Major(s): Data Analysis, International Relations
What is your current role? What was your journey in arriving there?
After deciding I wanted to enter consulting for a challenging, team-oriented, and impactful start to my career, I created Consulting Pathways with a couple other highly motivated former students. Developing and teaching the inaugural cohorts of the Consulting Training Program (CTP) to about 80 students reinforced my choice that consulting was the right early career option for me, and I spent a lot of my senior year huddled in my Fountain house (24) dorm room preparing for and engaging in interviews with firms of different sizes, specializations, and locations. I ended up joining PwC in Boston upon graduating, where I spent 6 months supporting clients through the operational aspects of a couple multi-billion dollar deals. It was in doing this that I realized I was more interested in understanding why these deals occur in the first place, (i.e., the strategy behind them) as opposed to helping carry them out. This led me to join Bain & Company, where I started in Austin in the Private Equity Group. Clients hire my team in order to understand whether it would make strategic sense to buy a company that they are considering.
What do you enjoy about your work? What do you struggle with?
I love how team-focused my job is. I co-locate with my team of ~8 individuals for 3 days a week, typically in Austin, Houston, or Dallas, which allows me to develop at a much higher rate than if I were virtual. Hours can be long sometimes but I sought a challenging career and company that was going to invest in me as much (or more) as I was investing in them, and I’m glad to say I have found that at Bain! Additionally, Bain is incredibly diverse, welcoming, and fun! We have global in-person events, regional Olympic competitions between offices, frequent happy hours/ wine tastings/ cookoffs (maybe just a Texas thing)/ pickleball tournaments. Sometimes, especially starting out, there are learning curves with how fast we move through an engagement. I was lucky to find that the people I work with were always (literally, always) willing to help me get up to speed, answer simple questions, and provide advice to make sure I was developing, learning, and contributing with my time and efforts.
Do you have any advice for students thinking about entering your industry?
Talk to current consultants and other students, go through the CTP, and do your research on what kinds of firms may be the best fit for you!
How did your time at Wesleyan influence your career choice/journey?
My time at Wesleyan was a large influence on my career choice and journey. As a captain of the varsity tennis team, I realized how important it was to me to work in a small, focused team. Through classes, I realized I loved the variety that the open curriculum offered, and I sought a similar variety in the work that I do now (In just 8 months I’ve worked across healthcare, industrials, transportation and logistics, professional services, and overall fund strategy) My time at Wesleyan encouraged me to think outside the box in order to compete with some of the target schools, which led to the creation of a very impactful organization!
Updated as of September 29th, 2023
