Striving for social impact
Most of the people I worked with in school leadership wanted to be principals or superintendents. Because of my developing interest in business, neither of those paths was right for me.
The Evening & Weekend MBA program allows me to keep working and start making a career pivot. Career management is all about self-reflection and laying out a path for yourself. I’m really grateful that my career coach is helping me recognize the assets I carry from previous work experiences as I prepare to pivot industries.
I see myself using my skills in strategic planning and stakeholder engagement in conjunction with finance to advise companies and executive leadership on strategic growth.
Financial literacy, strategy, and an entrepreneurial mindset are key catalysts for positive social change. I plan to use my developing knowledge of finance as a tool for economic empowerment and access for individuals and teams that I consult with pro bono.
Gaining confidence and competence
As a woman coming from a non-business background, I appreciate how the professors and classmates encourage me to use my voice, to speak up.
The professors are so generous with their time even outside of class. They are curious about me and want to understand my perspective, my sector, and my experience. They are incredible.
It’s been advantageous for me to learn from and with people from a diversity of backgrounds and industries. Everything I learn in class serves me directly in my job.
Leaning into finance
My first year I focused on learning the basics in content areas that were new to me. I was also working full-time in a new job, while my family faced significant personal challenges. Year two will focus on broadening and deepening my financial skills and industry knowledge in support of my career pivot.
Knowing that I can take electives and participate in clubs makes Haas an incredible incubator for the skills and networks I look to develop.
I intend to leverage my experience in stakeholder engagement and research and analysis in the financial sphere.
Promoting diversity and inclusion
If I’m going to be in a prestigious environment that does not represent the communities I am accustomed to serving, it was important to me to find a school that had dedicated staffing and resources to increasing representation and inclusion.
My path has been very different from others in my class. But now that I’ve walked through the door, I’m just going to start running. No matter who you are, there is a place for you here; you will find a community here.
I am grateful for every day at Haas and the learning opportunities provided to me. It would be my proudest moment to learn alongside my former students, many of whom are from groups underrepresented at Haas. I hope to work with our DEI team and the Admissions Department to change our enrollment statistics.
