PARTICIPANT PROFILES

As an engineer for a global renewable energy company, Enrique had to travel across Europe on a weekly basis to keep his projects moving forward, which didn't allow him the time to study the complex aspects of business that had always interested him. When he joined his wife in the US so she could spend a year at the Kennedy School, he discovered how the Advanced Study Program could give him the knowledge he wanted.

Diego knew he needed to supplement his background in biomedical engineering with business and management skills if he wanted to pursue his entrepreneurial ambitions. The Advanced Study Program let him prepare for decision-making roles in his future startups.

As a CEO of a company that developed online math content, Ian wanted to further his mathematics knowledge and understanding in order to create better online lessons for his students. The Advanced Study Program gave him the opportunity to attend MIT's most prestigious courses in order to do that.

Norwegian Master’s student Ida Hernes was confident she had the technical engineering skills required to succeed in her industry. But as an aspiring engineering manager, she knew she needed to spend more time developing her leadership abilities. Ida acquired the training she needed by enrolling in management courses at MIT’s Sloan School of Management through ASP.

Luis Marcilla had a goal—and he knew exactly how to achieve it. Through ASP, Luis enrolled full-time at MIT for two semesters, successfully completing five courses in machine learning and data science. “The faculty are world-class—you really get your money’s worth in those courses,” Luis said. “Many departments offered office hours until midnight or even later.” 

The Advanced Study Program gave Ian Miller a gateway to pursue a full-time graduate degree in chemical engineering at MIT.

Cassi was drawn to her company's option to enroll in the Advanced Study Program part time while working, allowing her to continue her career while gaining a new set of skills.

A passion for Mathematics motivated Kiril to continue his studies in the Advanced Study Program.

Ralph A. Rodriguez, a man who describes himself as "self-driven," has logged an unprecedented 20 consecutive semesters of diverse studies (and a 4.9 cumulative GPA) in the ASP program even as he's started and run several companies, been awarded 11 patents with more pending and served on multiple boards, and also relished being a husband, dad, and grandfather.

As a graduate student with studies focused on the intersection of energy exploration and business, MIT offered several relevant and appealing opportunities for Charles, including earth science programs with deep technical expertise that he couldn't find in his home university.

Sahil wanted to build an educational foundation in entrepreneurship. The Advanced Study Program gave him the flexibility to study while he continued working.

Kevin Wang, a Software Engineer at Google, was interested in taking some courses but wasn't ready to commit to a full-time degree program just yet. The Advanced Study Program gave him the option to sample a few of MIT's classes that would still count towards a potential future degree.

Candy Wong, a Program Manager at Microsoft, joined the Advanced Study Program to better understand the needs of her diverse customers and become a more inclusive problem-solver.