2016 Best MBAs: Heidi Laki, Emory
Emory University, Goizueta Business School
“There are three main sources where Goizueta students seek guidance during their MBA journey: Our faculty, our staff, and Heidi Laki.”
Age: 32
Hometown: Houston, TX
Education: Pepperdine University, International Politics
Where did you work before enrolling in business school? NRG Energy and Peace Corps
Where did you intern during the summer of 2015? McKinsey & Company
Where will you be working after graduation? McKinsey & Company
Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:
VP Interview Prep, Goizueta Consulting Association
Chief Risk Officer, Goizueta Impact Investing
Student Director of Academics, Goizueta Marketing Strategy Consultancy
Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Being VP of Interview Prep for the consulting association has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had at Goizueta. Each year, the students who have gone through consulting recruitment provide knowledge, training and support to new students going through the process. However the process was largely informal and unstructured. I created a curriculum, schedule, developed content and engaged with 30 second years to help train first year students. As a result, each intern received 13 hours of individual instruction including case demonstrations, group case workshops and individual case practice organized through the consulting association. The work was very personally gratifying as you had first hand exposure to students’ improvement and felt like you were helping contribute to one of the most important goals of business school: getting the job you have worked so hard for!
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? While at my previous employer, I created a real time quoting and contracting platform which enabled us to gain greater access to an under penetrated sector of the small business channel. The concept was new to market and being implemented in a business unit of the company known for its inflexibility and laggard innovation. The biggest impediment to success was not external adoption, but internal support. Communicating and convincing support teams of the value created enabled us to gain buy in critical to the success of the project. That project really brought home the importance of engagement and communication to the success of projects. Within 12 months, the channel brought in 90% of the acquisition business in the mid markets channel.
Who is your favorite professor? Kevin Coyne. He challenges us to really think through problems using both creative and analytical approaches. There are no clear cut answers and he pushes students to think outside of the box for interesting solutions.
Favorite MBA Courses? Competitive Advantage, Project Finance, Global Macroeconomic Perspectives, Consumer Psychology, Goizueta Marketing Strategy Consultancy
Why did you choose this business school? A combination of things led me to Goizueta. I knew I wanted to be in the Atlanta area after graduation, so the location was great for networking and site visits. My second factor was meeting the students and the faculty. The school felt warm and welcoming, in spite of the rigor imposed on the students. I got the distinct impression that students picked each other up and helped each other grow, which was exactly the type of culture I was trying to find.
What did you enjoy most about business school? I have really enjoyed the ability to try anything in a safe space. While at Goizueta, I joined the Impact Investing association, where I served as the Risk Officer responsible for assessing and mitigating risk for debt loans we were extending to small businesses. I have no finance background, but felt I was in an environment where faculty and fellow students would allow me to challenge myself and guide me in the right direction.
What was the most surprising thing about business school? Beginning to understand how much you don’t know. Business school gives you exposure to so many new sectors, functional areas and concepts, which is both an eye-opening and humbling experience.
What was the hardest part of business school? Prioritizing. I did not appreciate the sheer number of engaging and fulfilling opportunities I would have. Managing a thirst for learning, developing friendships with classmates, and giving back to my community has been incredibly challenging and has forced me to become much more intentional about prioritizing my life. I really had to focus on trade-offs, decide what I want out of every experience and most importantly, learn to say no.
What’s your best advice to an applicant to your school? It is critical to come to the school, meet the students and get a feel for the culture and the people. It’s time intensive and expensive, but incredibly worth it. Meeting your cohorts and future faculty will help you decide on a grad school in a way that a weighted matrix will not.
“I knew I wanted to go to business school when…I was negotiating a joint venture and I could sense a distinctive difference in how my executive team strategically approached the project. I knew I wanted that 50,000 foot view and a top tier MBA could help get me there.”
“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…managing the product portfolio for the roof top solar business line at an alternative energy company. It’s a fun, new growth sector that would have been a great opportunity to be a part of that movement.”
Which executive or entrepreneur do you most admire? I was at NRG Energy during a pivotal moment in the company’s history. David Crane, our CEO, was transitioning the company from a 20th century utility to a 21st century energy provider. He had a real vision for both the company and the industry. He not only communicated the vision effectively, he changed the culture of the organization to match the vision. You felt the direction of the company in every division and function. He also inspired employees to believe in where NRG was headed. I work daily to emulate leadership like David’s, capable of that level of change within an organization.
What are your long-term professional goals? I would like to return to my Peace Corps roots and use my skills for economic development of underprivileged and underserved areas, both domestically and abroad. I think there is room to provide financing for small businesses in at risk areas and consulting services to ensure they have the tools to succeed in achieving their goals and repaying their obligations. In the long term, I would like to create my own non-profit that connects lenders with at risk borrowers and provides basic consulting services at cost that enables small businesses to function effectively.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? My mom is absolutely the person I thank for my success. She was one of the first female masters in chemical engineering to graduate from NYU in 1971. Her bravery, persistence and curiosity continue to inspire me every day.
Fun fact about yourself: I played with a wild baby bear cub while serving in the Peace Corps in the Republic of Georgia.
Favorite book: East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Favorite movie: The Big Lebowski
Favorite musical performer: The Decemberists
Favorite television show: Breaking Bad
Favorite vacation spot: Anywhere new, fun and adventurous
Hobbies? Hiking, board games, travel
What made Heidi such an invaluable addition to the class of 2016?
“There are three main sources where Goizueta students seek guidance during their MBA journey: Our faculty, our staff, and Heidi Laki. Heidi has a well-earned reputation as being a top scholar and someone who is instantly relatable to others. She personifies the Goizueta promise of developing students who are both capable and relatable. Heidi has been a perennial Dean’s List student while maintaining a busy schedule of extracurricular activities. Perhaps most significantly to the Goizueta experience, Heidi is a respected leader within the Goizueta Consulting Club. As Poets & Quants has reported, Goizueta produces the highest percentage of consulting MBAs of all top business schools. Heidi stands as a wonderful example of why our students are valued so highly in this ultra-competitive field. Her advice on academics and consulting is only surpassed by her empathy for others. Heidi has led our students into the area of impact investing because of her passion for helping others. With all of this, Heidi still finds time to engage socially and mentor our students in their personal lives. Heidi Laki shouldn’t be surprised if our faculty and staff end up seeking her guidance after she graduates in May. She will be missed!” — Brian Mitchell, Associate Dean and Director of Full-Time MBA Programs, Emory University, Goizueta Business School
DON’T MISS: CLASS OF 2016: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST GRADUATING MBAS
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University of Oxford, Said Business School
I have climbed four of the seven highest mountains in the world. I am also a contortionist.
Age: 33
Hometown: Reykjavik, Iceland
Undergraduate School and Degree: Guildford School of Acting, BA (hons) Acting
Where did you work before enrolling in business school? Actress/Presenter/Musician
Where will you be working after graduation? Goldman Sachs, Associate
Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Giving birth to my baby daughter in the first week of school.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Maybe presenting the Icelandic X Factor or playing the lead roles in The Threepenny Opera and Footloose.
Who is your favorite professor? There are many. James Taylor for being a first-class performer. He is actually better than many professional actors and presenters I have worked with. Howard Jones for reconfirming why I like finance and Dr Nancy Puccinelli for being so incredibly engaging that she makes it a no-brainer to show up on a Sunday at 8 a.m. She is also a successful mother, which puts her in the super-cool role model category. Having said that, Howard Jones has twins so he gets to be up there as well.
Favorite MBA Courses? Whilst enthusiastic about most subjects, I’ve particularly enjoyed and become increasingly interested in the finance and economics courses.
Why did you choose this business school? After researching many schools both in Europe and the US, I chose the University of Oxford since it offered multiple two-in-ones: a business school embedded within a global renowned institution, a two year course in one year, a University town within an hour’s reach of the capital of Europe, and finally the combination of studying in small intimate streams whilst fully immersed in a wider diverse class where I can still meet a new person everyday.
What did you enjoy most about business school? I am only half-way through the course so it sounds odd to speak about something in the past tense. I enjoyed the rounded and solid foundations that the course gave me in the first term that allowed me to take tasters in multiple disciplines. This, in turn, educated me both for where I wanted to direct my MBA via electives, but also to drive the thirst for my career choice. I also enjoy and benefit from the variety of teaching methods, which the student can tailor to an extent, from case-studies, to self-learning, tutorials, group work, and support classes. I feel there is always a tool available that I can pick that will help me learn a topic or grasp a concept.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from business school? Managing multiple commitments, academic, personal and professional. Whilst you can revise in advance, you can’t feed a baby on a Sunday in advance for the whole week. Managing myself and my time around my new-born baby whilst still keeping all academic commitment plus still managing to keep some social ones has made my MBA feel more like a Ph.D. in time management in some aspects.
What was the most surprising thing about business school? That I wasn’t so different at all.
I am also surprised by the number of elite companies coming to the university – almost too frequently – to recruit students. The near daily presentations and recruitment events from global companies in an array of fields shifts the position of power from the employer to the employee which was a valuable surprise.
What was the hardest part of business school? The workload of a one-year course with a newborn on my arm.
You can be very organised yourself but you can’t organise other people, so if your team works best under pressure quarter to deadline, that’s exactly where your project will end up.
What’s your best advice to an applicant to your school? Everyone has a very high GMAT score (hopefully you too), so you need to initially distinguish yourself on paper and then in person at the interview stage. For Oxford, learn about the history not only of the university but of the business school, take time to understand and read about the collegiate system, research the professors. More than that, make sure it is the right school for you – invest time in finding out which the right school is for you by visiting them or speaking to current or former students and compare with the outcomes that you want to achieve. Ask questions and project yourself in each school: Is the business school integrated into the university? Does the career department help you before, during or after the interview process with a company? Is it going to prepare you for your next job or the one a decade from now? Also, don’t apologise for things that make you different, embrace them and use them to your advantage.
“I knew I wanted to go to business school when…I had the opportunity to run a business and realised this was a natural way for me to develop and combine my skills whilst moving forward in a new direction.”
“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…climbing Everest.”
What are your long-term professional goals? I want to inspire mothers and girls to follow their dreams.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? My husband. From our first ever conversation, he has shown me nothing but support and encouraged whichever outrageous goals I ever dreamt up.
Fun fact about yourself: I have climbed four of the seven highest mountains in the world. I am also a contortionist.
Favorite book: Valley of the Dolls
Favorite movie: True Romance
Favorite musical performer: My dad
Favorite television show: Arrested Development
Favorite vacation spot: Cartagena
Hobbies? High-altitude mountaineering, motorcycling, travel, Antarctic exploration
What made Halla such an invaluable addition to the class of 2016?
“Halla Koppe is a remarkable student. She has worked exceptionally hard to transition from the entertainment industry into investment banking. If the non-traditional career shift wasn’t enough, she became a mother during the first week of the MBA, and has utilised every spare second in order to understand applied finance concepts, and to acquire the required financial modelling skills in order to provide herself with a strong base for interviews. The job offer she’s received from Goldman Sachs is affirmation of her determination and passion to succeed in the finance industry.” — Andreas Angelopoulos, Executive Director, Oxford Private Equity institute & Programme Director, Oxford Finance LAB
DON’T MISS: CLASS OF 2016: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST GRADUATING MBAS
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Texas A&M University, Mays Business School
Tyler truly embodied the essence of what it meant to be an Aggie.
