What was your plan coming out of college? Did it pan out? If your path differed from your plan, how and why did it change?
I definitely went into college with a plan. In 8th grade, I learned about a year-long volunteer fellowship for college graduates in South Africa. My goal was always to earn this fellowship, and every one of my friends knew this was my plan. When making decisions in college, I always kept this long-term vision in mind, and I am extremely fortunate that I was accepted to this program upon graduation. It was an amazing experience.
How did your first job influence your career path?
My experience as a volunteer in South Africa gave me the ability to think outside the box from a business perspective. While the individual jobs that I held there influenced my career path, it was the experience as a whole that has continued to have an impact on not just my career aspirations, but my life goals as well.
If you have changed jobs, how did you navigate the transition? Which skills were transferable?
After my time in South Africa, I became an Athlete Manager at Roc Nation. These were diametrically opposing experiences. I went from a small non-profit to a big media company, where I had the opportunity to work with some of the most famous people in the world. Fortunately, working at a non-profit really prepares you for anything. So while it was definitely a transition when I joined Roc Nation, I was excited and prepared to take on the work that was assigned to me.
What kind of activities in college best prepared you for post-college life?
At Penn, I was involved in several clubs. However, my leadership experiences in certain organizations were always most important to me. In my opinion, the more leadership experience you get, the better you are able to manage relationships and work collectively with your peers on projects. My experience as the Head RTA for the Wharton Sports Business Academy was instrumental in preparing me for life after college. I was also the Head RTA for the Leadership in the Business World pre-college program at Wharton.
To what extent do you feel that your major influenced your career choice?
I concentrated in Management with an Organizational Strategy specialty. But the great thing about Wharton is that you receive the diverse, foundational knowledge of business. So for me, even though I was a Management concentration, my foundational knowledge in accounting, finance, and marketing also prepared me to enter the business world upon graduation.
What kind of classes do you wish you had taken more of in college?
I took several classes related to sports and urban studies while at Wharton. However, I do wish that I had more flexibility in my schedule to take more courses outside of Wharton.
How did your perspective on careers change from immediately out of college vs. 5 years out?
Even while at Penn, I was frustrated that a lot of my peers felt like they had to have their lives figured out by age 21 or 22. Granted, I knew what I wanted to do post-college from a young age. In my opinion, worrying about your entire career path when you are still in your early 20s and have not even graduated from college yet allows you to fall into the cycle of what other people are doing instead of thinking genuinely about what interests you and what you want to do. Right now, a lot of my friends are not happy at their jobs because they fell into this cycle, and I am starting to see the consequences of these hasty decisions.
What do you realize now was truly unique about Wharton’s experience from talking to others from various universities/walks of life?
The quantity and quality of resources that we have at Wharton is truly unparalleled. We learn about all sorts of disciplines related to the business world in our innovative learning facilities with tech-enabled classrooms and GSRs. In addition, there are so many think tanks and institutions at Wharton to which we all have access. If you choose to take advantage of these resources, there is truly no place like Wharton.
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