Hi everyone, my name is Ben Rachman (my full name is just Ben!), a member of Booth’s Class of 2022. I’m originally from Highland Park, IL, about 30 minutes north of Chicago along Lake Michigan. I grew up in a very close-knit family of five, and remain lucky to have my immediate family, both sets of grandparents, and a set of first cousins that all live in Highland Park! As you can tell, I am extremely family oriented, but my family has imparted in me a set of values that drive my personal and professional endeavors.
Prior to Booth, I studied Chemical Engineering at Miami University and worked for six years as a Technical Account Manager at a regional Chemical Distributor in Chicago. Outside of work, I am dedicated to a number of philanthropic initiatives, exercise nearly every day, and tirelessly explore Chicago’s culinary and cultural offerings; all of which are enriched through the intertwining of friends and family!
When deciding to go to business school, I was drawn to Booth’s academic rigor, robust Chicago network, and the school’s multidimensional approach to generating freedom of choice throughout the experience. Moreover, even with an entrenched prestigious reputation, Booth is continuing to innovate, expand, and garner momentum. My experience in the first year, while it was not perfect and certainly posed challenges, surpassed all of my expectations on all fronts. It has been incredible to learn academic theories that were birthed at Booth and have influenced the trajectory of our global economy from professors that are in the process of executing comparable research, but simultaneously demonstrate a true passion for teaching. I have also been humbled by the diversity of backgrounds, values, and capabilities of my classmates, honored to pursue our similar and dissimilar interests together. There is a profound energy emitted by this student body. Most notability, it has been a highlight to show my new friends from all over the world what I love about the city of Chicago, exploring it alongside them as if it were the first time; I often have to regroup, remembering that these new friends will also be future business leaders.
This summer, I will be moving to San Francisco to work for a Biotech startup, Geltor, in a strategy and operations role. The first year of business school passed much too quickly. I implore incoming first years to soul search before school about their goals over the two-year period (professional, academic, extracurricular, personal), and to scribe a legitimate list. Talk to fellow first years. Talk to second years. Talk to alumni. The resources in the Booth ecosystem are limitless. When you arrive in Chicago, be open to new experiences, but waste no time executing upon that list. Time will be your only limited resource.
As a Chicago native and lover of food and culture, it would be my pleasure to empower you to explore the city as you please, and to help you call Chicago home.
