Andre Koo Technology and Entrepreneurship MBA | Amanda Tripodi

Hometown
Old Tappan, NJ

Undergraduate
Cornell University - Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR)

Previous Industry
Consulting, EY

Student Clubs
Stern Technology Association (VP of Flagships)
Entrepreneurship & Startup Association (Member)
Middle East and North Africa (Member)

Stern has made being a student again even better than I imagined - an energizing and invigorating experience with professors who challenge how I think and classmates who make me look forward to both class and whatever we have planned afterward.

During my five years in consulting at EY, I helped organizations navigate workforce redesigns and technology transformations and adopt new ways of working - always keeping the people affected by those changes in mind. That experience sparked my interest in shaping the technology decisions themselves: identifying where AI can create value, what products to build, and how to implement them in ways people will actually embrace. I wanted to build on my consulting experience with deeper technical fluency, and Stern’s focused Tech MBA offered that through an intensive year of product, strategy, and AI coursework, with experiential company projects that allowed for immediate application of classroom learning - and New York right outside the classroom.

But the people made the decision feel personal. Conversations with students from the previous cohort gave me an honest picture of the experience and made it easy to imagine myself here. I loved the idea of a small, close-knit cohort within a larger MBA community. A year of stretching my brain, trying new things, and meeting incredible people who shared my curiosity sounded like a pretty great next chapter.

Curious, supportive, and very capable of turning a quick lunch into an entire afternoon together. I’m constantly learning from my classmates, whether we’re discussing an AI use case or hearing about someone’s wedding planning. Some of my favorite memories have been cheering for the Knicks and watching the World Cup together (BEST NYC summer ever), Central Park picnics, comedy shows and trivia nights, endless birthday celebrations, and spending a weekend in the Poconos cooking all together, hiking, and playing games. A few months ago, we were strangers; now, we spend all week together and still make weekend plans.

Talk to current students, and ask the questions you actually care about. What does a normal Tuesday look like? How do people make friends, manage the workload, or explore a new career direction? Come in with a sense of what you want to learn, but leave room for your classmates and experiences to introduce you to possibilities you hadn’t considered. Once you’re here, make time for the relationships alongside the coursework; in a one-year program, both deserve your attention.

Even having grown up near the city, experiencing it as a Stern student has given me a new appreciation for how much is within reach. Through the summer NYC Immersion, we've visited companies such as Reddit, Google, and Amazon and worked with NBCUniversal  - experiences that make what we’re learning feel immediately relevant. Outside class, the city has also become part of how our cohort connects, from comedy shows and Yankees games to trying new restaurants and celebrating every birthday together.