United States - Publications - Faculty & Research

Profile

Samantha Ernst

When Samantha Ernst arrived at Wellesley, “I thought I’d be a math major,” she says. “Then I took multi-variable calculus and wanted to jump off a bridge.” Instead, Samantha studied economics. “I liked it because it’s a mix of people and numbers – a science that seeks... View Details

Portrait Project

Stephen Elliott

My wife Serap and I got married in June, 2009, on a boat on the Bosporus. And our family and friends from all over the world danced with us into the evening as the Istanbul city lights came alive. It's one of the sweetest memories we have, and I'm grateful we could... View Details

Portrait Project

Seth Cohen

Before arriving at HBS, I was well-trained at crafting a resumé. One page of pretty font boasted fancy themes like "entrepreneurial passion" and "social impact." Major life events glowed in bold type. That Dean's award. My first job at Bank of... View Details

Portrait Project

Shani Carter

Joy is all around me. It even compels me to dance while shopping in the frozen food section. Sadly, I almost lost my joy after Daddy passed away. Our move to Raleigh, NC from Plainfield, NJ a few years prior had taken me out of my comfort zone, and I’d relied on... View Details

Alumni WDYDWYD

Shirley Cardona

I'm glad I sweat the small stuff. My mother, a Colombian immigrant, juggled several low-paying jobs to provide for the two of us. As a child, I split most of my waking hours between school and a sitter's home. Every two weeks, on my mother's day off, we'd catch up on... View Details

Portrait Project

Stephanie Belcher

I'm a hustler. Resourceful. Clever. Scrappy. I've been hustling since I was a kid. I've been blessed with the ability to take things that others have tossed aside and make them worthy of attention. From repurposing materials for school projects and thrifting from... View Details

Portrait Project

Sara Alsadi

Two months into my MBA, life suddenly happened: my partner passed away. I struggled and isolated myself. I even considered dropping out of HBS. I lost my main support and guidance; a selfless and loving person who– above everything– wanted me to be happy. He was always... View Details

Portrait Project

Sally Aaron

Modern medical technology gave me a chance to be happy and healthy when I was young. I want to make sure others have the same chance and privilege. I was born with a dislocated hip that was saved only by modern medicine – it changed my life forever. When I think of the... View Details

Portrait Project

Robert Schwartz

I will fight contentment. I want to be happy, of course. But not content. Never content. I will choose to engage. Not just listen, but feel. Not just talk, but connect. Not just reach out, but touch. I will ache with ambition. To constantly learn. To consistently... View Details

Portrait Project

Rob Ryman

I often think of Zusya, an early Hassidic rabbi. When Reb Zusya didn't have long on this earth, his students found him crying. "Why are you crying?" they asked. "Are you crying because you're afraid that when you die and go to heaven, God will say, 'Why... View Details

Profile

Rachel Honeth

"When you grow up as a triplet," Rachel says, "you have to do things to gain attention. But you also learn a lot about teamwork and dynamics." Her brother landed at Barclays Capital; her sister is a fashion blogger. Rachel made her initial splash as... View Details

Profile

Rebecca Greenbaum

In high school, Rebecca Greenbaum realized that she wanted more than an ordinary college education. She wanted the "opportunity to be part of something bigger than myself. I don't come from a military family, but I was pulled in by the opportunity to serve."... View Details

Keywords: Financial Services

Profile

Rohan Gopaldas

Rohan Gopaldas' parents and grandparents taught him the meaning of hospitality through simple home-cooked Sunday meals with family and their service in soup kitchens. They taught him the meaning of hard work, of what it takes to arrive in America as immigrants and... View Details

Portrait Project

Ryan Fennerty

Every day, as the first rays of light bathed the rooftops of Islamabad, the imam's call would shatter the silence of dawn. And I would awaken. I remember lying in bed, a young child transplanted from Arlington, Virginia, to a foreign land, haunted by the beauty of that... View Details

Profile

Roy Ben-Dor

From an early age, Roy Ben-Dor knew two things about himself: "I always wanted to go to law school out of intellectual curiosity," he says. "And since I was thirteen, I've been excited about developing businesses." Roy's first experience was with... View Details

Portrait Project

Rye Barcott

I quoted a military general in my high school yearbook. I wanted to be a Marine. I sensed how fortunate I was to be born where I was, when I was. I felt a calling. "Duty is the sublimest word in the English language." One of the things I most enjoy about HBS... View Details

Portrait Project

Peggy Yu

I will close my eyes. Take a deep breath. And leap. Conscious. Deliberate. Aware. And yes... maybe scared. You see, I am tired of being safe; I am weary of doing what I should; I am exhausted from trying to be what I'm not. So, here I am... ready... To love fiercely... View Details

Portrait Project

Polina Yampolska

Ten years ago, sitting in a cramped, unheated kitchen in my family's apartment on the outskirts of Kiev, I wrote the closing paragraph of my college application essay: "I like to be a small part in a huge machine that is called human civilization, a part with a... View Details

Portrait Project

Paul Tranter

Never-ending challenge is the secret to a successful and satisfying life. My Grandmother has been consistently quoting Tennyson's Ulysses to me since I was a child - it's one of my greatest inspirations. How dull it is to pause, to make an end, To rust unburnish'd, not... View Details

Portrait Project

Patrick MacKenzie

Mikaylah was getting paddled. Not yet 5 feet tall or 80 pounds, she winced in pain, took a breath, brushed away tears, and walked back into her classroom. Paddled for failing a test. A line of students stood against the wall, their eyes fixed on the wooden paddle in... View Details

Publications