Chicago Booth is a wonderland for students from different backgrounds. It’s the confluence of different cultural and professional experiences and while the foundation of the school is built on Economics and Finance, it is a place for everyone from a variety of backgrounds to build their own paths after celebrating their two years here. Here’s a view from the top on a few second-year stories, their prior experiences, time at Chicago Booth, and career aspirations after graduating.
Priscilla Atansah
What did you do before joining Chicago Booth?
Before Booth, I spent 6 years pursuing the question of how to deliver reliable and affordable energy infrastructure in Africa. My curiosity led me into a research role at a think tank in Washington DC; a move back home to Ghana to serve as a junior advisor at the Ministry of Finance; and finally, the Global Energy investment team at the International Finance Corporation in D.C.
How has your experience been as an MBA student at Booth?
I applied in Round One, which gave me a lot of time before the first year to explore a different kind of infrastructure—tech and its potential for African economic transformation. A Booth alum introduced me to a family office that invested in early-stage tech businesses, and I have been working with them since the summer of 2021 as a venture investor. In the early months, every pitch I heard sounded investible. Now I’m pickier; the classes at Booth have been excellent for shortening my learning curve (shout out to Professor Weiss’ Accounting for Entrepreneurship and Professor Colonelli’s EMFE!). I am a co-chair for both Booth Africa and AAMBAA and speak to a lot of prospective students. Many have career goals in VC and Entrepreneurship, so it has been really rewarding helping them learn about the blend of resources Booth curates for people breaking into ventures. It makes for an easier sell because I have taken too many entrepreneurship classes!
What are your plans after graduating this year?
I will remain in venture capital, moving up from minority ownership to control strategies. I am exploring specialized fintech funds in the US and will likely be based in New York.
Mathias Gesser
What did you do before joining Chicago Booth?
I earned my Bachelor’s in business administration in 2015 from Washington University in St. Louis. In 2016, I joined as a Special Assistant to the then-mayoral candidate of St. Louis, Lyda Krewson (who became the first woman to serve as mayor of St. Louis). I wanted to find ways to meaningfully engage with constituents, and it was humbling to learn about what citizens cared about, how they engaged with the government, and how they felt let down by the status quo. After that I spent four years in economic and public policy consultancies in Washington DC, using behavioral economics to help government agencies develop new ways of connecting with citizens. In my free time, I worked with the Suicide Prevention Lifeline for nearly two years, helping callers from around the country overcome feelings of depression and loneliness. The experience deeply shaped how I approach all types of relationships in my life as well as my mental health.
How has your experience been as an MBA student at Booth?
I am currently a dual-degree student pursuing the MBA and MPP programs. Coming to the University of Chicago to pursue both my business & public policy degrees has proved an incredible decision. Professionally I’ve had the chance to gain meaningful work experiences in Chicago’s city government, a boutique venture capital firm, and an industry-leading technology firm. Academically I’ve leaned into both hard and soft skill development, bolstering my financial acumen while simultaneously learning how to drive change more effectively within teams and organizations. A lover of music, I’ve also had amazing experiences with my classmates at Chicago’s best music venues littered around the city.
Where will you be heading full-time this year?
After Booth I’ll be joining Microsoft in Seattle, working with their strategy team to identify the next industry-defining growth opportunities. I can’t wait to rejoin my team from the summer and explore every square inch of the Pacific Northwest’s mountains and islands.
Gauri Jaswal
What did you do before joining Chicago Booth?
Before Booth, I worked as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company and Clinton Health Access Initiative. Coming from a family of doctors, my parents were torn between affordability and quality healthcare treatment which should not be the case for an essential good like public health Although, I decided to join a business undergrad degree, I actively sought opportunities to engage with the public health sector in India. This passion motivated me to work at the Government of India’s apex policy think-tank, NITI Aayog, to roll out the country’s first-ever paramedical-training program to up-skill more than 500K professionals in India. At the Clinton Foundation, I was responsible for scaling COVID-19 testing, reducing the positivity rate by >5% at the peak of the pandemic.
How has the experience been as an MBA student at Booth?
This is my second MBA! I did my first MBA from the Indian School of Business and decided to apply for an international MBA because I wanted to expand my knowledge about healthcare delivery in developed markets. My experience has been transformational both personally and professionally. I have gotten the opportunity to learn more about healthcare delivery in developed markets and how to tie public and private partners to advance health outcomes in low and middle-income countries through courses like Global Health and Social Policy and SNVC. Personally, I have been lucky to meet people from all over the world and learn from their experiences which is the real wealth of doing an MBA from a school like Booth
Where will you be heading after graduating this year?
I will be heading to McKinsey and Company post my MBA and aim to focus on their ShaPE practice!
Kate Constantakis
What did you do before joining Chicago Booth?
I graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2015. I knew that I wanted to develop leadership skills early in my career and have the opportunity to have an impact on my community and country and these goals drew me to the Naval Academy. Fast forward six years later, I am at Booth with my husband who graduated last year and was also in the Navy!
How has your experience been as an MBA student at Booth?
I chose Booth because I felt the strongest connection with the students and graduates that I spoke with during the application process. The people were the most important factor in my decision. In addition, I wanted to develop my technical and analytical skills, and I knew Booth’s strong quantitative focus would help me look at problems in a different way. The professors are second to none, and I was very attracted to Booth’s flexible curriculum approach. The “pay-it-forward” culture of Booth reminds me most of my military service. Everyone truly wants you to succeed and accomplish whatever your “mission” is. At Booth, I’ve been surrounded by smart, driven people similar to the people I served with.
Where will you be heading full-time this year?
I am pursuing a career in investment banking post-Booth. I spent my summer at Evercore and will be heading there full-time after completing my MBA.
Yash Jain
How has your experience been as an MBA student at Booth?
I worked in the Indian VC ecosystem before joining Booth. Coming to Booth has been one of the best decisions I have made. The flexibility of the program allowed me to start a VC firm called Sparrow Capital, and continue to work while getting an MBA, even as a full-time student. In addition, I took classes that were important and relevant for me, including those in finance and economics, versus having to go through a prescribed curriculum. The academics here are truly out of the ordinary; I can definitely see how I am more fundamentally oriented now in the way I think about and analyze businesses (startups) for a living. I worked with Professor Scott Meadow very closely in sharpening my startup evaluation techniques from a fundamental lens. Taking classes such as Corporate Finance, Macroeconomics, and Cases in Financial Management, allowed me to reflect on incentive management, capital structure, power of leverage, and understanding economic policies. While it may not necessarily apply to startups right away, it provides me with more toolkits to advise my founders as their idea becomes mature businesses. It gives me immense pride to be associated with an institution known for its cutting-edge business research around the world. I will be using these tools to be a better investor.
What are your plans after graduating this year?
I am moving back to India after graduation to focus on building Sparrow Capital into a globally respected technology investment firm.
