Adebanjo (BJ) Solaru
Year graduated from Weatherhead: December 2021
Degree: Master of Business Administration
What are you up to?
I work at MetroHealth as a strategy associate. I started January of 2022, shortly after graduating in December of 2021. I have a diverse set of responsibilities in my role, including project management, market analysis, business and product development and research among others.
Currently, I am a project manager for a school-based health care expansion and for the development of a bone marrow transplant program. I also am developing a business case for a new way to treat sickle cell patients.
How did you find this job?
Although I found this job on a job board, I first became interested in MetroHealth after learning about the system on the “Health Care Trek” that was organized by the Career Management Office. This gave me the chance to visit the hospital in person and speak with people doing various roles in operations and business. At that point, I already had the opportunity to hear firsthand about MetroHealth at a networking event hosted by the CMO from CWRU alumna, Liz Thompson, who I now work with frequently. After the trek, I was able to meet with three more MetroHealth team members at a virtual networking event. Some time after that event, I was sold on wanting to work at MetroHealth and I asked if the CMO could connect me with someone who could tell me more. The office connected me with CWRU alumnus, Brian Kovach, currently a principal in the strategy department. He gave me insight on his view of the hospital and a general overview of what he did day-to-day and just gave me some general advice. When I saw the role of strategy associate pop up, I felt that it was a perfect match for my skill set. When it came to do my final round interview, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was Brian that I would be interviewing with and that it would be his team that I would be working on if hired. I am most excited to learn the intricacies of what drives hospital decision making and the positive effects we can create for our patients.
What is something you learned during your time at Weatherhead that you’ve been able to use in your current role?
I use nearly all of the skills from our core curriculum in my role, especially analytics, corporate finance, strategy and marketing. Some of the most impactful lessons in leading people have come from the classes I took in Organizational Behavior and LEAD.
What advice would you offer to any current MBA students at Weatherhead?
Follow your curiosities outside of the classroom and have conversations with people about what you hope to do.
What do you love most about Weatherhead?
I loved interacting with and learning alongside my colleagues. The diversity of culture, experience and skills made for a fulfilling MBA journey.