Age: 25
Hometown: Marble Falls, TX
Education: Texas A&M University, Finance
Where did you work before enrolling in business school? FXCM, Operations Enhancement Manager – 3 years
Where did you intern during the summer of 2015? Deloitte Consulting LLP
Where will you be working after graduation? Deloitte Consulting LLP
Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:
Community Work
Big Brothers Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics
Leadership Roles
Elected Student Representative to the Advisory Board, Finance Club co-Founder and VP of Hedge Fund Activities & Education, Student Advisory Board Member, Tailgating Captain, Teaching Assistant for the Professional MBA program (Economics)
Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Winning first place in the Texas A&M Consulting Project challenge. This project was the culmination of four months of hard work and involved a team of six people – it was not just an individual award. Of all the accomplishments I had in business school, this was by far the most tangible. We truly developed a great product for our client as they launched a new product.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? My proudest professional moment came during my first job out of college. I earned my first promotion within six months at the firm and was managing projects with people 10 -15 years older than myself. Being successful and earning their trust and respect as a fresh-faced 22 year old validated a lot of my hard work. It was the first accomplishment that gave me the confidence to start thinking about attending business school someday.
Favorite MBA Courses? International Finance, Marketing (particularly pricing), Funding New Ventures, Communications (mostly the speechwriting and speaking portions)
Why did you choose this business school? In true quant fashion, I did the cost-benefit analysis. Attending a “Top 10” school was going to cost 7- 8 times what Texas A&M did, without offering near 7-8 times the benefit… In the end, I got the same job with Deloitte I was aiming for anyway and the decision definitely paid off.
What did you enjoy most about business school? By far, the most enjoyable thing was my classmates. You will rarely be surrounded by such a high caliber of people as you are in business school. There is so much talent, the most enjoyable part was listening to the diverse opinions and just soaking it all in.
What was the most surprising thing about business school? I was expecting a cutthroat environment like you see at Ivy League schools, but that really is not at Texas A&M. The amount of collaboration and the number of times I saw people helping other students learn was an enjoyable surprise. It better prepares you for the team environments that are in the workplace.
“I knew I wanted to go to business school when…I got to work one day in the summer of 2014. I walked in, and walked right back out. I was not passionate about what I was doing and needed a reset. I took a personal day and started writing my admissions essays that morning. By the end of the week, I was signed up for my GMAT and ready to start submitting applications.”
“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…in another country working. I needed a reset button, and if it wasn’t business school, it would have been travelling the world until I found a place to settle down.”
What are your long-term professional goals? Right now, I am focused on consulting and learning as much as I can. In the long-term, I will look to start my own business and eventually run for public office in the state of Texas.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? My parents – they set the stage for me early on by pushing me and accepting nothing short of excellence
Fun fact about yourself: I cook brisket, beans, and chili competitively in Texas
Favorite book: Moneyball
Favorite movie: Forrest Gump
Favorite musical performer: George Strait
Favorite television show: True Detective
Favorite vacation spot: A remote cabin in SW Colorado
Hobbies? Cooking, Hiking, Camping, Fishing, Hunting
What made Tyler Lorenz such an invaluable addition to the class of 2016?
“Academically, no star shined brighter than Tyler Lorenz. Our MBA Program is academically rigorous, as are many other MBA Programs. It is rare to have a student maintain a 4.0 GPA, but Tyler Lorenz was able to accomplish just that. He met every academic challenge head-on and exceeded expectations in every class.
Aside from his academic success, Tyler was an invaluable addition to the Class of 2016 for this reason: Tyler truly embodied the essence of what it meant to be an Aggie. At Texas A&M, we pride ourselves on our unwavering core values of selfless service, excellence, loyalty, respect, leadership, and integrity. Tyler demonstrated this day in and day out through his actions and his words, whether in the classroom or out. I have already commented on his academic excellence and integrity in the classroom. But outside of the classroom, Tyler led with a servant’s heart by taking time to hold tutoring sessions for multiple classes throughout the program. He recognized that some of his classmates were struggling, and he would hold sessions to help walk them through complex concepts or troubling equations. There is nothing we value more at Texas A&M than a student who lives by the values we hold so dear.” — Amber Acosta, Mays MBA Program Associate Director, Texas A&M University, Mays Business School
DON’T MISS: CLASS OF 2016: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST GRADUATING MBAS
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Foster School of Business, University of Washington
“Relentless advocate and communicator” fosters a culture of inclusive leadership.
Age: 36
Hometown: Mt. Pleasant, Iowa
Undergraduate School and Degree: Drake University, BA Economics, 2002
Where did you work before enrolling in business school? The firms below are a mix of for- and non-profit international development organizations:
Chemonics International in Kyrgyzstan, Strategic Investment Fund Manager
Chemonics International, New Business Representative for Central Asia Region
Chemonics International, Project Manager
ACDI/VOCA, New Business Services Proposal Coordinator
International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, Program and Communications Specialist
Nathan Associates, International Talent Recruiter
US Peace Corps, Economic and Education Volunteer
Where did you intern during the summer of 2015? I was selected to receive the Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship from the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship at Foster. I designed my Fellowship to work at the Washington Business Alliance, a nonprofit focused on statewide policies. I conducted primary and secondary research and published the report “A More Renewable Grid: A five-part series on the challenges, benefits, and attributes of solar energy in Washington.” I also provided the organization with some internal organizational consulting.
Where will you be working after graduation? At Alvarez & Marsal as a Consultant in their Performance Improvement division.
Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School
Dean’s List, Winter 2016 Recipient, Albert O. Foster Endowed Fellowship Recipient, James B. Potter Scholarship VP of Diversity, MBA Association Founder and Chair, Council on Diversity & Inclusion MBA Ambassador NGO Board Fellow for TeamChild Student Leader of the Month (May 2015) Selected to be member of Off-site Tour Task Force for Net Impact’s 2015 National Conference, organizing multiple tours of Starbucks and Bullitt Center, and leading tour of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Board member of Women in Business and Diversity in Business clubs, Member of: Foster Veteran’s Association, Jewish Business Society, Out in Business, Foster Talent, Finance club, Net Impact, and Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital Club. Social Entrepreneurship Fellow, summer 2015 Participant in Leadership LAB, 2014, 2015 and 2016 Teaching Assistant, International Business, 2015-2016. Over three quarters I’ve taught approx. 240 undergraduate students about global trade, culture, exchange rates, and modes of foreign investment. Inside of Foster events I’ve managed or helped lead: Emceed for two annual Foster Talent shows; led one Improv workshop at Foster; organized brownbag lunch on equity in public education; organized WIB speaker event with former Apple SVP. Outside of Foster: elected delegate to 36th legislative district and volunteer member of grant committee for garden renovation project.Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? The achievement I’m most proud of is my launch of the Council on Diversity & Inclusion (CDI) and service as the first VP of Diversity. When I arrived to Foster, the student clubs for underrepresented minorities included Diversity in Business and Women in Business. There was talk of forming an Out in Business club for LGBTQ students, but this would have splintered from the Diversity in Business club and left behind the few students of color. A group of us sat down and started to discuss the structures that made sense for us; what might help with sustainability; what diversity in business meant; if we would fracture identities by forcing people to choose a club; about how we make sure everyone feels represented, etc. We wanted every MBA at Foster, if they did or didn’t “check a box,” to feel comfortable and celebrated. However, we didn’t think our current system was up to the task.
In answer to those questions, I proposed to the group that we create a new, permanent position on the MBA Association specifically for diversity; someone to make sure each of the clubs would coordinate with each other and ensure that no group or student interest is left out. The position would work on higher-level issues like recruitment, climate and curricula, which would leave the clubs to focus on inclusion – activities that supported and celebrated their specific members. The new position would do all this through formation of a Council of D&I clubs. Myself and two other students – Phoebe Lipkis and Marcus Dover – were passionate about this and worked a lot over the first year to create the CDI and tackle diversity issues. I didn’t expect that I would get the position after creating the proposal; Phoebe, Marcus and I essentially drew straws for it.
Since launching, CDI has invited in Foster Veteran’s Association, Net Impact, and International Affairs, and we helped launch Jewish Business Society. Hands down, it’s the biggest achievement of my time at Foster. I’m very proud of how I’ve shaped the role and CDI, but Phoebe and Marcus – and many other students – were integral to getting this off the ground and pushing conversations at Foster. It’s truly a Council.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? These names may not mean much, but my proudest moments were the promotions I made of my staff in Kyrgyzstan: Malika, Marat, Anar, and Alisher. Even though my official job in Kyrgyzstan from 2011-2013 was financial and compliance-related, I believed that local staff development was my real job. I hired and coached my teams to be self-sustaining and self-managing. I pushed my staff to assume greater management roles and take the front seat, always providing “cover” and coaching from behind, but ensuring the team had a voice at the decision-making table. I groomed my successor in this way as well, even going so far as to switch desks with her in the last month so she could serve as Acting Manager while I was still there to support her. It felt incredible to leave Kyrgyzstan knowing that I had helped others develop confidence and embrace their own management styles.
Favorite MBA Courses? Corporate Strategy, Women at the Top, Nonprofit Board Fellows, Core Finance, and Problems in Corporate Planning and Financing.
Why did you choose this business school? My primary reason for choosing the Foster School was location. I had lived in Seattle once before, right when the recession hit. I wound up unemployed and on food stamps. So, I wanted to return under better circumstances. When I applied I was living Kyrgyzstan. I had saved enough that I could go anywhere in the world. I was unfettered. I thought about where I wanted to invest money and decided on myself. I considered the MBA and MPA at the University of Washington. Foster has a great reputation, its in-state tuition is low and they have an incredible job placement rate. I was sold.
What did you enjoy most about business school? Faculty and staff at Foster encourage us to be creative, think outside the box, and fail often and fast. It’s very freeing to have spent the last two years working in a setting that wants my boldest ideas and actions.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from business school? The biggest lesson I gained from business school is that I need to be a relentless advocate and communicator. An example of that was our Class of 2016 gift. I was convinced that all the work done by our class around diversity and inclusion had built a foundation on which I could easily convince our class gift to go towards financial aid for underrepresented minority applicants. When I got on the gift committee, I had to face competing ideas. I put a lot forward but didn’t re-communicate why the financial aid would be so critical, and I didn’t push 150%. Eventually, the gift was divided among a number of areas, including supporting a Center at Foster that works with underserved businesses. It was a fine outcome overall and I’m proud of our class for 100% participation in the gift. However, I think I could have helped us do more if I had done my part better. It was a powerful learning experience.
What was the hardest part of business school? The hardest part of business school was finding the place where I fit in and wanting everyone else to find their fit as well. It’s also one of the hardest parts of life.
What’s your best advice to an applicant to your school? The best advice I can give to someone applying to Foster is to be yourself. That may sound trite, but it’s true. At a recent prospective student weekend, an international student reminded me that some cultures would encourage an applicant to tailor their responses to what the school is about. Don’t. Be brave.
“I knew I wanted to go to business school when…I was in Kyrgyzstan in 2011. I was trying to assess the financial health of grantees and just couldn’t make sense of the financial statements the organizations had submitted. I had to ask someone else to give advice to the grant evaluation committee on the finances, and I didn’t like outsourcing this critical decision-making piece. I knew I needed to conquer that skills gap in order to be a better advisor and advocate for small businesses.”
“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…in Seattle, working somewhere and taking night class electives in accounting and finance.”
