Anshul Gupta and Ashley Sowers were the project management student co-leads at the recent
Weatherhead School of Management Appreciative Inquiry Summit. Both Gupta and Sowers previously
made a foray into AI in their own unique ways—Gupta learning about it in a LEAD course during her MBA program and Sowers participating in an AI Summit earlier this summer with Professors David Cooperrider and Ron Fry in North Carolina.
Both Gupta and Sowers jumped at the chance to be a part of the project management team. “When I
learned there was going to be an AI Summit here at Weatherhead, it was a no brainer to become involved," said Sowers. “To be part of a strategic planning event in a system that I’m directly impacted by and having a voice for what the future of Weatherhead looks like. This was a great opportunity to have an equal platform with other key stakeholders.”
The two women played different but equally vital roles on the team. Sowers made sure all the meetings were scheduled for the various summit committees as well as recorded the minutes from each session. From there, Gupta used the minutes to create notes and action items on Trello, a project management tool that helped organize and prioritize all the moving pieces. Thanks to both of their strong attention to detail, nothing fell through the cracks.
Gupta recalled the AI Summit as transformative and inspirational. “It gave us the opportunity to meet people from diverse backgrounds and build connections which will last beyond the Summit. I feel like I know 80% of the people in Weatherhead now!” she joked.
Likewise, Sowers left the Summit feeling empowered to speak up and to be a part of the growth and change she wants to see. “I’m motivated to work with everyone to make the vision we all created together come to fruition,” she said.
Gupta and Sowers are passionate about the future of Weatherhead because of the experiences they have already had here. “My individual needs as a student are met,” said Sowers. “The faculty, the success team, and everyone else responds to my needs. I love the personalized touch and I feel like I can create my own journey here.”
Gupta agreed and added that Weatherhead is an open space for students to implement their ideas. “It’s like a playground for students to play around and grab the opportunities to connect, to have fun, to network and to reach out to alumni," she said. "I feel that’s very enriching and has helped me grow as a person.”
The pair still meet weekly with the AI Summit project management team to tackle next steps and create tangible plan to move forward with the suggested changes that came out of the summit. Although some ideas still need to be fleshed out, one thing is certain; with students who are this dedicated to their school, the future for Weatherhead is brighter than ever.
Gupta is a 2023 Weatherhead MBA graduate who is now embarking on a new journey in Weatherhead’s Master of Finance program. During her time in the MBA program, Gupta served as the executive vice president of the Graduate Business Student Association (GBSA). As a vital part of this student-run body, she played a crucial role in fostering an environment for comprehensive business learning, benefiting the entire student community. Gupta also contributed to initiatives at Case Western Reserve University’s Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship and Fowler Center Business as an Agent of World Benefit as the ThinkImpact program facilitator, facilitating sessions on topics related to social and environmental issues. Upon graduation, she would like to implement all her skillsets as a consultant or coach.
Sowers joined Weatherhead this fall as a full-time, first-year MBA student and Fowler Center Fellow. She holds both of her current degrees from Case Western Reserve, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology (2013) and a Master of Science in Medical Physiology (2016). Sowers’ professional passions have always lived at the intersection of medicine and culture. However, her career aspirations quickly transitioned from practicing medicine to understanding and influencing the business and strategy behind all of it. She plans to pursue Weatherhead’s marketing and design and innovation and entrepreneurship majors during her MBA, applying all her learnings to reach her marketing and entrepreneurship goals within the Femtech, digital wellness, space.