From a Johns Hopkins MBA to a career at Cigna

Morgan Wallace (MBA ‘20) knew she wanted to work in preventive care and wellness.

She used her MBA and experience at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School to find a role at Cigna, ranked number 13 on the Fortune 500 list.

Wallace joined the company as part of Cigna’s Managed Care Rotational Program. Now on her second rotation, serving as a program management senior analyst, Wallace will move to a permanent role at Cigna after her two years in the program.

Managing data aggregation to look at trends and gaps in coverage, Wallace says her work will help Cigna deliver on its commitment to better health outcomes. And she credits her Carey MBA with giving her the skills to get the job done.

“During the MBA program, we learned to ask a lot of ‘why’ questions,” Wallace says. “That type of thinking is what you need to be even more successful in corporate America. Before you roll out a project, you need to know how it adds value and who it adds values to.”

This “why” mindset she gained at Carey helps Wallace tackle new challenges, especially in her role at Cigna. “Senior leaders want people who are asking questions. You might be new, but if you are asking the right questions, you bring a viewpoint they may not have thought of.”

But Wallace says her current role wasn’t always the obvious option. Before coming to Carey Business School, she envisioned herself working on the provider side of health care. Through her coursework, the Career Development Office, and the Johns Hopkins alumni network, she gained exposure to all sides of the business of health.

“There are so many roles that you can obtain as an MBA. Don’t be afraid to explore them for yourself. Your career journey is going to look different for you from your colleagues and the rest of your MBA cohort. That’s OK,” Wallace says. “You learn from one another, learn about yourself along the way, and ultimately you are set up to choose a career that is the exact right path for you.”