What are your long-term professional goals? I have a professional bucket list. It includes serving on the board of an NGO throughout my career. It also includes serving on a for-profit board. I want to be involved in public service or policy, whether it’s behind the scenes or running for office. Eventually, I want to lead a grant-making organization or community lending institute. No matter the means, I want to help provide financial resources to small businesses in underserved communities.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? While I don’t feel I have any outstanding “success,” I’d love to thank all the teachers, professors, mentors, and sponsors who pushed me to take risks or not give up on my dreams. My 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Strohman, and my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Rupp, saw I was going through a tough childhood and each went out of their way to encourage me to keep writing poems. Mr. Watts from 9th grade Geometry sought me out and helped me apply to a college preparatory summer program called Upward Bound. That led to my taking more math and science classes in high school or college than I probably would have otherwise. I’ll stop there- it’s a long list!
Fun fact about yourself: I studied and performed improvisational comedy and musical improv for a year in Washington DC. “Yes, and…” is a way of life.
Favorite book: The Poetry of Robert Frost: The Collected Poems, Complete and Unabridged.
Favorite movie: Beaches. (I was so inspired by The Divine Miss M that I wrote her fan mail as a kid. I received an autographed picture of Bette Midler in return, which I still have!)
Favorite musical performer: Miles Davis
Favorite television show: Parks and Recreation
Favorite vacation spot: Grandma and Grandpa’s house
Hobbies? Long distance road biking, yoga, reading, and watching comedy.
What made Becky such an invaluable addition to the class of 2016?
“Becky See values diversity and inclusion.
Before Becky even arrived at Foster, she was wrote to inquire if she would be welcome at a “Fostering Diversity” event, wondering how diversity was being defined at the Foster School and how inclusion was being addressed. She quickly immersed herself in that conversation with other students asking the same questions.
In the fall of 2014, she helped form the Council on Diversity & Inclusion which led to the formation of two new positions on Foster’s MBA Association Board, including a VP of Diversity. Through the formation of those roles, future classes will have a sustainable position through which to address biases, micro cultures and inclusive leadership.
Becky’s role in these difficult conversations and the resulting change made her an invaluable addition to Foster’s Full-time MBA class of 2016.” — Andrew Krueger, Director of Alumni Engagement, Foster School of Business, University of Washington
DON’T MISS: CLASS OF 2016: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST GRADUATING MBAS
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University of Washington, Foster School of Business
“For a while, I thought I needed to become someone else to make the switch from music to business. Now I realize that my background gives me a unique set of experiences that informs the way I see the world.”
Age: 31
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Education: Oberlin College, BA in Comparative Religion
Where did you work before enrolling in business school? Self-Employed: Musician, Band Manager, Yoga Teacher
Where did you intern during the summer of 2015? Talking Rain Beverage Company, Preston, WA, Brand Management
Where will you be working after graduation? Amazon, Senior Product Manager
Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School
Resilience Committee, Founder Leadership Fellow, 2015-2016 Board Fellow (City Fruit), 2015-2016 Dean’s List, fall 2014 C4C Auction Committee Business Plan Competition, Investment Round Selection Environmental Innovation Competition, Co-Chair Net Impact, Chapter Leader “The Network Effect” MBA band, singerWhich academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? The Resilience Committee is one contribution to Foster I feel I was able to make as a result of my specific background. As almost any MBA will tell you, the internship and job hunt during school is anxiety-producing. It’s easy to compare yourself to peers and feel discouraged when rejection letters start rolling in. As a former yoga teacher, I saw an opportunity to help Foster build a culture of greater resilience and perspective. Thus began the Resilience Committee, a loosely formed body of students and teachers that contribute their talent, ideas, and resources to the cause of increasing resilience within our community.
So far, we’ve offered ongoing Office Yoga classes, a mindfulness training, and a series of Resilience Dinners. By creating spaces where people can de-stress and share stories about trials and triumphs, we are helping to create a culture a where failure is not seen as an end, but merely a necessary step towards success. I felt I had achieved something important when, a year after starting the Committee, our head of Career Management told me that she had noticed student stress levels markedly down from previous years.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Running a Kickstarter campaign that successfully funded the production of my band’s last album was definitely a major life highlight. The way our fans rallied into a community around us was actually magical. We screen printed T-shirts, baked cookies, and sent our donors goofy thank you songs. We ended up surpassing our stretch fundraising goal a week early.
Most musicians will tell you that they are never satisfied with their recordings, but this was an instance where I felt it truly captured the heart of our music. We worked with two phenomenal producers (including Pat Sansone from Wilco), and tracks represent years worth of songwriting. I don’t plan on going back into the music industry, about which I rest easy because I’m so satisfied with that final album. It’s basically my magnum opus.
Favorite MBA Courses?
Finding Your Voice with Judy Kalitzki (public speaking)) Stratecon with Charles Hill Quantitative Methodologies with Mark Hillier Cases in Sustainability with Elizabeth Stearns Entrepreneurial Finance with Lance YoungWhy did you choose this business school? My initial reason for considering Foster was that it would be a good excuse to move to Seattle. I had visited the city numerous times, and had fallen in love with the outdoorsy culture, the weather (a definitely improvement over Chicago), and the smell of pine in the air. As I researched more about Foster, however, I was delighted to find that its small class size, excellent entrepreneurship center, and socially-minded student body were the ideal fit for me. In the end, the choice was a no-brainer.
What did you enjoy most about business school? Being a Fritzky Leadership Fellow. As part of this program, I worked on my leadership skills through coaching first-year students (individually and in teams) and being coached by other fellows and the instructors. It helped me realize how happy and comfortable I am in this type of role, and I plan to seek out mentoring opportunities after Foster. The most rewarding part of the program, however, was bonding with my fellow Fellows. We got to know each other really well, and created a space of real trust and appreciation. I know we will be friends for a long time.
What was the most surprising thing about business school? How wildly varied my classmates’ backgrounds and interests are, and yet how much I like them.
What was the hardest part of business school? Time management. There are a million opportunities during business school and, as a career switcher, I wanted to explore them all. In the end, I had to get clear about my priorities and make choices about what interests to pursue. Managing time around my priorities was definitely a life skill on which b-school gave me ample opportunities to work.
What’s your best advice to an applicant to your school? Be yourself. As you can see from my background, Foster embraces “non-traditional” career paths, as well as more traditional ones. My peers are all brilliant, but in very different ways. Don’t be afraid to be different.
“I knew I wanted to go to business school when…I got the acceptance letter. Up until then, I knew it would be a good option, but I was still considering other paths. For some reason, the acceptance letter clarified a lot.”
“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…either a farmer or an acupuncturist.”
Which executive or entrepreneur do you most admire? John Peirano, the CMO at Talking Rain where I interned last summer. I asked him one day what his guiding leadership principle is, and he said, “The Golden Rule.” Never have I met someone who made such an effort to make their employees (including their interns) feel valued and appreciated.
What are your long-term professional goals? To change the world. The reason I settled on business school is that I realized how powerful business is as a tool for change. I’m particularly passionate about food and sustainability. In the short-run, my focus is on building business acumen and developing myself as a general business athlete. In the long run, I want to be a leader in shifting our food and farming industries towards environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? First, my mom. She is the wind beneath my wings.
Secondly, my meditation teacher Savitri. I would not have had the clarity or courage to go to business school had it not been for the meditation techniques I learned from her.
Fun fact about yourself: I spent a summer after college as a Park Ranger at Mount Rainier National Park. I nearly bumped into a bear early one morning, but luckily he was too busy eating blueberries to care.
Favorite book: Fire of Love by Aadil Palkhivala, and Mindset by Dr. Carol Dweck.
Favorite movie: Some that come to mind are Avatar, Spirited Away, WALL-E, and A League of Their Own.
Favorite musical performer: Rachel Price of Lake Street Dive, with whom I once hiked a mountain in Switzerland.
Favorite television show: I don’t own a TV and try to avoid it. But a friend made me watch Mozart in the Jungle recently, and I was seriously impressed.
Favorite vacation spot: Most recently… Pondicherry, India. Or my Aunt’s house in Maine.
Hobbies? Aside from music, I enjoy yoga, meditation, hiking, dancing, and learning new things.
What made Emily Claire such an invaluable addition to the class of 2016?
“A fresh perspective is one of the things that made Emily Palmer an integral part of Foster’s Full-time MBA class of 2016.
From the development of a children’s theater camp to manager of a band, Emily arrived with a really unique background. An MBA program was big change of course and a significant challenge. So, when she heard talk of a Resiliency Committee, she immediately hopped on board.
It didn’t hurt that Emily was also a trained yoga teacher. She quickly developed an “Office Yoga” class and offered it regularly to her classmates as a much-needed opportunity to ground themselves and refocus. The class has contributed to a more mindful and resilient culture at the Foster School, something that her fellow classmates will take with them into the next stage of their careers.” — Andrew Kruger, Director of Alumni Relations, University of Washington, Foster School of Business
DON’T MISS: CLASS OF 2016: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST GRADUATING MBAS
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MIT, Sloan School of Management
“There is power in differences, especially when they come together. Everyone in business school is incredibly talented and smart. But we all have different strengths. No one is great at everything. But, when we bring those strengths together in a collaborative environment, ideas can turn into some of the greatest inventions and generate the creation of some of the most innovative organizations.”
Age: 32
Hometown: Burke, VA
Education:
Hampton University, BA, Political Science, Cum Laude
Georgetown University, MPP
Where did you work before enrolling in business school? Logistics Management Institute
Where did you intern during the summer of 2015? Biogen, Cambridge, MA
Where will you be working after graduation? I will be working as the founder of Stratovia. Stratovia focuses on building inclusion at leading STEM organizations and in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. At Stratovia, I will guide organizations in embedding measurable diversity and inclusion strategies into their corporate goals and initiative.
I will also connect entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds, with a focus on women and minorities, with key resources, including funding, coaching and education to build high-impact startups that add social and economic benefit across all communities.
I will also be a consultant at the Logistics Management Institute focusing on business requirements related to the Affordable Care Act.
Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: My community and leadership roles focused on building a more inclusive and healthier MIT community.
I am co-president of the MIT Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA), which serves the entire Institute. Under the BGSA executive board leadership, BGSA was awarded the 2016 MIT Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award for helping to build a more inclusive and healthier academic environment at MIT.
BGSA took a number of steps to encourage inclusion at MIT. One groundbreaking event was one where we discussed strategies to cultivate inclusive spaces for black LGBTQ students. The event titled “Shades of Pride Coalition Building for LGBTQ Students of Color” was done in collaboration with MIT’s LBGTQ Services and the Graduate Student Council. The event was facilitated by Sheltreese D. McCoy, President and founder of Change the Field, a Queer People of Color social justice development firm.
BGSA also was recognized for developing pragmatic recommendations for MIT to build a more inclusive and healthier academic environment for all members of its community. As the BGSA co-president, I collaborated with the MIT Black Student Union, representing undegraduates, other student groups including those representing people from the Hispanic, Latino, women and LGBTQIA communities, and faculty to gather diverse insights and feedback. BGSA’s co-president and I then presented these recommendations to MIT’s Academic Council, which consists of the Institute’s senior leadership, including President Reif.
The recommendations are currently being implemented. The implementation is overseen by an MIT Academic Council Working Group convened by Vice President Kirk Kolenbrander consisting of four students, including me, faculty, and senior officers.
