Dima Zlenko, a third-year Master of Environmental Management (MEM) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler School of Business concurrent degree student, recently shared insights into why he's pursuing concurrent degrees, advice for students considering the concurrent degree path and his favorite memory so far.

Why did you choose to pursue a concurrent degree with the MEM?

I wanted to get involved in corporate sustainability and an MBA was a perfect way to understand the language of business. Additionally, it gave me the opportunity to dive deeper into accounting, financial modeling and marketing, all of which are essential to communicating the value of environmental impact. 

What skills or experiences did you gain across the concurrent degree program that WILL BE beneficial in your professional life?

I recently got back from COP29 in Azerbaijan, and having both environmental and business perspectives was very helpful in better understanding the financial ramifications of negotiations between the countries and its consequences for the private sector. The dynamics of environmental and business studies cohorts are also very different, and with both backgrounds, I feel at home while visiting both a field work crew in a forest or a 55th floor executive room on Wall Street.

What advice would you give to students considering a concurrent degree path or currently in the program?

Do your homework and visit schools when possible. In my opinion, more than half of our MEM/MBA group across all three schools (the Nicholas School and Fuqua School of Business at Duke, and Kenan-Flagler at UNC) applied for a second degree in their first year. As such we had an advantage of seeing the school, meeting people and getting a sense of the atmosphere before joining the second school as a student.

What is your favorite memory from your time in the program?

As a concurrent degree student at Duke and UNC, which are among the most famous rivalries in the country, I really enjoy not answering the question of which team I am cheering for in basketball (and I do have a favorite team!).