Jake Sacco

Hometown: Houston, TX

Undergraduate Institution: Texas A&M University

Undergraduate Degree and Major: B.S. in Maritime Administration

Previous Graduate School (if applicable): N/A

Pre-MBA Industry: Chemicals

Pre-MBA Company: Univar Solutions

Pre-MBA Title: District Corporate Account Manager

Current Industry: Chemicals

Current Company: Univar Solutions

Current Title: District Corporate Account Manager

Desired Industry Post-MBA: Energy or Tech

Desired Job Function Post-MBA: Rotational Program or General Management

What Rice MBA clubs/organizations have you been involved in, and what positions have you held?

• Jones Public Policy Roundtable
• Strategy Association

What has been the most surprising part of your Rice MBA experience? The people. Everyone is here to learn, achieve and grow. It is amazing how much fun it is to be in school around people who want to be there.

What has been your favorite thing about your MBA experience so far? The camaraderie and ability to challenge myself by learning new things outside of my comfort zone. If you asked me a year ago if I would be doing a finance concentration, the answer would be absolutely not. A year later, here I am taking all finance courses in my second year even though I am not recruiting for IB.

Even better is the opportunity to learn from your peers. We have people across every industry with years of experience — they are all willing to sit down and just talk.

What is one piece of advice you would share with prospective professional MBA students? It's ok not to know what is next or what you want to do.