I am also a member of the MIT Sloan Black Business Student Association, where I volunteered to help during Admit weekend and diversity weekend. I am VP of the Sloan Christian Fellowship where I volunteer for and help manage the food donation program.
I also was a MIT Sloan pilot where I provided mentoring and coaching to new a core team during their orientation to MIT Sloan.
I am also Dean’s Fellowship Award Recipient.
Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? My leadership roles at MIT have focused on building inclusion. One of my proudest achievements was as Co-President of the BGSA, being awarded the 2016 MIT Dr. Martin Luther King Leadership Award for driving social change in February. President Reif stated, that we, as “students have become the teachers” and “were thoughtful, creative, persistent, specific, collaborative, constructive, and serious…They set the tone for mutual respect — and they earned tremendous respect in return.”
This award reflects a lifetime of learning for me on the value of building a more inclusive world. I remember at age 8 learning that my mother, at the very same age in the 1960s, became the first African American to integrate the public school system in Hot Springs, Arkansas. She wasn’t alone. My uncle at age 6 joined her. I learned from her, my uncle, and grandfather (a Civil Rights Leader and minister) that it takes courage, conviction and most importantly the undisputed belief that the world is made better when people come together to share ideas and perspectives in order to invent and solve complex challenges. With this belief in mind, I experienced life as an underrepresented minority in most of my academic and professional settings while focused on building inclusive environment for everyone. The 2016 MLK Award showed me that I held tight to this childhood lesson.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? In 2012, I played a key role in launching the new federal health insurance Marketplace under the Affordable Care Act. I led a multi-disciplinary team that developed business processes to help health plans be offered as qualified health plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). My team had to stand up a critical part of the ACA’s business requirements in a compressed time frame, during a government furlough. Just as the business function was about to go live, the Federal Government shut down. It was an intense time, but we were able to get the function up in less than 24 hours even during the furlough. I am very proud of leading this cross functional team in helping to launch a brand new federal health program. We met our deadlines and launched without a hiccup.
Who is your favorite professor? This so hard to answer. If you force me, I will mention two of the outstanding professors.
Professor Adrien Verdelhan: He was my finance professor. During our midterm and finals, he reminded us that our tests will not dictate our future. He told us that it was just feedback on our progress and that we will be successful regardless.
Professor Kara Blackburn: She taught communications during the 1st year core semester. Kara reminded me to use my voice and told me that there is power in being different.
Favorite MBA Courses? Organizational Processes taught by Evan Apfelbaum. The lessons learned in this class show up in every organization, from major organizational reworks to growing and sustaining a strong work culture.
Why did you choose this business school? MIT Sloan students are known to be humble, collaborative, entrepreneurial and highly analytical. I chose Sloan because that’s who I am. I also chose MIT Sloan because they are a community. I know this well. In March 2016, on one of my study tours, my mother was hit by a car while walking across the street. Sloan helped me get an early flight home and has supported me during one of the most difficult times of my life. The administrators, professors and students provided me with a support system which has enriched my academic and student life experience at Sloan.
What did you enjoy most about business school? My classmates. They are some of the smartest and most fascinating people I’ve met. They have exposed me to so many different perspectives that have enriched my understanding of people, culture and society.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from business school? There is power in differences, especially when they come together. Everyone in business school is incredibly talented and smart. But we all have different strengths. No one is great at everything. But, when we bring those strengths together in a collaborative environment, ideas can turn into some of the greatest inventions and generate the creation of some of the most innovative organizations.
I learned this lesson during my first semester while being on a core team. Our team had people from across the world with a wide set of skills and interests, from clean energy to private equity. We learned quickly how to work together and cooperate to complete assignments. We also tutored and coached each other throughout the semester. We brought our differences together to be a highly productive, collaborative and fun team. Harnessing the power of differences led to our team success.
What was the most surprising thing about business school? How busy you are. I always wore many hats, but business school takes the cake. There is always something to do in business school and you cannot do it all. Recognize this and be strategic.
What was the hardest part of business school? Saying no. You cannot do a great job at everything all the time.
What’s your best advice to an applicant to your school? Let them see you. Before MIT Sloan, I did every professional interview with my hair in a bun. Why? Because I have naturally curly hair that stands out. My hair, like me, is unconventional. It catches attention first, and can play on unconscious biases, such as youth, color, race, and gender. With my curly hair out, I look much younger, my race is difficult to determine, and this may cause some to associate my looks with my competency. The MIT Sloan admission interview was the first professional interview I have conducted with my natural curls. I let them see “me.” A very professional, competent, capable woman, who happens to be petite with curly hair.
“I knew I wanted to go to business school when…I wanted to be a social entrepreneur.”
“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…a management consultant and a PhD with a focus on sociology.”
What are your long-term professional goals? I am working towards create a more equitable and inclusive ecosystem in entrepreneurship. I founded Stratovia with my mother, an attorney, entrepreneur and former corporate executive, with this goal in mine. One of my long-term professional goals is to create funding opportunities for startups and small businesses that stimulate economic development founded by entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds, such as women, African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans. These highly-skilled entrepreneurs are left out when it comes to funding. For example, 1% of VC funding goes to women and less than 1% goes to people of color. Yet these individual’s startups have a major economic impact. Women-owned businesses provide $3 trillion to the economy, creating 23 million jobs, 16% percent of U.S. jobs. And minority-owned businesses create $400 billion in annual revenue and employ 2.2 million people. To fill this funding gap, I will develop a leading pre-accelerator to provide early-stage funding for high-potential startups founded by women, minorities and individuals and teams from underrepresented backgrounds.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? My mom. She exemplified what success looks like, as a single mother and as attorney and community leader. As a mother, she was my cheerleader. She encouraged me to develop my own path. And she never missed a beat in my life. Just an example, I started dancing at 5 and competitive dancing at 9. I was co-captain of my high-school varsity competitive dance team and danced on my college (Hampton University) performing dance company. I also danced with a professional Christian dance troupe and at my church. So, I danced a lot. My mom attended every one of my dance recitals, competitions, and performances. Despite her work schedule, I saw her in the audience.
Mom also demonstrated what principled leadership was all about as a professional and community leader. Growing up, she took me to local town hall discussions and involved me in community service. I was a Girl Scout and mom was by my side volunteering regularly with the Girl Scout troop to develop programs to serve residents at nursing homes. She also volunteered at Northern Virginia’s women’s business center where she taught entrepreneurship and would take me along to some of her classes. I’ll never forget take your daughter to work day. When she worked as General Counsel and secretary of the Board for AdvaMed (formerly HIMA), she would sit me in her chair and told me I deserve and am good enough to have a seat at the table.
Fun fact about yourself: I used to be a print model for educational textbooks. My famous picture, is me with a milk mustache. I took this picture at age 4 when I lived in Illinois and the very same picture showed up 12 years later in my high school health text book in Virginia.
Favorite book: Having our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years
Favorite movie: Dirty Dancing
Favorite musical performer: I love music so it’s hard for me to pick. Beyoncé or Bruno Mars if I need to dance, Jill Scott if I want to groove and Prince for the entire show.
Favorite television show: A Different World
Favorite vacation spot: Key West, Florida
Hobbies? Visiting small historical downtowns and sites across the United States. I love history, and often history of underrepresented minorities is not on the marquee. A few weeks ago, I went to a New England town and asked about the Black history sight. Que shocked look on concierge’s face, as she responds, “We had Black history week last month.” Awkward silence. Turns out all of the towns revered buildings were built with or financed by slave labor.
African American, woman, Jewish, other groups of history is American history and everywhere. Just not always prominently featured. Sometimes it is buried, literally right in plain sight.
Dancing. I love going to all sorts of dance shows from Alvin Ailey to the Boston Ballet. I grew up doing jazz, tap, jazz and lyrical at competitive dance competitions. It was like the show Dance Moms, in real life.
What made Ellen such an invaluable addition to the class of 2016?
“In contrast to the charged and divisive blowups over race on other campuses last Fall, at MIT Ellen Rice Staten led a group of graduate students in a highly constructive dialogue with MIT President Reif and his leadership team about the issues facing African American students on campus. This collaborative form of activism is something Ellen plans to bring to her work post-Sloan as the founder of Stratovia, an organization that strives to leverage stories and data to create real, practical, workable and measurable opportunities that will open access underrepresented minorities in the STEM academic and working environments. Ellen earned her Bachelors in Political Science and MPP from Georgetown University. Before business school she worked as a consultant for Deloitte and LMI specializing in national healthcare reform and implementation.” — Maura Herson , Director, MBA & MSMS Programs Office, MIT, Sloan School of Management
DON’T MISS: CLASS OF 2016: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST GRADUATING MBAS
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University of California – Berkeley, Haas School of Business
Age: 30
“My true ambition is to become the Head of People of a Fortune 500 company that truly understands the importance of looking after its employees. I am a fervent advocate for investing in people so that the business can thrive. Far too often we find that large companies still sideline the need to support and develop their employees.”
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada and Wellington, New Zealand
Education:
University of Puget Sound, BA in Business Leadership University of Canterbury, BA First Class Honors in Finance and AccountingWhere did you work before enrolling in business school? ANZ New Zealand Bank, Trade and Supply Chain Finance Manager
Where did you intern during the summer of 2015? Dimensional Fund Advisors, Santa Monica, California
Where will you be working after graduation? This decision is in progress!
Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School
Graduate Student Instructor, Leadership Communications Berkeley Leaders Fellow, Founding Facilitator and Coach Net Impact, Co-President Principal, $2.5m Haas Socially Responsible Investment Fund Investment Club, VP of Academics Creator and Facilitator, ‘Well, That’s Inappropriate’ – an event on managing micro-aggressions Consultant for Social Impact Metrics, Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation Researcher for Responsible Investing Proxy Voting, UC Berkeley Endowment Volunteer, Women in Leadership Conference Berkeley Board Fellow, Global Community MonitorWhich academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I am very proud that I was able to help execute the pilot program called the Berkeley Leaders Lab in my second year.
During business school, I heard this mantra that ‘people don’t leave organizations, they leave managers.’ It highlights the necessity of employing good managers to retain talent and to inspire excellent performance. In my experiences prior to Berkeley-Haas, I have felt the different impacts of good and bad managers, and yet I was unable to pinpoint the exact features that made one good and the other bad. All I knew at the time was that bad managers were simply the worst.
Only a few weeks into the MBA, my eyes were opened to all the intricacies that make management such a challenge—namely, everything that was taught in our Leading People class. I became acutely aware of the value of having exceptional interpersonal skills. I also began to realize that it is a lot harder than I had previously thought. Aren’t we all good at listening, communicating, and interacting with others? The answer is definitely not. But why not?
Practice. It turns out that we do not practice enough. Going to class and becoming aware of the importance of interpersonal skills is the first step. Learning to execute these skills when times get tough is the next. In my first year at Berkeley-Haas, there was no formal channel through which we could practice and hone these skills even though it clearly was so important to becoming an effective leader. It was also evident that this type of learning had to occur outside the classroom.
The pilot Berkeley Leaders Lab aimed to provide a structured forum for MBAs to practice their interpersonal skills, and truly dig deep into supposedly easy skills like listening and giving feedback. Not only did I gain significant personal satisfaction from leading and facilitating these labs, but I also learned immensely from launching the program.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Throughout my professional career, I had done well and received rapid promotions. However, my proudest achievement was a seemingly insignificant moment: Going against my initial instinct to stay quiet at a crucial moment, I chose to speak up and represent my wider team. The organization I was working for had gone through yet another restructure, and this time several of us had to reapply for our jobs. Uncertainty was high and morale was low.
