About Ammar: Born and raised in Pakistan, Ammar’s journey has been shaped by storytelling, curiosity, and a willingness to step into unfamiliar worlds. What began as a love for films and novels became a global career spanning South Asia, the Middle East, and the United States. He studied Communications with a focus on Media Industries and Technology at Northwestern University, where he discovered filmmaking as both a creative outlet and a way to understand people. Since then, Ammar has directed award-winning films, built and led creative teams, and worked on high-stakes communication and strategy projects across education, healthcare, sports, and entertainment. At Anderson, he is focused on sharpening his analytical and strategic skills while continuing to explore how stories, data, and operations come together to shape culture and impact at scale.

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When I started my MBA journey as an international student, I thought my biggest challenge would be keeping up academically. I was wrong. The hardest part was recruiting.

I remember walking into my first few networking conversations feeling prepared on paper but unsure in practice. The norms were unfamiliar, the pace was fast, and many expectations were unspoken. It felt like everyone else had been handed a rulebook I had never seen. I struggled to find language that connected, to explain my international work experience in under a minute during coffee chats, and to make a clear case for why a firm should go through the effort to hire an international like me. For a moment, it was easy to believe that being international was a disadvantage I had to work around.

But something interesting happened. I adapted quickly.

I grew up in Pakistan and later worked across the Middle East. Long before business school, I had learned how to walk into unfamiliar rooms, read people carefully, and adjust my communication style on the fly. I had built relationships across cultures, hierarchies, and industries without shared assumptions to rely on. Recruiting felt difficult, but it did not feel unfamiliar.

What I didn’t realize at first was that this ability to recalibrate quickly is a strength many international applicants already have. We’re used to ambiguity. We’re used to learning by doing. When something doesn’t work, we don’t freeze, we iterate.

At Anderson, I started to see this pattern play out. After a few missteps in recruiting, I refined my story, adjusted how I positioned my experience, and became more confident in conversations. The same instincts that helped me navigate global work environments helped me bounce back faster than I expected. The discomfort was real, but it was temporary.

International students also bring a level of intentionality that is often overlooked. Most of us didn’t arrive here by accident. We made deliberate choices to leave familiar systems, invest in ourselves, and pursue growth far from home. That clarity of purpose shows up in how we engage with classmates, approach group work, and think about long term impact.

Anderson is a place where this strength compounds. The collaborative culture rewards people who listen well, synthesize different perspectives, and build bridges. Over time, what initially feels like a gap becomes an edge.

If you are an international applicant reading this, know that struggling at first doesn’t mean you’re behind – it often means you’re learning in real time. You already know how to adapt. You already know how to recover. Once you recognize that, the experience shifts from survival to growth.

Your background isn’t something to overcome. It’s something to build from.

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Student Blogger: Ammar Younas ‘27

Undergrad: Northwestern University ’18

Pre-MBA: Communication Strategy at Qatar Foundation

Leadership@Anderson: Director of International Outreach, Admissions Ambassador Corps; Director of International, Entertainment Business Association; Director of International Recruiting, Management Consulting Association

Instagram: ammar.younas