Lives of Consequence
Chioma Obiechina Isiadinso ’93
After a successful career in admissions at Carnegie Mellon and Harvard Business Schools, Chioma Obiechina Isiadinso ’93 decided to combine her professional expertise with her academic interest in psychology to form EXPARTUS. An admissions consulting firm for MBA applicants, EXPARTUS combines counseling and psychology with admissions know-how.
“We operate around a core philosophy of personal branding -- helping a client discover and articulate his or her unique story in a compelling way,” Isiadinso says. “Our goal is to help each person approach the application process introspectively, to carefully reflect on motivations and goals, and to dig up the most interesting, distinct parts of their story.”
Clients tell her that this personal branding process is helping beyond the application process -- it clarifies their career goals and helps them develop a blueprint for where they want to go professionally and personally.
Isiadinso’s own “brand” is a story in itself. She grew up in Nsukka, in southern Nigeria, and when she was 15, her family relocated to the United States, where she took her first psychology class. Isiadinso was unfamiliar with the subject. “In fact,” she says, “I thought I wanted to be an actress when I grew up, and eventually a director. However, after taking that class, I knew I had found my career. It was perhaps an unusual conviction for a high school student, but it has stood the test of time.”
At HWS, Isiadinso majored in psychology with a minor in English literature. “I really enjoyed my time there,” she says. “I found it to be a great academic environment filled with exceptional students and professors. I was fortunate to take a wide range of classes, from great subjects within my major to interdisciplinary classes on dance theory and the Harlem Renaissance. I really appreciated the co-curricular nature of HWS.”
With experience as director of admissions at Carnegie Mellon’s School of Public Policy and Management, serving on the admissions board of Harvard Business School, and founding her business, she and her family moved to Lagos two years ago, founding a sister company, EXPARTUS Nigeria.
“I quickly realized that the Nigerian market could be fertile ground for our work, and I was eager to begin working with local families,” she says. “In addition to providing consulting services for university and graduate admissions, we have expanded into career counseling, and even started a chess academy for young kids interested in the game.”
The name EXPARTUS conjures up the Latin legal term ex parte, “on the part of.” It’s the notion of advocacy on behalf of someone, and Isiadinso does it not only for business school candidates, but also for those less fortunate. She started a charity, Clothes for Life, which helps provide quality clothing for newborns and for impoverished families. “We are hoping to expand in career clothing as well, providing professional clothes for those looking to transition into employment,” she says.
“It has been very rewarding work, and I am looking forward to seeing it grow.”