The general manager formally addressed our office to proceeded to explain how well the restructure had gone. In a flash of bravery, my hand shot up with a question: “Looking back on the difficult decisions that you had to make during this restructure, would you have done anything differently?” He chuckled; “Not really, would you?” My heart was racing. “As one of the employees who had to reapply for their job, I found this a very difficult time and I would have appreciated more transparency.” He didn’t have much to say in response, but when I got back to the office, I had never received so much praise and pats on the back. I felt like the office hero.
Favorite MBA Courses? Leadership Communication, Power and Politics, and Negotiations
Why did you choose this business school? I made up my mind to attend Berkeley-Haas as soon as I arrived on campus. My partner and I had flown to SFO on a red-eye and had not slept for 24 hours due to horrendous travel delays. When I entered a classroom as a visitor, I was asked to say something interesting about myself. I told the story of how I became stranded only 12 hours earlier and had to ask a police officer to transport us back (in the caged backseats) to the airport to catch our delayed flight. The entire class erupted into applause and cheered my efforts in getting to the school! In that moment, I knew that I had to join that supportive and caring community. It was clear that these MBAs LIVED the core values of the school. During the class, I was further impressed by the overall level of engagement of the students and the professor who knew the students’ backgrounds and deferred to their expertise for the discussion.
What did you enjoy most about business school? The community—hands down. I cannot fully describe how wonderful it is to be surrounded by friendly, ambitious and vibrant individuals, including everyone from the students to the faculty and staff. It is what I have cherished the most here, and it’s what I will miss the most once it is all over.
What was the most surprising thing about business school? I came to business school expecting to make new and meaningful friendships. Luckily, that happened! The surprising part has been who I have become friends with. My closest connections are with people who I would have never otherwise met, and who are strikingly different from me.
What was the hardest part of business school? Myself. The hardest part of business school was the whisper of self-doubt that would enshroud my thoughts like a dark haze. During the first semester, I became highly adept at debasing myself in private while simultaneously projecting a strong front. Pushing through those challenging few months, I learned more about myself and my capabilities than I had over the prior five years.
“I knew I wanted to go to business school when…I was still an undergrad! I have always been studious and loved participating in thought-provoking discussions covering many subjects. I also had this inner calling that I was going to help overturn the business-as-usual model, and I knew an MBA would help me do just that.”
“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…swallowed by the system, living a settled life, no longer aspiring to shake up the business world.”
What are your long-term professional goals? My true ambition is to become the Head of People of a Fortune 500 company that truly understands the importance of looking after its employees. I am a fervent advocate for investing in people so that the business can thrive. Far too often we find that large companies still sideline the need to support and develop their employees. My impact will be to show the significant return on investment that comes from effective people management.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? I’m flattered to think that I’m already considered a success! Certainly, it has been quite an achievement for me to have flourished during the MBA experience. For that, I have a great many people to thank. Most of all, I must thank my father. He saw me through me the most challenging times at business school and demonstrated through his actions how to help someone with empathy, active listening and without judgment.
Fun fact about yourself: In 1998, I won an international art competition hosted in Japan. The trouble was that my teacher submitted my work in secret and she couldn’t remember which piece she submitted. We never managed to find out, and I never got it back.
Favorite book: The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
Favorite movie: Pride and Prejudice (The BBC rendition which I have watched religiously every year since its release in 1995).
Favorite musical performer: Ladi6—you may have never been to New Zealand, but her music will make you homesick for it.
Favorite television show: Rumpole of the Bailey—it’s a throwback to the 70s and typifies the humor of my upbringing.
Favorite vacation spot: Observation Point in Zion National Park in southern Utah is my favorite place in the world, and I’ve been so moved as to paint the view from that peak.
Hobbies? With the right inspiration, which usually comes from hiking in Zion National Park, I love to write poetry and creative stories. I also take great pleasure in dabbling with several different artistic mediums.
What made Jen such an invaluable addition to the class of 2016?
“I first worked with Jen as her MBA career coach. She sparked my curiosity during our first session. There, I observed her wrestling with a tension faced by so many of our students: do we undertake self-development in the service of our careers or do we undertake our careers in the service of our self-development? In that session, she explicitly aspired for the latter. From that moment, we dialoged to uncover the toughest challenges she would face in pursuing her self-development. Then, over the course of her MBA program, I saw her engage those challenges for herself, as well as inspire others to face the toughest challenges in their own lives. Whether it was about pursuing her own development, setting the vision and strategy for Net Impact, or facilitating conversations and feedback as a Berkeley Leadership Fellow, Jen has shown herself to be a leader in the very sense that we care about at Haas: redefining how we do business by embodying our Defining Principles.
Without question, in her role as Co-President of Net Impact, Jen turned around that organization, which was at risk of falling apart. The members of Net Impact have career interests involving social impact, and they perceived a lack of support for their career development in this area. Jen reframed the issue around the members’ toughest challenge: defining “social impact” in a personal way. Social impact occurs across industries and functions, and even takes the form of a mindset. Reframed in these terms, the organization mobilized. Jen set the stage for them to partner with other student organizations in hosting industry speakers who have a social-impact mindset. She also laid a foundation for partnering with my team to create career development sessions that focused on values exploration and discovery. This work received praise from our Institute for Business & Social Impact as well as the MBA Program Office, as it brought us all into closer partnership with each other.
In parallel to her work with Net Impact, Jen stepped into one of our inaugural Berkeley Leadership Fellow roles in the Fall 2015 semester. In this role, she facilitated discussions with two study groups, gently highlighting when they spoke using observations versus judgments, encouraging them to name their feelings about the issue as well as their underlying needs or beliefs relative to what was happening at the time. From this work, her students reported feeling more comfortable navigating and resolving conflict. As in the other examples, Jen mobilized herself and her students to face one of their toughest challenges: furthering their own self-development while building the culture at Haas. I see this as the mark of a leader.” —
Michael G. Katz, Director, MBA Career Advising & Programs, University of California – Berkeley, Haas School of Business
DON’T MISS: CLASS OF 2016: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST GRADUATING MBAS
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Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management
“There is always more to take out of a class, more places to go, and more people to see before calling it a night. And all of us want to have the fullest experience possible in the short amount of time we have here.”
Age: 27
Hometown: Ridgefield, CT
Undergraduate School and Degree: University of Notre Dame, B.A. in Economics and English (graduated from the honors program)
Where did you work before enrolling in business school? The Travelers Companies, Senior Associate Analyst in Fixed Income Investments
Where did you intern during the summer of 2015? Goldman Sachs, Los Angeles, CA
Where will you be working after graduation? Goldman Sachs, Associate in the Investment Banking Division
Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School Co-President Investment Banking & Capital Markets Club, Co-President Kellogg Boxing Club, Student Admissions Committee Reader, Officer Brew ‘n Q Club
Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I am most proud of co-leading the Investment Banking & Capital Markets Club this year. By going through the recruiting process last year, spending a summer at an investment bank and cultivating relationships with a number of bankers our leadership team was able to provide mentorship to 1st year students. Our team organizes and drives all of the preparation and most of the investment banking relationships, so we were extremely happy to see a year-over-year increase of about 20 summer opportunities in banking. We attributed this to engagement with more banks, our focus on helping international students adjust to recruiting in the US, and earlier training classes. I am also proud I was able to take some of what we learned about ESL teaching and cultural adjustment and apply them to the broader Chicago community in an entrepreneurship class.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Taking lead analyst responsibility for over a dozen high yield companies. While they represented the minority of the total credit exposure I was responsible for, I was proud of being trusted with high yield exposure within a highly conservative investment portfolio. It was a testament to the credibility I obtained in only a few years.
Who is your favorite professor? It is impossible for me to break a tie between my two favorite professors: Professor Mitchell Petersen and Professor Jose Liberti. They both have an unbelievable passion for ensuring their students learn and succeed well past graduation.
Favorite MBA Courses? Global Entrepreneurial Finance with Jose Liberti, Business Strategy with Craig Garthwaite, Global Initiatives in Management with Damien Ma, Decision Making and Modeling with Nabil Al-Najjar, Financial Strategy and Tax with Mitchell Petersen.
Why did you choose this business school? Kellogg stood out as the school for me when I found out how real the pay-it-forward mentality of the students was. I was told a majority of the job hunting, networking and recruiting prep is led by 2nd-year students, but this did not become real until visiting Kellogg. On my visit I heard several stories similar to how one former accountant spent hours each week with a former professional athlete, helping her prepare for the banking jobs she was also applying to. This happens every year and helps create what I felt and still feel is a uniquely cohesive and selfless culture. The small sample of the Kellogg social scene my visitation weekend helped cement the decision.
What did you enjoy most about business school? My favorite part of business school is access to hundreds of people with similar interests and curiosities. Every week I can hang out with a different group of students who want to help each other learn in class, push each other in group meetings, have a few beers, check out a new restaurant and travel as much as possible. At Kellogg I met friends who would both stay up late with me trying figure out the tax implications of a new security design and travel with me to the top of Kilimanjaro.
What was the hardest part of business school? Slowing it down. There are more things to do at Kellogg than I could have possibly imagined before coming here. While incredibly excited for my job and my life after Kellogg, I wish I could slow it down and take a few more classes, a few more trips, and have a few more nights out with my classmates.
“I knew I wanted to go to business school when…I realized I needed to broaden my skill-set. My last job was a fantastic learning experience. My mentors taught me the fundamentals of financial analysis, and I received support to take the first two levels of the CFA exams. I also watched two of my bosses with MBAs manage a diverse range of personalities and egos towards a coherent investment philosophy. But I did not understand how they maintained the culture and managed their political capital so well, only that they did. And while I learned a significant amount about finance, my time was spent passively evaluating deals; I had no idea as to the decisions which went into structuring and marketing them. An MBA would bring me a more comprehensive and holistic view of finance, and classes on management and organizations along with exposure to a diverse set of backgrounds would help me further develop my soft skills.”
“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…an associate at another fixed income credit shop, most likely focusing on high yield oil and gas bonds. With the shale boom in the US and subsequent drop in oil prices I found it an incredibly interesting space. Without business school as a catalyst to jump to the sell-side, I likely would have pushed my experience on the buy-side further towards my interests in distressed debt.”
Which executive or entrepreneur do you most admire? The first and easiest answers are my father and grandfather, not only for their successes but because of how positively they are remembered by their peers for their integrity and loyalty. After them I would say Howard Marks for his ability and courage to take contrarian positions, his patience and long-term view, and for his acknowledgement of the tremendous amount of luck needed, in addition to hard work, to get him to where he is today.
What are your long-term professional goals? To take the amazing opportunity I have been given at Goldman and push as far ahead at the firm as I am able. The ultimate goal, despite the difficult and long road to obtaining it, would be to become a partner in IBD or GSAM.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? My parents. The biggest reason is when I was in high school and lacked the perspective of whether school or sports was more important, they kept pushing school. Their support, encouragement and guidance at home led me to get into my dream school. Looking back, it is impossible to overstate the impact they have had each major milestone in my life from there.
Fun fact about yourself: I love coaching – I coached youth lacrosse and basketball before Kellogg and coach boxing here at school.
