Burak Sezen (center), and fellow MBAs Simon Varney (left; ’94) and Sean Morrissey (’96) take a rest during a Woodducks FC soccer game.

Q: You are originally from Turkey. How did you end up at the USM School of Business?

A: Yes, I was born and raised in Turkey. I am from Istanbul.   In my senior year in college in Turkey, I decided to continue with my education in United States.  That was the trend at that time.  I picked USM since, at that time, a very good friend of mine from high school was finishing up his undergraduate degree at USM.  And the rest is history.

Q: What was one of your most memorable experiences while pursuing the MBA at USM?

A: Well, all my first semester presentations! Trying to present to a group of professionals with no practical English is a memorable experience.  Group work was great. I met a lot of really good and smart people in the program.

Q: Tell us about your job. What do you do? Does it have a future? How did you find it?

A: I work at Humana Inc.'s Innovation Center. My title is Computer Scientist (go figure after an MBA).  I work with a group of researchers and business folks to prototype new healthcare applications.  I found the position through the contacts I made in my previous job.  Healthcare is probably the fastest growing industry, and there is so much room for new ideas. Especially with companies such as Google, Microsoft, Walmart, and Intel breaking into the market, things are becoming even more interesting.

Q: Setting aside most of the principles you learned in the MBA program, what is your    entrepreneurial passion? In a "perfect world," what would you like to do?

A: I have an interest in building healthcare applications that empower individuals to take control of their health by offering them relevant and accurate health information, tools to assess their health, guidelines for a healthy lifestyle, mechanisms to find other people with similar health issues or experiences, and the right healthcare providers (both facilities and physicians).

Q: What books have you read recently, and why are they interesting?

A: "Never Let Me Go," by Kazuo Ishiguro and "Open Innovation," by Henry Chesbrough. Open Innovation relates to the environment I am working in.  To become an innovative organization is not an easy feat. The book talks about how companies excelled and failed at it. Never Let Me Go is a New York Times best seller -- a fantastic book -- that I highly recommend.

Q; What do you do for relaxation and recreation?

A: Soccer, hiking, reading and traveling.

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