Education | Johns Hopkins Carey Business School

The Johns Hopkins Carey Summer Business Academy (SBA) is an immersive program designed to introduce historically underrepresented students to foundational business concepts, professional networks, and experiential learning. In 2021, the program entered its second cohort and transitioned from an in-person experience to a fully remote format, creating an opportunity to rethink how students would connect, engage, and learn. As Graduate Assistant to the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB), Community and Corporate Partnerships, and Student Resources, I helped reimagine the 10-day SBA experience with the goal of increasing student interest and engagement.

Design Approach

I applied a human-centered design process to understand the needs of students and other stakeholders and identify opportunities to strengthen the program experience. This included:

• Conducting research and empathy-driven exploration of the existing experience

• Facilitating listening sessions with faculty, staff, and Carey MBA students to gather diverse perspectives

• Identifying key pain points and synthesizing research into actionable insights

• Collaborating with stakeholders to translate insights into new program concepts

From Insights to Program Design

Our research revealed a need for greater personalization, team connection, and community building within the remote experience. These insights informed three new focus areas:

• Individual: Personal and career development through 1:1 mentorship and coaching with current Carey MBA students.

• Team: Stronger team dynamics and experiential learning through a team-based case competition.

• Community: Expanded opportunities to build professional relationships with faculty, staff, students, and industry professionals.

Based on the research and insights, I developed a prototype of a new landing page, which served as inspiration for updated marketing materials. The impact of the rebrand included an increase in cohort size by 70% and HBCU representation by 120% over two years. Additionally, the new student-centered mentorship approach was successful in awarding 17 scholars a total of $30,000 in scholarships.

Throughout the 10-day program, we solicited feedback from scholars to identify opportunities for improvement and inform future cohorts. Since 2021, the JHU Carey SBA has gained traction among undergraduate scholars across the nation, and the outcomes of the rebrand continue to positively impact the next generation of business leaders.

For me, the project demonstrated the value of combining research, creativity, and strategy to design experiences that respond to the needs of the people they are intended to serve.

Learn more about the program here.