Favorite book: All the Pretty Horses – Cormac McCarthy
Favorite movie: The Wind That Shakes the Barley
Favorite musical performer: Kygo
Favorite television show: Game of Thrones
Favorite vacation spot: Nantucket
Hobbies? boxing, weight training, adventure travel, vintage watches, finding time for the top ten novels of the 20th century
What made Tim such an invaluable addition to the class of 2016?
“Tim distinguishes himself by taking intellectual risks. He enrolled in my Accelerated Corporate Finance Class (the first two quarters of finance in one quarter) and then in my Financial Strategy and Tax class (at night). Neither is for the faint of heart. It was clear from the first day that Tim was on a mission to learn as much as he could, and in the process was going to bring the rest of us along. He is clearly very bright, and had worked in finance. Knowledge, however, can be a hindrance to learning. We fear asking a “stupid question.” When the material got difficult, when the class was struggling, Tim was always there to ask a question, to suggest a different explanation, to challenge me in a respectful but intellectually aggressive way. His intellectual drive and example created a safe place for his fellow students to ask questions, helped crystalize complex ideas, and made me a better teacher. Tim leaves Kellogg both well educated in finance, and well directed. He is an example of what the business world needs. Leaders that intend to do well, but also to do good.” — Mitchell Petersen, Professor of Finance, Kellogg School of Management
DON’T MISS: CLASS OF 2016: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST GRADUATING MBAS
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UCLA, Anderson School of Management
“For me, one of the most difficult parts has been prioritizing. I want the most out of this MBA experience meaning all things academic, professional, social, and extra-curricular, but there simply are not enough hours in the day to do it all. So, instead I focused on areas where I truly wanted to have an impact – women’s issues and human capital management issues.”
Age: 30
Hometown: Kalaheo, Kauai, Hawai’i
Education: University of Hawaii, Manoa
Where did you work before enrolling in business school? Director of Corporate Member Services at Business Forward, a business policy organization based in Washington, D.C.
Where did you intern during the summer of 2015? Hewlett-Packard in Palo Alto, CA
Where will you be working after graduation? Deloitte as a Senior Consultant in their Human Capital practice.
Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: 1st year: Director of Professional Development, Women’s Business Connection; Section Leader, Admission Ambassador Corps; Director of Outreach, A-Days Planning Committee; 2nd year: President, Women’s Business Connection; VP of Human Capital/MCA Liaison, High Tech Business Association.
Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? It was my goal to significantly raise the profile of the Women’s Business Connection on campus. To do this, I increased the number of high-value events put on by the club, launched our ally program – the MANbassador Campaign, increased the size and scale of the Anderson Women’s Leadership Summit to over 500 attendees, and fundraised over $40,000 to pay for all of it. I’m proud to note that the rest of the student body noticed and I was voted the MBA of the Month during February, while the WBC was simultaneously voted the February Club of the Month.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I led all of Business Forward’s efforts at the 2012 Democratic Convention in Charlotte, NC. This included 15 high-profile briefings over three days between senior executives and senior Obama Administration officials. The convention success provided Business Forward with critical political clout, which they have continued to grow and will capitalize on as they prepare for the 2016 Democratic Convention in Philadelphia this summer.
Favorite MBA Course? Insight to Outcome with Professor Tom Wurster. I spent my summer internship working on the Hewlett-Packard divestiture. In his class, I learned a critical set of frameworks that I used to not only look back and evaluate that specific separation, but various other corporate M&A decisions. It truly changed the way I read the news and think about business strategy.
Why did you choose this business school? Three reasons – 1. I wanted to attend a top business school in a major city. 2. I wanted the school to have a strong technology industry presence. 3. It had to be located outside of the “polar vortex.” Anderson checked all the boxes, and was the best fit for me culturally.
What did you enjoy most about business school? Saying “Yes, and…” and knowing that every ounce of effort that I put into this experience would only make me a smarter, better, more capable person. It was a delightfully selfish time that wasn’t about my boss or the organization I worked for, but entirely about my own personal growth.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from business school? It was through business school that I discovered my professional passion – human capital management. It is a field that I have become deeply involved in through HARRT at UCLA and other on-campus opportunities, and I am excited to make it my career. My business school journey was instrumental in helping me identify that.
What was the most surprising thing about business school? One of the most surprising parts of business school came on Day 1 of Orientation when we did our one-minute introductions in our sections. I was floored by how smart, accomplished, and interesting all of my classmates were. The Admissions office at Anderson does a phenomenal job bringing together the best and brightest.
What was the hardest part of business school? For me, one of the most difficult parts has been prioritizing. I want the most out of this MBA experience meaning all things academic, professional, social, and extra-curricular, but there simply are not enough hours in the day to do it all. So, instead I focused on areas where I truly wanted to have an impact – women’s issues and human capital management issues (i.e. building out that niche recruiting area on campus, changing the perception of HR among my fellow classmates, and Anderson talent acquisition).
What’s your best advice to an applicant to your school? The GMAT is a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t let it intimidate you, but don’t get distracted by other factors until you have the score that you want.
“I knew I wanted to go to business school when…I saw the private sector making more strides on the issues I care about than the public sector. Whether it was women’s issues or closing the skills gap to hire more Millennials, the corporations I worked with in Washington, D.C. were having more impact and moving a faster pace. Especially after the government shutdown in 2013, I knew that the private sector was a better fit for me and that business school was my golden ticket.”
“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…for someone who comes from a non-profit or non-traditional background, like myself, in my mind, business school was the only option to achieve what I aim for professionally.”
What are your long-term professional goals? It is my goal to redefine how companies think about their people. In the long-term, I envision myself doing that from the C-Suite as the Chief Human Resources Officer of a Fortune 50 company.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? My parents who always allowed me to define success by my own terms.
Fun fact about yourself: I celebrated my 21st birthday twice, once in Bali, Indonesia, then again after my flight home crossed the international date line, in Hawaii.
Favorite book: A new favorite is Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I read it while in Brazil over spring break, which was impactful because I was surrounded by the haves and have nots. The inequity of what happened in Nigeria in the late 1960s became even more real.
Favorite movie: Any movie directed by Wes Anderson, Baz Luhrmann, or Woody Allen.
Favorite television show: I haven’t had much time for TV in the last two years, but I would have to say House of Cards. Between Kevin Spacey and Washington, D.C., it’s hard to beat!
Favorite vacation spot: I’m lucky that my favorite vacation spot is also my hometown – Kauai, Hawaii.
Hobbies? Surfing, yoga, hiking, diving… (really anything outside or in the water); empowering and being empowered by amazing women; and sharing the Hawaiian culture.
What made Britney such an invaluable addition to the class of 2016?
“I first met Britney when she became the president of the Women’s Business Connection and a couple of my teammates and I invited her to lunch. The first words I thought within the first lines of our conversation were, “Thank heavens…finally!” What I meant was that based on what I was hearing, I thought that we might finally have a leader of this organization that could take it to the next level and make this group shine. In the past, the Women’s Business Connection had acted as a sort of half-baked support group without any real definition. Britney, however, came in knowing that she wanted to make the women’s conference a blockbuster event and identify key issues to bring forward in the community, to make this group advocates and advancers of women in business and develop the best possible leaders from among men and women. She did exactly what she set out to do and took it even beyond. The Anderson Women’s Leadership Summit quadrupled in attendees as well as budget, but Britney’s group managed to raise the funds, bring key leaders to campus as keynote and panel speakers and have an incredibly smoothly run event. Britney was also a tremendous representative on the Anderson Ambassador Corps, which is the first face of Anderson with prospective and admitted students. In our office, every time we needed a representative for human capital, we looked first to Britney because we knew that she would represent us well in what and how she presented.” — Regina Regazzi, Assistant Dean and Director, Parker Career Management Center, UCLA Anderson
DON’T MISS: CLASS OF 2016: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST GRADUATING MBAS
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Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
“I am leaving Kellogg with a clearer vision for myself as a professional, a leader and an entrepreneur. I am confident that I have the peer and mentor relationships I will need to keep me accountable to that vision.”
Age: 31
Hometown: Inverness, IL
Undergraduate School and Degree: The University of Texas at Austin –Finance Honors and History
Where did you work before enrolling in business school?
Sector 3 Social Venture Group – a consultancy that designs and executes economic development projects for large aid organizations, public and private companies and philanthropies. As a partner at S3SVG, I co-authored and designed a program selected as 1 of 3 projects for the global USAID initiative, Women’s Leadership in Small & Medium Enterprises (WLSME). Goldman Sachs Foundation 10,000 Women Peru – Measurement & Evaluation Lead Deloitte Consulting – Strategy & Operations ConsultantWhere did you intern during the summer of 2015? I did growth and operations consulting for a small food startup in Chicago while starting my own business, Pak’d.
Where will you be working after graduation? I will be working on my start-up, Pak’d. We make fresh, healthy and fun lunches delivered directly to families’ homes. Our Paks are perfect for kids’ school lunches and we offer adult Paks making it possible for the whole family to access a balanced meal, on-the-go.
Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School
Co-President, Women’s Business Association Founder of the Kellogg Women’s Leadership Seminar Selected as a Zell Fellow, 2015-2016 Selected as a Forte Fellow Best Impact Investment Winner, MBA Impact Investing Network & Training Program (MIINT) 2015 Operations Lead, Women’s Leadership Workshop 2015 Director of Education, Brew ‘n Q ClubWhich academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I worked with Dean Blount, Professor Victoria Medvec, and the Women’s Business Association to create a brand new program for Kellogg women – the Women’s Leadership Seminar (WLS). The WLS is open to all graduating Kellogg women and focuses on the research demonstrating the unique challenges women face during their careers. The program provided an opportunity for my class to have a shared experience as women and created an environment to discuss the big what-ifs around the idea that women ‘can or cannot have it all.’ Throughout the seminar, it was clear that the WBA was able to elevate the global gender equality conversation at Kellogg in a meaningful way. Small group dinners and candid conversations began occurring organically between classmates, and we had over 200 men commit to our first annual Gender Equality pledge. Many of my peers told me that the Women’s Leadership Seminar was the highlight of their Kellogg experience and that they feel they have a stronger network to leverage in their careers as a result. Seeing my peers experience this vision in such an impactful way was my most rewarding experience at Kellogg and in my career.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I co-designed and built a program in Lima, Peru that provided over 1,000 female entrepreneurs with access to business education over a 2.5 year period. The project evaluated whether individual advising, group networks, or classroom learning was most effective in growing their businesses. The results of the project are being used in future public policy recommendations for organizations investing in entrepreneurship as a form of economic development. I learned an incredible amount from the entrepreneurs with whom we worked, and they motivated me to start a business of my own. I still maintain contact with many of our graduates and was able to make a return visit to Peru in December 2015. I am most proud of how the project will continue to help individual entrepreneurs in the future.
Who is your favorite professor? Professor Victoria Medvec and Professor Mitchell Petersen have both made a tremendous impact on my professional and personal development. Professor Medvec is an incredible champion for women while at Kellogg and throughout their careers after graduation. She has been a vocal advocate of mine within her own network and has challenged me to work harder, think bolder and grow as a leader. Professor Petersen’s open door policy has encouraged me to seek out consistent feedback on my projects, business ideas and academic questions. He also serves as a strong positive role model through his commitment to intellectual curiosity, hard work and community. I believe both of these professors will continue to serve as trusted mentors throughout my career.
Favorite MBA Courses? My top two courses at Kellogg were Entrepreneurial Selling and Global Capital Markets.
