What was your undergraduate university and major? How long did you defer your 2+2 admission?
I’m originally from Southfield, Michigan and attended Harvard College for undergraduate and studied Economics. I deferred admission for 4 years.
Why did you decide to apply to HBS via the 2+2 deferred admissions process?
While in undergraduate, I was hungry to learn more about leadership and having a positive impact on communities through business leadership. Outside of the classroom, I was very involved with entrepreneurship and small businesses on campus through Harvard Student Agencies (HSA). As a student business manager within HSA, I gained valuable business and leadership experience managing teams of up to 25 employees and helped launch a startup that was venture funded and is still growing today. As I approached my final year of undergraduate, I knew I wanted to get some real-world business experience after graduation, but eventually would want to pursue a management and leadership education. I applied to the 2+2 deferred admission program because it was a great fit for my long-term goals.
Did 2+2 change your path or alter your post-undergraduate plans?
Yes! I believe 2+2 gives admitted students incredible flexibility to explore their interests and talents between undergraduate and business school. I decided to explore multiple jobs between undergraduate and business school to gain a breadth of experience across consulting, operations and investing roles. This helped me better understand my strengths and weaknesses, passions and longer-term direction before beginning my MBA.
Where are you currently working? Can you describe your role?
I am a technology investor at Francisco Partners (FP). At FP, we partner with management teams and entrepreneurs to build and grow great technology companies. I spend most of my time focused on sourcing, evaluating and executing new investment opportunities in the healthcare technology sector. Additionally, I serve on the board of directors of some of our portfolio companies and help our management teams with strategy, recruiting and other business development efforts.
What projects/roles/opportunities did you purse during or after the 2+2 Program?
While at HBS, I focused on entrepreneurship and small business building. During my first year at HBS, I consumed myself with launching a healthcare software company with three close friends. HBS was a terrific resource during our start-up journey through coursework, like the Start-up Bootcamp, funding and advising through the HBS Rock Center for Entrepreneurship Accelerator program. After we decided to shut that business down, I spent much of my summer and second year helping grow another small software startup to reach its first $1M in annual recurring revenue and advised a logistics business in Brazil on operations optimization to improve profitability.
What impact has HBS had on your career?
My HBS experience helped me push the bounds of my life goals and think about how my leadership can have a positive impact on my community – both local and global. Life is a long journey, and it is important to enjoy every step. I am excited to see how my classmates and I work together to use our leadership for good.
Are you still in touch with your fellow HBS students/section mates?
Absolutely! I formed many close friendships with folks I met from my HBS section (Section D!) and other circles at HBS. Given social distancing, we have had to stay in touch virtually, but we are all looking forward to reuniting in person soon.
What is the most inspiring/exciting project or opportunity you have worked on?
The most inspiring project I have worked on since HBS is helping our companies and their customers work through the disruption caused by COVID-19. It has been terrific to see our teams come together to find creative solutions to continue supporting our customers and employees through this difficult time.
What advice do you have for prospects considering the 2+2 program?
Think deeply about why you want to be a leader before applying and then go for it! Working for a few years and then getting an excellent leadership and management education is a great way to jumpstart your career and is a real gift. With that gift comes real responsibility for you to lead in a way that is meaningful to you and positively impactful for others.