One Alum’s Global Journey to the City of Bridges

By Gabby Gartner-Coliane

Given the choice between pursuing an MBA in Shanghai, Singapore, Madrid, or Pittsburgh, Emil Lampe (MBA ’21) chose Pittsburgh.

Lampe spent his time in the program taking classes remotely while living in Pittsburgh, due to the pandemic. Despite the circumstances, he has only positive memories of the city. He returned to his home country of Germany after graduation and now serves as an international ambassador for the school.

Why Pittsburgh?

Lampe is a Global Mobility Analyst at Covestro (formerly Bayer). When Covestro encouraged him to pursue his MBA, they allowed him to remain employed while he was a student. He was encouraged to obtain his degree outside of Germany.

Pitt MBA program’s outstanding global reputation was only part of his decision-making. “Pittsburgh as a city seemed to me like the perfect fit and offered me the ideal package,” he says.

Pittsburgh is known as the City of Bridges, stitching together a city that has rich cultural diversity. “At Pitt, you get the chance to meet and work with so many different people with the most diverse backgrounds, both culturally and professionally,” he says. He enjoyed the connections he was able to make with students in his cohort and around the university. These connections made a turbulent time, globally, into a time of development and strength.

Lampe’s fondest memory of his time in the MBA program was the in-person commencement ceremony in April 2021. It was the first time he was able to meet most of his classmates. “I had the feeling that that day not only concluded my time at Pitt, but also the stressful and exhausting pandemic, as this was the first day in over a year where you got to meet and talk to new people,” he says. 

Lampe’s love of Pittsburgh and Pitt Business followed him back to Germany, where he was immediately promoted upon his return to the office. “Although I would have loved to stay in the U.S., and particularly in Pittsburgh, I had to return and resume working at Covestro,” he says.

Pitt in Germany

Being an international student at an American college is a unique growth experience, no matter your age. One of the reasons Lampe decided to attend Pitt Business was the chance to tap into the vast alumni network. “You are not just someone who graduated from that particular school, you are part of the school’s family, network, organization,” he says. 

International students make Pitt a rich and diverse university. Lampe feels that it is up to alumni to “make sure that Pitt and the business school remain such diverse places—culturally, personally, and academically.”

Lampe serves as an international representative for Germany on the Business Alumni Association Board. He encourages all international alumni to get involved with their local or country representative. “You will soon realize that there are more alumni out there than you think,” he says.

International Volunteers

Volunteering for your alma mater is not something that solely happens on campus. Serving as a global ambassador and welcoming prospective or current students is incredibly important in keeping the program strong.

“What I love, and what motivates me to stay connected with Pitt Business and its alumni, is that people are so passionate and dedicated about this school,” he says. “No matter what and where you are looking for something, whether it is a career network or just some information about a town you are visiting, there is always someone from the alumni network who can help out, and I love that.”