Student Spotlight: From a Background in Tech to a Newfound Love for Business

How the Integrated Innovation Institute helped Kennedy Mays (MSSM ‘25) forge a new career path by combining business and engineering skills

After completing an undergraduate degree in computer engineering at Mercy University, Kennedy Mays did not feel like her academic path was complete yet. The direction that she would take next would surprise her in more ways than one. 

As part of the GEM Fellowship program, Kennedy was a Master of Science in Software Management (MSSM) student at the Integrated Innovation Institute at Carnegie Mellon University (iii) located in Silicon Valley. While Kennedy came to the iii with a technical background, upon taking courses in the program, she became increasingly interested in a new skill area: business. 

“I found a very surprising passion for business. I almost didn’t choose the program because of the business aspect. I thought of myself as a tech person.” 

The Fast Facts: A Summary of Kennedy’s Time in the MSSM Program

Silicon Valley Living 🏡

• Balancing high tech and suburbia 
• Experiencing a shared passion and excitement about innovative technology with community

Engaging with the MSSM Community 🤝

• Her role as an Admissions Ambassador 
• Collaborating with peers
• Learning from the wider Silicon Valley community

Unlocking New Interests 🔐

• Transitioning between academic focuses 
• Gaining foundational knowledge at the iii
• Discovering a new passion for business 

How to Balance it All 📚

• Embracing endless opportunities in Silicon Valley 

What’s Next 🎓

• Creating a career based off of integrated interests 

Life in Silicon Valley

Living in Silicon Valley, Kennedy explores the balance she loves between high-end tech and suburbia. With everything in reach in the area, it allows her to get involved in her interests in the epicenter of technology while also having the option to take it slow when she needs to. 

While driving past companies like Apple, Google, and Meta, she often asks herself, “What if I worked there?” Technology infiltrates life in Silicon Valley  in a way that is unlike any other city. “You get to be immersed in it and constantly inspired by it.”

Kennedy has also been surprised by how friendly and conversational people in Silicon Valley can be. In a cafe one day, she suddenly struck up a conversation with a stranger because of the CMU sweatshirt that she was wearing. They started talking about the MSSM program, and then she heard about the person’s background in Venture Capitalism and how their life changed throughout their time in tech.

Engaging with the MSSM Community

During her application process, Kennedy found the alumni and upperclassmen from the MSSM program crucial to her decision making. Once speaking to a previous admissions ambassador Kennedy decided that it was the place for her. This made Kennedy want to give back to the community to help people whose position she was in previously because she saw how much of a difference they made in bringing her to where she is today as an admissions ambassador herself. 

On campus, Kennedy is often motivated by the students in the MSSM program. In the classroom, she bounces ideas off of her classmates and often engages with them collaboratively.

In the Legal Issues in New Venture Creation class, Kennedy had the opportunity to interview  startup founder and CMU alum, Sarika Bajaj. Sarika founded Refiberd, textile detection technology that uses AI imaging to determine fiber composition. During this interview, students took on the perspective of venture capitalists. This allowed Kennedy and her classmates to have the opportunity to get to see the behind the scenes that happens with the startup world.  

Additionally, community events at CMU-SV have helped Kennedy feel involved. One course hosted an improv workshop to help students improve their interviewing skills. Students learned how to perfect their elevator pitches about themselves, adapt to changes in conversation, and become more flexible with their thinking.

Unlocking New Interests 

Kennedy has been unlocking new interests throughout her entire academic journey. She started in an art charter school in high school, where her studies focused on playing the clarinet. However, her interest in tech was always there, so when it was time to choose a concentration in university, she chose computer engineering and that is where she thought her interests lied until she came to the iii. 

In her search for the perfect Master’s program, she saw all the practical applications that the MSSM program had in store for her. She was excited to upskill her engineering skills and widen her expertise in design, but the business coursework gave her pause. While she was unsure about this aspect of the program, it quickly became one of her favorite parts. 

Getting to know the foundational information across all of these disciplines is crucial. Through the MSSM program, Kennedy learned that she did not have to be the expert in everything; she just needed to gain the foundational knowledge to be able to utilize her toolkit to get the answers. Now, she has gained the tools to do that. This knowledge was something that she did not have before the iii, and through learning it, she felt herself grow in her potential as a professional. 

When being immersed in the business aspect of the program, she found the most difficult part for her was the human side of it. Working with people is crucial to the discipline of business and to solving problems. “You can give everyone the same problem, but they all have different approaches,” said Kennedy about problem-solving in teams. While this was the most difficult part of the problem for her, it was also the most essential. Working in teams throughout the MSSM program is what she feels is preparing her for the workforce.

How to Balance it All 

Opening new possibilities in Silicon Valley and the iii was great for Kennedy, but it didn’t come without any challenges. The amount of resources and opportunities that the area offered to her was immense. 

“Everywhere you look, there are resources and events going on. This has been a journey where I can do anything.”

At first, she found it paralyzing because of the amount of opportunities. Initially, she wanted to take advantage of all of them, from going to events to attending lectures and happy hours, but now she has learned to just focus on what truly interests her. Her advice: pace yourself to not overcommit and burn yourself out. 

What’s Next

During her application process, Kennedy found the alumni and upperclassmen from the MSSM program crucial to her decision making. Once speaking to a previous admissions ambassador Kennedy decided that it was the place for her. This made Kennedy want to give back to the community to help people whose position she was in previously because she saw how much of a difference they made in bringing her to where she is today as an admissions ambassador herself. 

Looking forward, Kennedy is excited to integrate her interests in AI and consumer technology while combining all that the iii has taught her and all that she has left to learn.