In Entrepreneurial Selling, we spent five weeks learning and practicing how to sell a product. The class explored the sales process and common pitfalls that can hinder even the most experienced sales professionals. The class was immediately applicable as an entrepreneur as I work on selling my company to investors, selling my vision to employees and selling my product to customers.
Global Capital Markets walked through the current state of the global economy starting with the causes of the financial crisis. The course was taught by Professor Janice Eberly, former Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the U.S. Treasury, who brought a unique, insider perspective to discussions about global and US current events.
Why did you choose this business school? I came to Kellogg because of its commitment to entrepreneurship and social enterprise. Further, I believe Kellogg is the number one school for women MBAs. From the Zell Fellows program for entrepreneurs to the school-wide Project Impact initiative, Kellogg’s programming provided me an amazing opportunity to learn and grow both personally and professionally.
What did you enjoy most about business school? Hard question! My highlights: the people, the WBA, the opportunity to travel with classmates, and the Zell Fellows program.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from business school? I am leaving Kellogg with a clearer vision for myself as a professional, a leader and an entrepreneur. I am confident that I have the peer and mentor relationships I will need to keep me accountable to that vision.
What was the most surprising thing about business school? The mentorship from professors has exceeded my expectations. I knew that I would build a strong network with the other students, but I was not expecting to form such close relationships with professors.
What was the hardest part of business school? Prioritization! There are so many opportunities – to meet people, to work with professors, to get involved with clubs, to start a business. It can be challenging to pick just a few areas of focus. Learning to find comfort in trade-offs is a valuable skill that I will take forward.
What’s your best advice to an applicant to your school? Ask our students tough questions. I think this is important for any school. What has been good and what would they improve? What has and has not met their expectations?
“I knew I wanted to go to business school when…I wanted to make a transition back to the US from living abroad for almost 3 years. At that point, I knew it was time to make a pivot in my career and that business school would provide me with the opportunities, network and skills to make a smart change.”
“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would…have given myself six months to start a business or find a job at a start-up….I imagine that I would have pursued an Executive MBA a few years later.”
What are your long-term professional goals? Over the next ten years of my career, I want to build a company and brand that can empower women as consumers to purchase products they feel good about and trust. Long-term, I want to develop and invest in entrepreneurs. I look forward to being involved in the Chicago entrepreneurial community as it continues to grow.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? I have been lucky to have some amazing mentors thus far in my young career. Most importantly, my dad has kept me centered and will always serve as my role model because of his commitment to hard work and pursuit of what makes him happy (in his case: family, fishing, wood-working and hunting).
Fun fact about yourself: I brew my own beer.
Favorite book: The Sun Also Rises
Favorite movie: The Sound of Music
Favorite musical performer: Michael Jackson will always be my favorite.
Favorite television show: Current – Game of Thrones; Oldie but Goodie – Sex and the City
Favorite vacation spot: Anywhere that I can get a good ceviche, drink a beer and sit by the water.
Hobbies? Cycling, traveling, reading, and, most recently, coloring meditation
DON’T MISS: CLASS OF 2016: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST GRADUATING MBAS
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Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management
“There are a lot of ways to apply your talents and abilities. Take the time to know yourself, invest in your skills and network, and focus to go after the area where you want to make an impact.”
Age: 30
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Undergraduate School and Degree: (The University of Notre Dame, B.B.A. in Finance (magna cum laude)
Where did you work before enrolling in business school? Robert W. Baird, Equity Research Senior Associate
Where did you intern during the summer of 2015? The Graide Network; Chicago, IL
Where will you be working after graduation? The Graide Network, Founder and CEO
Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:
Co-President, Women’s Business Association (WBA) – In this role, I co-lead an executive team of 15 members, a leadership team of 47 members, and a membership base of nearly 570 members. The WBA is one of the largest student clubs at Kellogg. Unlike other clubs, we fund our entire budget through corporate sponsorships and also offer two partial scholarships to students each year. This year, the WBA launched a successful Women’s Leadership Seminar for second year MBA women. Nearly 120 women participated in the five-session seminar.
Co-President, Women’s MBA Coalition – (an association of the presidents of the women’s organizations at 14 top business schools). In this role, I am launching the first in-person summit for the incoming and outgoing coalition members. The annual Women’s MBA Coalition Summit is designed to empower and prime first-year women selected for leadership roles within their respective women’s business associations by equipping them with the institutional knowledge of second-year women across schools. Simultaneously, the event will celebrate the triumphs and address the challenges that second year women faced in leading their organizations during the previous academic year.
Zell Fellow 2016 – As one of nine students, I was selected to participate in Kellogg’s six-month accelerator program. The program provides mentorship, international exposure, and up to $25,000 in funding to support The Graide Network. I just returned from a week in Israel meeting with our sister Zell program at IDC Herzliya in Tel Aviv where we helped each other work on our startups, meet the Israeli tech community, and pitch to advisors and investors.
MBA Impact Investing Network & Training (MIINT) Program 2014-15 – “Best Impact Investment” winner
Forté Foundation Fellow – Full-ride merit scholarship
NewDay Social Entrepreneurship Internship Award – Winner, received $30,000 to launch The Graide Network.
2015 Leap Innovations Summer Startup Award – Winner, received $10,000 to develop The Graide Network; incubated at Leap Innovations (an education innovation R&D center based in 1871).
2014 Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Inspiration Project Impact – Winner, received $2,000 for startup
2016 Cambelback Ventures Fellow – Selected to participate in a seven-month accelerator supporting social impact entrepreneurs with capital, coaching, and networks.
Member of the 2016 WiSTEM cohort – Selected for a 16-week program for early-stage technology or technology-enabled companies at 1871 in Chicago.
Finalist for Chicago Inno’s “50 on Fire” – Award recognizing the top innovators and influencers in Chicago.
2015 Kellogg Venture Capital Investment Challenge – Winner;
Central region Venture Capital Investment Challenge – Winner of Entrepreneur’s Choice 2015.
Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? During my time at Kellogg, I am most proud of founding, developing and growing The Graide Network, an education technology startup. The Graide Network connects educators with qualified teaching assistants to grade and provide feedback to students. Resisting the temptation to pursue more traditional post-MBA opportunities required a lot of confidence in myself and my venture. Starting a business has not been easy, and I don’t expect it will ever be. The numerous challenges—identifying and validating critical business assumptions, handling founder departures, making strategic decisions with minimal information, and overcoming adversity to change—have tested and strengthened me in ways that I never expected. I am excited to pursue The Graide Network full time after graduation. I am proud to further our mission to unlock the full potential of our educational system through human-powered, technology-enabled collaboration by connecting teachers and learners in entirely new ways.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? When I think back on my six years as an equity analyst before Kellogg, I am proud of my strong track record of providing clients with the best possible investment advice. But I am most proud of the tangible impact I had on my team, including rising to the challenge of leadership during my bosses’ medical leaves, on my department in recruiting and cross-team collaboration, and on the company as an executive team member and later Co-Chair of the annual Women at Baird conference.
Who is your favorite professor? There are many great professors at Kellogg, but one of my favorites is Professor Victoria Medvec, the Adeline Barry Davee Professor of Management & Organizations and Executive Director of the Center for Executive Women. I had the opportunity to take Professor Medvec for three classes, including her extremely popular Negotiations class and the newly launched Women’s Leadership Seminar. She is dynamic, incredibly knowledgeable in her areas of expertise, and passionate about developing women as business leaders. I left her classes more savvy about group decision-making and networking, more strategic about achieving long-term career success as a woman, and certainly with better negotiating skills.
Favorite MBA Courses? Negotiations, Public Economics for Business Leaders, Kellogg Innovation Network (KIN) Challenge, Global Initiatives in Management: India, New Venture Development
Why did you choose this business school? I was attracted to Kellogg’s open and collaborative culture, strong female role models in the faculty and administration, and the incredible diversity of the students’ backgrounds and post-graduation fields. I came from a finance undergraduate program, worked for six years in finance, and am a CFA charterholder. Therefore, I was interested in Kellogg’s ability to diversify my skillset and expose me to the areas of launching, growing, and scaling a business.
What did you enjoy most about business school? The people! The student experience at Kellogg is really powerful. The open culture combined with the administration’s empowerment of students to create and improve the school made for an exciting and fruitful experience. The caliber and quality of people involved have made all the difference in a wide range of my favorite experiences—leading the Women’s Business Association to create far-reaching new programs, designing my own research on startups in India during an immersion class, or starting my own company.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from business school? There are a lot of ways to apply your talents and abilities. Take the time to know yourself, invest in your skills and network, and focus to go after the area where you want to make an impact.
What was the most surprising thing about business school? The fallacy of free time. The grad student schedule is certainly different than the workplace, but no less busy!
What’s your best advice to an applicant to your school? Be open-minded. You are smart and capable and know a lot, but each of your prospective future classmates has life and work experience wildly different than yours. Learning from them is your chance to jumpstart your understanding of business in both global and local contexts.
“I knew I wanted to go to business school when…I was graduating from college and already recognized that I had ambitious plans for a long-term career (whatever that was). Then, work proved to be quite fun and kept me busy for the next six years. I realized that I needed to apply to business school when I reached a temporary plateau in my career mobility. I decided that I wanted to use that period of time to invest in myself in an entirely new way.”
“If I hadn’t gone to business school…I would be leading my own list of coverage as a Senior Equity Research Analyst. At least, that was the near term goal! I come from several generations of entrepreneurs and business owners, so I could only delay the itch to do my own thing for so long.”
Which executive or entrepreneur do you most admire? I admire Ellen Kullman. I had the opportunity to see Ellen speak at Kellogg, and I was impressed by her integrity, ability and commitment. Her executive presence was palpable and her grounded leadership style resonated with me.
What are your long-term professional goals? In the long-term, I want to be leading others to achieve collective impact. While there are a number of roles that could allow me to achieve that goal, I see myself thriving in small, dynamic, and growing companies. In 20 years, I hope to still be building vibrant, impact-oriented organizations that deliver excellence and value the dignity of each person.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? My husband! He has advised me through every professional and personal step and ardently supports my efforts to create and run a company. Plus, he was the one who encouraged me to apply to business school in the first place.
Fun fact about yourself: I attended eight different schools by the eighth grade—the joys of growing up in a military family!
Favorite book: My favorite book to read over and over again is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, my favorite book to study is Dante’s The Inferno, and a “new” favorite that I read recently is Sun Tzu’s Art of War.
Favorite movie: The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers
Favorite musical performer: George Strait
Favorite television show: NA, I don’t really watch TV
Favorite vacation spot: Either the beaches on St. John, US Virgin Islands or camping in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota.
Hobbies? Ballroom dance, yoga, and cooking (as long as Plated ships all the ingredients and recipes directly to me).
What made Blair such an invaluable addition to the class of 2016?
“I am privileged to recommend Blair Pircon, Kellogg School of Management Class of 2016, for Poets&Quants’ “Best and Brightest MBAs” feature. I have enjoyed getting to know this dynamic student leader, and have witnessed on numerous occasions her passion for social entrepreneurship.
