonesia. I’m actually an engineer by training, but decided to pivot into consulting after my undergrad, doing four years in consulting divisions at big-4 firms. After my MBA, the plan is to join either big tech or a consulting firm.

What motiva...

Angelica Hoyos - Colombia

Rice-Business PMBA '23

Q&A with B-Speak! Director Christina Ball 

Angelica, tell us why you decided to pursue a PMBA at Rice? What attracted you most to the program?

I decided to pursue a PMBA at Rice because I wanted to acquire the skills to advance in my career. I chose Rice because of the high quality of the education. Rice is focused on non-profit organizat...

Christina Zhou - China

Darden Full-Time MBA '23

Q&A with B-Speak! Director Christina Ball 

Christina, tell us about yourself?

Instead of giving a normal self-introduction, I would like to use some fun facts to showcase a vivid picture of myself, which I like to call my “Three I’s”:

1. I am a foodie, and I have tasted all kinds of delicious foods during my journey to 20 countries worldw...

Umair Hammad - Pakistan

Electrical Engineer  - Rice-Business Full-Time MBA '23

Umair's Q&A with B-Speak! Director Christina Ball 

Umair, tell us about yourself?

I am originally from Pakistan, and an incoming Full-time MBA student at Rice Business. I am an Electrical Engineer by profession and currently working for a Global Port Operator - DP World - as a Shift Manager, Engineering. When no...

Kazuya Dojo

Japan Minister of the Economy and Babson MBA '23 Student

Q&A with B-Speak! Director Christina Ball

Kazuya, tell us a little bit about yourself and the work you do in Japan.

I’m a government officer in Japan and I work for METI, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. I’m in charge of establishing a new organization, Digital Agency, to promote digital transformation in Japa...