Home Region
Mechanicsburg, PA
Undergrad Education
Georgia Institute of Technology, BS, 2014
Previous Experience
Open for Business, McKinsey
HBS Activities
Section A Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Rep, Social Enterprise Club CFO, Pride Club
“I want to use my access and privilege to open doors for those who have traditionally been kept out of these spaces.”
Why did you choose this path at this point in time?
We’re at an interesting time in history where the role of business in society is being challenged and the assumptions on which we have built our economic system are being questioned. Businesses are under immense pressure to create positive social and environmental outcomes, which is different from the primacy given to shareholder returns over the past 50 years or so. In my work prior to HBS, I partnered with businesses actually acting on this and using their voices to advance LGBT+ inclusive laws in countries around the world. I decided to attend HBS to better understand how firms operate, what systems and assumptions underpin their decisions, and how we can rethink those assumptions to create a more equal and sustainable world.
Coming to HBS is like...
...taking a break to think about my life plans, exploring new career opportunities, making new friends, expanding my horizons, and challenging my assumptions.
Being part of the HBS community is like...
...constantly being supported. There are so many resources made available to students here. HBS provides fantastic career counselors, makes tutoring easy to access, and creates a special section experience that makes you feel supported socially.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was very young I wanted to be either a teacher or a novelist. I spent a lot of time writing Harry Potter fan fiction when I was in elementary school, but sadly my books never took off!
What is your favorite childhood memory?
Thankfully I have a lot to choose from. But I think my all-time favorite memory is a day I spent with my parents and sister on Lake Powell in Utah, in the middle of a trip we took traveling to various national parks out West. We had originally planned to rent kayaks for the day, but after seeing how much more fun people with motorboats seemed to be having, we switched plans and rented one. We spent the day water skiing, tubing, and making fun of my dad’s boat driving skills. It was lots of fun and created a lot of good memories.
Who is one person from your life that you admire the most today?
My mom and my dad. They each have successful small businesses that they started from scratch and have run for over 30 years, and they have supported each other so that they are successful collectively. They’ve also been very supportive parents for me and my sister. For example, my sister, who has Down syndrome, wanted to go to college after graduating high school, but there weren’t any universities in Pennsylvania that had programs for students with intellectual disabilities. Instead of letting that get in the way, my mom started a non-profit that provided funds and training for colleges to start programs for students like my sister. Today, there are 18 programs in the state, and my sister graduated from Penn State Harrisburg in 2019.
What’s the best thing about your home town?
Even though it’s not a big city, Mechanicsburg has surprisingly good restaurants, breweries, and coffee shops.