Blair’s strong vision, persistence and ability to reflect on goals and priorities have garnered increasing recognition for The Graide Network, the promising education startup she cofounded and for which she serves as CEO. Rather than completing a traditional MBA summer internship, Blair chose to incubate this game-changing startup, which stemmed from an idea pitched at a Kellogg social impact event. Extensive research showed that overworked teachers lack time to give students critical, personalized feedback. To offer a solution, Blair cofounded The Graide Network, which connects overwhelmed teachers with qualified teaching assistants. As a recipient of the NewDay Social Entrepreneurship Summer Award and LEAP Innovations Summer Stipend and Working Space Award, Blair was able to spend last summer preparing the startup for its successful launch in September. The Graide Network has matched teachers from 10 public middle and high schools with teacher candidates from eight universities. Chicago tech hub 1871 recently chose the startup to participate in WiSTEM, a 16-week, curriculum-based program for female entrepreneurs with technology-related companies. ChicagoInno selected The Graide Network as one of 10 student-launched startups set to make moves in 2016. Blair will continue her important work as one of 10 entrepreneurs selected for the 2016 Camelback Fellowship, an accelerator program for women- and minority-owned social enterprises.
A standout Kellogg Innovation and Entrepreneurship student, Blair takes the initiative to apply her leadership skills to the benefit of her community. As co-president of Kellogg’s Women’s Business Association, she gives voice to students’ concerns and works to empower members by finding connections and identifying career enhancement opportunities. Her contributions as a key student team member led to a Best Impact Investment award during the 2015 MBA Impact Investing Network & Training (MIINT) Competition and earned her team the opportunity to present its proposal at KIN Global 2015. She is one of nine 2016 cohorts of the Zell Fellows Program, a highly selective entrepreneurial experience for intelligent, passionate students who strive to create new ventures with lasting value. Blair exemplifies Kellogg’s mission to “develop brave leaders who inspire growth in people, organizations and markets.” — Linda Darragh, Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurial Practice, The Larry Levy Executive Director, Kellogg Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative,Executive Director, Heizer Center for Private Equity and Venture Capital
DON’T MISS: CLASS OF 2016: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST GRADUATING MBAS
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The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth
“I knew I wanted to go to business school when I was at an industry conference panel that was addressing the declining state of the music business, and a panelist took the microphone and said, “look folks… we’re not selling data-bits and digi-bytes… we’re selling emotions.”
Age: 27
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Education: A.B. Dartmouth College, Cum Laude
Where did you work before enrolling in business school? Filligar (Professional Musician – Lead Singer & Guitarist); Decade Records (Co-Founder, Partner); United States Department of State: Kuwait, Guyana, & Azerbaijan Embassies (Cultural Ambassador)
Where did you intern during the summer of 2015? Harris Williams & Co. (Richmond, VA.), Investment Banking Summer Associate
Where will you be working after graduation? Harris Williams & Co. (San Francisco, CA), Investment Banking Associate – Technology, Media, & Telecommunications
Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School While at Tuck, I co-founded a company with my brother which has been awarded funding from various pitch competitions and grants. Across campus, I’ve hoped to support the culture of entrepreneurship that’s been cultivated by the Dartmouth Entrepreneurship Network (DEN), the DALI Lab, and The Center for Private Equity & Entrepreneurship. It’s an amazing community to be a part of, and I try to give back to the people who have worked hard to make it so strong—both while a student at Tuck and following graduation.
Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? This past winter, I toured Russia with the rock band that I play in. To give some context: prior to the trip, the heightened tension between the United States and Russia was all over the news. When we landed in the frozen city of Yekaterinburg, there was a subtle but palpable element of uncertainty to the whole thing.
I am most proud of the friendships that were made while we were there. We met musicians, TV personalities, professional athletes, community leaders, teachers, and future business leaders—some of the most wonderful people. We performed at concert halls, a festival, an orphanage, and a radio hour dedicated to the life of David Bowie.
At one point, we taught a music class at a local community center on the outskirts of Siberia. Inside this beautiful, Soviet-era theater were roughly forty teenagers in chairs onstage. Amongst all of them sat one girl who was visibly timid from the outset.
The greatest “achievement” in recent memory was to get that girl out of her chair—to get her to stand up in front of everyone, grab a microphone, and ferociously belt out a song she had just written. And she nailed it.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Selling someone merchandise they didn’t think they wanted. I’m most proud of the little things that you have to do when building a business—those uncomfortable tasks: cold-calling, handing out flyers, speaking in front of crowds, putting yourself out there.
Who is your favorite professor? It’s a ten way tie.
Favorite MBA Courses? Building Entrepreneurial Ventures with Steve Kahl, Field Study in Private Equity with Phil Ferneau, Entrepreneurial Thinking with Trip Davis & Tom Naughton, Business of Healthcare with Don Conway, and the CEO Experience with John Lynch. Among others.
Why did you choose this business school? When deciding between schools, I knew from my undergraduate experience that Dartmouth has a great set of unique offerings. In particular, I like that living in a small town affords you the opportunity to really get to know the people around you. It also affords you the opportunity to have very individualized interactions with high-caliber professors, visiting professionals, speakers, and others on a daily basis. I also just generally like the school.
What did you enjoy most about business school? I enjoyed learning. There are many reasons to go to business school. There are many reasons not to. For me, to be surrounded by such an array of outstanding resources has been pretty remarkable.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from business school? I won’t know until at least a couple of years.
What was the most surprising thing about business school? The consistent surprise of “you don’t know what you don’t know.”
What was the hardest part of business school? Prioritizing what is most important at any given time.
What’s your best advice to an applicant to your school? If you’re curious, reach out to me. Happy to talk.
“I knew I wanted to go to business school when…I was at an industry conference panel that was addressing the declining state of the music business, and a panelist took the microphone and said, “look folks… we’re not selling data-bits and digi-bytes… we’re selling emotions.”
“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…selling emotions.”
Which executive or entrepreneur do you most admire? I don’t really have a rubric for that. I admire anyone who gets up and works hard to create something from nothing.
What are your long-term professional goals? To be happy.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? My four siblings for making me competitive. And for putting me in my place…which is first place.
Fun fact about yourself: I did improv comedy at Second City in Chicago and Groundlings in LA for a while.
Favorite book: Endurance by Alfred Lansing
Favorite movie: Best in Show
Favorite musical performer: Favorite music: always changing. Favorite performer: James Brown.
Favorite television show: ESPN Sportscenter
Favorite vacation spot: Visiting my family in South Haven, MI.
Hobbies? Playing in a men’s hockey league. Hanging out with my twin sis.
What made Johnny such an invaluable addition to the class of 2016?
“John always comes to class prepared and willing to wrestle with the material in order to develop a deeper understanding of the concepts. But, what truly sets John apart is his enthusiasm and creativity. His enthusiasm is downright infectious, and it brings the best out of others – whether it be a start-up team he is working on, his classmates, or faculty. It is this foundational empathy bottled within positive energy that makes John a valued leader and appreciated community builder at Tuck.
John also brings creative perspective that helps us all think more deeply. He has a significant musical background, which is unusual for an MBA, but he has successfully channeled it into classroom discussion to help provide an alternative perspective. He is also working on a new venture with his brother in the music industry. Yes, they have an interesting idea and they work hard like many other entrepreneurs. But, beyond excelling at the blocking and tackling of doing the hard start-up work, they both see a bigger picture about the emotional value of bringing music more readily into people’s lives. It is this “challenge the world while doing good” attitude that really sets John apart. It has been an absolute pleasure to teach and work with John at Tuck.” — Steve Kahl, Associate Professor of Business Administration, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth
DON’T MISS: CLASS OF 2016: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST GRADUATING MBAS
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University of Chicago, Booth School of Business
“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be probably getting yelled at by a banking MD that I had the audacity to get some sleep last night.”
Age: 31
Hometown: Stevens Point, WI
Education: University of Wisconsin – Madison, BBA in Finance
Where did you work before enrolling in business school? I was an analyst and then an associate at First Analysis, an investment bank in Chicago
Where did you intern during the summer of 2015? I worked at the company I started, Markit Medical (which is a healthcare software company that aims to bring pricing transparency data to the physician office so that patients and doctors can work together to make great clinical and financial choices for patients).
Where will you be working after graduation? I plan to continue building out Markit Medical.
Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School I was a co-chair of the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Group, as well as the Healthcare Group.
Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I started a startup competition and education series called StartUpWeek that took place over an entire week. Surrounding the hackathon style competition (that went for the duration of the week), I brought in influential entrepreneurs to talk about their experiences. The result was a program that let all students at the University of Chicago either try out starting a company, or learn more about how they could start a company in the future. More than 300 students participated in the program.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Successfully getting a company off of the ground. I was worried that I didn’t have the requisite experience to make starting a company possible (especially a healthcare company!), but through hard work, focus, and determination, Markit Medical became a real entity providing real services!
Who is your favorite professor? All five entrepreneurial professors I have worked with, I can’t pick just one! Waverly Deutsch, Craig Wortmann, James Schrager, Mark Tebbe and Brian Coe taught me so much about starting a company. All have remained active advisors to my startup as well, sharing their knowledge and ideas frequently.
Favorite MBA Courses? Building the New Venture (Deutsch), New Venture Strategy (Schrager), Entrepreneurial Selling (Wortmann), Entrepreneurial Discovery (Tebbe and Coe): all were essential to giving me the skillset and confidence to start a company.
Why did you choose this business school? It had the courses to help someone who lacked entrepreneurial experience (say a former investment banker) successfully start a company, and it had the track record to back it up (Grubhub, Braintree and countless others)
What did you enjoy most about business school? Building so many incredible relationships. The students and faculty at Booth are the smartest and kindest people I have ever met.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from business school? Don’t shy away from what you are afraid of.
What was the most surprising thing about business school? The amount of social psychology that was the baseline for much of my classes. A very pleasant surprise.
What was the hardest part of business school? Not being able to do everything!
What’s your best advice to an applicant to your school? Be grounded.
“I knew I wanted to go to business school when…I realized that my desire for learning and to start a company could both be satiated at the same time.”
“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…probably getting yelled at by a banking MD that I had the audacity to get some sleep last night.”
Which executive or entrepreneur do you most admire Brian Coe, a professor at Booth and the CEO of Slipchip. He’s brilliant, as well as a successful entrepreneur and executive who constantly shares his time and knowledge even though he faces incredible demands as a CEO. He has found the perfect balance in life.
What are your long-term professional goals? See Coe, Brian. Successfully build companies. Help other entrepreneurs. Make the world better.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? My parents instilling in me the value of hard work and creativity. Chicago Booth would be a close second.
Fun fact about yourself: I grew up in the woods in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin. I like nature a lot as a result.
Favorite book: To Kill a Mockingbird
Favorite movie: Rainman
Favorite musical performer: Bruce Springsteen
Favorite television show: The Wire
Favorite vacation spot: Istanbul
Hobbies? Fly fishing, camping, reading, bowling, golfing
What made Dane such an invaluable addition to the class of 2016?
“One of the co-founders of Markit Medical, a Booth-start-up transforming the market for health care services, Dane embodies the entrepreneurial experience at Booth. A leader among his peers, Dane partners extensively with Booth’s Polsky Center, UChicago’s Chicago Innovation Exchange, and Chicago-based MATTER to fully leverage ideas and resource for the larger good. An outdoor enthusiast, often called Camp Counselor Dane by classmates, Dane has shaped the Booth experience for classmates interested in start-ups (e.g., led West Coast trek) and all those interested in the great outdoors.” — Stacey Kole, Clinical Professor and Deputy Dean, University of Chicago, Booth School of Business
DON’T MISS: CLASS OF 2016: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST GRADUATING MBAS
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