A Day in the Life: Renzo Yupangco ’26
We followed Renzo Yupangco ’26, a student in the Master of Advanced Management program, as he learned AI tools to apply in his family’s business, practiced piano, and connected with Yale’s Catholic community.
7:45 a.m.
I’m a morning person, so I wake up early to make breakfast before taking the Yale Shuttle to SOM. My first class is Generative AI for Managers. I came to SOM in large part to better understand the AI landscape and how it’s changing the way we work. After graduating, I’ll return to the Philippines to work at my family’s business, which distributes musical instruments and audio equipment; I’m also considering launching a new venture based on some of the takeaways from another SOM class, Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition. Integrating digital tools like AI into business workflows is something I plan to prioritize. In this class, I’ve had a lot of engaging discussions with my classmates and with Professor Sudhir, and we’ve also heard from fantastic guest speakers. Today, we did an exercise that involved getting ChatGPT to “hallucinate,” so we could learn about some of the pitfalls of working with AI.
Because I earned an MBA in Japan before coming to the MAM program, I had already studied many of the business fundamentals. I chose my electives based on the subjects I wanted to explore more deeply. In addition to AI, I really wanted to learn about entrepreneurship, influence and persuasion, and negotiations. I’ve also taken courses at the Yale Law School, Yale School of Drama, and the Yale School of Music.
10:00 a.m.
I went to the Ross Library at Evans Hall to clean up my notes and read some case studies for my next class. I like to work on the second floor, where there are great views, so I can free up my schedule later in the day.
11:30 a.m.
That day, I had lunch plans with my friend Duurenzaya Bukhbat ’26, who’s also in the MAM program. We walked down Hillhouse Avenue, which is one of my favorite walks in New Haven—especially in the spring, when the trees are in bloom. Then we ate lunch at Commons, a big dining hall that’s open to everyone at Yale. It always reminds me of Hogwarts in Harry Potter.
1:00 p.m.
Growing up, I was exposed to a lot of different instruments, but piano is the one that stuck—I’ve been playing for about 20 years. When I first thought about living abroad, I worried about not having access to a piano. But through Yale’s resources, I’m able to practice at the School of Music. I try to visit the practice rooms at Hendrie Hall at least twice a week. The pianos are all Steinways, and they’re some of the best I’ve played on.
2:30 p.m.
I live in graduate housing with floormates from a number of different Yale graduate schools. There’s a gym in the building, and when I have time, I like to do a mix of weights and cardio. Life at SOM isn’t all about studying—you have to find balance.
5:00 p.m.
I’m very involved with Saint Thomas More, the Catholic community at Yale. The beauty of my time here is expanding my network beyond SOM to the broader Yale community. I’ve made a lot of friends here, and I also serve on the graduate council. Saint Thomas More hosts regular dinner events on Thursdays, and today’s included presentations from graduate students on their research or dissertations. I was asked to talk about some of my takeaways from the MAM program, and I chose to share a few lessons from one of my favorite courses, Negotiations. I talked about the importance of knowing what you really want, and strategies for making the metaphorical “pie” bigger for both negotiating parties. I only had 10 minutes, so I kept it practical!
