For me, attending Booth meant coming “home” (a word I’m still working to define). Let me explain.
After undergrad at UC San Diego, I jumped on a wild opportunity with my then company, LinkedIn, to move to Singapore for what was supposed to be a two year adventure. I was fresh out of the inaugural class of LinkedIn’s Business Leadership Program and was offered a spot on a new sales team in South East Asia. Though I had never been to the region before, I figured worst case scenario, I’d come back.
Two years turned into six years in no time. I made incredible friendships with fellow professionals from all over the world. My business travels took me from Melbourne to Mumbai. Slowly but surely, I built a personal identity as an international business professional, something I was proud of and hesitant to give up.
Last spring, I found myself faced with a great problem. Would I stay in Singapore and continue working as an Account Manager at my super exciting company, Stripe, and pursue my masters locally or would I take an incredible opportunity to come home to attend Booth as a member of Class of 2022?
I was nervous about returning to the US after so many years abroad, but all signs were pointing to Chicago. The world-class academic experience, the pay-it-forward culture of the current students and alumni, the beautiful backdrop of Chicago… it was all very enticing.
Needless to say, I chose Booth and I am so thankful I did. Once I started, I dove head first into as many activities as I could (as most Boothies do). As a LEAD Facilitator, I work closely with 40 other classmates to run the incoming first years’ orientation. As a co-chair of the Luxury and Retail Group, I’ve tapped back into my passion for the luxury industry, one that started during my undergrad summers working for LVMH. As a techie, I’ve leveraged my network to help host the 2021 Booth Technology Conference and even hosted a keynote panel with senior executive Booth alumni at Facebook and LinkedIn. Finally, as a career switcher moving into consulting, I spent weeks preparing with over 150+ classmates for recruiting season. It was incredibly laborious, but so rewarding.
This summer I’m working for McKinsey in their Marketing & Sales practice based in my hometown, San Francisco. My family is thrilled to have my back in the city and I’m thrilled to be reshaping my identity still as an international business professional, but also a Boothie, a consultant, and a proud Californian. I’m looking forward to getting back for Chicago autumn, but in the meantime will be pursuing my favorite summertime hobbies, running through our neighborhood, The Presidio, wine tasting in Napa and weekends in Tahoe.
