Sarah Eagen

Sarah Eagen came to Questrom determined to pivot from advertising to branding. That’s just what she did.

With a degree in advertising from the University of Illinois, Sarah went to work for Digitas, a major global ad agency in Chicago. There, she collaborated with clients like Whirlpool, CVS, and Bank of America. After a few years, she transferred to Digitas’ Boston office, where she took on account management. “In order to make the move from agency to the corporate, brand side, I knew I needed an MBA,” said Sarah. Since she didn’t want to leave her job, she chose Questrom’s part-time evening program.

“BU is such a big school with so many opportunities in such an amazing city for grad students,” Sarah says. As she dove into core courses and made career connections, Sarah refined her career goals. As a self-described “foodie”, she realized she was increasingly interested in the food and beverage industry and consumer packaged goods. “I became passionate about how products are made and distributed, coupled with the sales strategy for various target markets.”

Soon Sarah was branching out, taking advantage of the many opportunities beyond the classroom. “I wanted to immerse myself, join clubs, make connections with professors, meet new people.” Sarah has done just that as VP of Engagement for the Marketing Club and VP of PEMBA Relations for the Women’s MBA Association. “Involvement in clubs and events has elevated my experience at Questrom,” Sarah says. “It’s a time commitment, but it’s worth it. My network of connections is so strong because of it.”

Sarah’s commitment has paid off. Less than a year after she enrolled in the PEMBA program, she landed a job at Welch’s as an Integrated Marketing Manager. “My MBA definitely helped me get the job at Welch’s,” she says. “My faculty advisor was my ‘go-to’ during the whole transition. She even helped me think through all the short-term and long-term factors in making such a career move.” Today, she is an Associate Brand Manager at Chosen Foods.

“Questrom’s commitment to fostering a tightly knit community has deepened my graduate education, adds Sarah, who is discovering that she can apply what she’s learning in her courses directly to her new job. “Right now, I’m in a class about environmental sustainability in supply chains,” she says. “It’s the perfect class to complement what I’m contributing to at work.”

“Questrom’s commitment to fostering a tightly knit community has deepened my graduate education.”

– Sarah Eagen