Giovanni Pieve is an MBA Candidate in the Class of 2022 at the WP Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. Read more about how Giovanni went from being curious about space exploration to pursuing an MBA from WP Carey.
MBASchooled: What did you do before business school, and why did you choose to get an MBA?
My story is a bit odd. First off I’m what they call a “Double Devil” because I did my undergrad at Arizona State University (where our mascot is the Sun Devil) and now I’m back.
In undergrad I majored in Earth and Space Exploration but decided late in my degree that living a life doing scientific research wasn’t for me. Luckily I was also involved with ASUs language department as an Italian language minor and tutor. My tutoring then expanded to general English writing, often working with international students.
This helped me land a spot on an ASU summer study abroad internship in South Korea as an English Teacher. I loved it so much that I decided to go back immediately after graduation. I spent 4 years in various spots (yes I did live one year in Seoul) teaching English and studying Korean as well as traveling as much as I could
MBASchooled: What’s one goal you have for yourself that you want to achieve before you graduate from business school?
Before I graduate I’d like to be comfortably proficient in Python and SQL.
MBASchooled: What is the most important lesson that you’ve learned in your career so far?
I think the most important lesson I’ve learned is that everyone suffers from imposter syndrome at one point and it’s ok. But just remember that you aren’t an imposter. You earned what you have. So make sure to give yourself credit for all you’ve done.
MBASchooled: Who is someone who you admire or look up to for career guidance or advice, and why?
I tend to have great admiration for all my professors because I know they must have worked so hard to be where they’re at. This is especially true for the professors who have taught the sports business oriented classes I’ve taken. Furthermore I have great admiration for my managers from my summer internship at NASCAR. I also think it’s important to mention my classmates at ASU. We are going through the program together and it’s tough. But they help keep me going.