United States - Publications - Faculty & Research

Portrait Project

Sohil Parekh

When I was ten, I wanted to be an astronaut. I thought I'd be able to reach out and touch the stars. Today, my ambitions are humbler. I still want to fly. But it is in earning my wings that the joy of life will reveal itself. I will live my life for the journey and not... View Details

Portrait Project

Sarah Mullen

I plan to CREATE... a successful business that provides a valuable service to my customers – where I can see the fulfillment and satisfaction on their faces and know that the outcome has somehow improved their day and, hopefully, their lives (hospitality, healthcare... View Details

Portrait Project

Soma Mukherjee

I remember the words that graced the entrance to the Operating Room in my grandfather's nursing home in Calcutta: "I expect to pass through this world but once... any kindness that I can show... let me do it now... for I shall not pass this way again." Our... View Details

Portrait Project

Stephen Johnston

Ignorance made my grandmother a young widow; the unwitting victim of culture clash. Maybe this is why building a business to help people communicate and understand each other better is my goal. Cadburys started making chocolate to employ people, not the other way round... View Details

Portrait Project

Sasha Grinshpun

Have you ever been to Carnaval? I traveled to Salvador, Brazil, to witness (okay, okay, and participate in) the debauchery and mindlessness. Imagine the scene: thousands of youngsters dancing to Brazilian pop in the streets—in the scorching summer sun, three eight-hour... View Details

Portrait Project

Suzanne Floy Gauron

I cannot answer the 'what,' but I do know the 'how,' and maybe that's enough. Whether my accomplishments are many or few, I hope to live respectfully of all I have been given. As a child, I spent afternoons lying in the clover, staring up through the leaves of my... View Details

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

Publications