TBE BLOGGER
Hometown: Ann Arbor, MI
City before Booth: Colorado Springs, CO
Undergraduate School and Major: West Point, Economics
Last Position before Booth: U.S. Army, Infantry Company Commander
Summer Internship: McKinsey Denver
Current Leadership positions: Leading Random Walk Vietnam
Who are you? I was in the Army for 7 years before Booth, and decided to get out because I wanted to a new and different challenge. Booth has been an incredible place for me to try new things and find what future career options inspire me the most. I hope to share that experience with other career transitioners.
Why did you choose Booth? I knew Booth made sense to me on paper before I applied – I loved the culture of academic curiosity and (truth be told) I’m a bit of an econ nerd. But it wasn’t until my interview that I really felt the pulse of Chicago Booth. I walked away from my interview confident that the fun, warm, and freethinking Booth community was exactly where I needed to be.
Some student groups you’ve been involved with? Shout out to Management Consulting Group (MCG) for being the best professional group at Booth. I don’t think there’s any way I would have landed at McKinsey without their incredible support. As far as fun, nothing in my book beats Wine Club. Those guys do like 4 events per week, I can’t keep up!
Favorite Booth moment or “Booth experience” and why? This is going to sound weird… but I really liked consulting interview weeks. You could cut the nervous tension in the air with a knife; see it in each other’s eyes. But you also saw our community come together to support your friends. Everybody was dealing with stress and at least some bad news, and you really saw the bonds of the first half-year show up to make each other stronger.
Favorite class/professor? “Negotiations” with Professor Linda Ginzel. I use a lesson from this class on an almost daily basis. HINT: it’s about a lot more than negotiating.
Your Chicago neighborhood and what you like about it?Streeterville. I like it because I love having a view of Lake Michigan, and it’s close enough to the loop without being in the epicenter of MPP. It’s also easy to walk to all of our favorite spots in River North.
Favorite thing to do in Chicago? Biking down the lakefront trail from the loop to class in Hyde Park. No better way to clear your head before and after class.
Favorite/most used app on your phone? Pandora, definitely. I’ve got music going about 75% of the hours I’m awake.
Why did you want to join The Booth Experience team? I wanted to join TBE because I think it’s hard to understand what it actually looks and feels like to be getting a Booth MBA as a student until you’re out there doing it. This is my effort to help future Boothies be a little more comfortable with what life is like here and what they can expect if they join our ranks.