Hi everyone! I’m Pallavi, a soon to be second year at Booth. I grew up in a very tight knit family out in the suburbs of Chicago with a strong passion for discovering new music, traveling abroad, and Beyonce.
I’ve always been a fairly decisive person and I knew I wanted to study business at Indiana University and live in New York City right out of college. After graduating from the Kelley School of Business, I followed my love for fashion to work as a merchandise buyer in the best city in the world. Sorry, Chicago.
I spent four years exploring New York, investing half of my paycheck towards live shows and realizing that I actually do like bagels…just only the really good ones. After New York, I decided I was ready to experience some real, fresh air and moved to Seattle when a job opportunity came up. That was when I dipped my toe into the tech world and decided not to turn back.
I knew pretty early on that I was interested in business school and I pretty much had my heart set on Booth. It’s easy to categorize Booth as “the finance school” but I had always known how much more it could offer. The truth is, you can truly do whatever you want from the program because of the community and the genuine pay-it-forward mentality. When I began my MBA application process, every Boothie I reached out to was actually excited to speak with me. I spoke with alumni who had started their own company, ran a division at a top music label, and completely pivoted into the healthcare industry.
My first year at Booth was filled with so many highs. I met incredible people from different walks of life, found a community of strong, unapologetically ambitious women (shoutout to my CWiB co-chairs!), explored, and learned about industries and roles I had never considered before and somehow passed both of my finance classes. That being said, in some of the not so high moments is where I learned the most about myself. I found my resilience, tenacity, and a true belief in my ability to pursue whatever path I choose.
The best piece of advice I can give someone coming into your MBA experience is to say yes to as much as you can. You never know what will spark a new passion in you and these two years are your chance to try anything. Stretch yourself out of your comfort zone and you’ll discover a lot about yourself along this ride.
