Select a Wharton MBA course, co-curricular opportunity or extra-curricular engagement that you are interested in. Tell us why you chose this activity and how it connects to your interests.

As I look to join the active Wharton community, I plan to apply my passion and experience in mentoring to be a Cohort Leadership Fellow (“CLF”). My first mentor, my mother, invested in me and helped me reach my goals. Because of her and subsequent mentors, I’ve cultivated my own mentoring relationships. Through these valuable partnerships, I’ve gained meaningful leadership experience, established lifelong friendships and impacted people’s lives. Serving as a CLF, I hope to expand my capabilities, help others achieve their full potentials and build lasting relationships. During CLF training, I would cultivate my leadership style to be an effective fellow. I’d collaborate with my own learning team to identify areas for personal improvement. I’ll elicit candid feedback from my peers and leadership fellow and execute a personal development plan. Meanwhile, in Citigroup’s leadership training course, I’ll practice group facilitation and conflict mediation. Coupling my development plan with concrete training, I’ll establish a solid leadership foundation that will help extract the best out of others.

With an enhanced tool kit, I’ll enter my second year poised to lead. During the Learning Team Retreat, I’ll welcome all first year students and facilitate exciting and multifaceted interactions. For my team in particular, I’d use the retreat as a unique, bonding experience to build intimate relationships with and among my members. I’d identify both their strengths and weaknesses and craft a personalized curriculum to hone specific skills. I’ll partner with my MGMT 652 faculty member to measure their progress, deliver actionable feedback and promote personal growth throughout their time at Wharton. I’ll make learning memorable and solidify lifelong relationships that bond the Wharton community.

Acting as a CLF would be a natural extension of my previous mentoring experience. I first discovered my passion as Vice President of Delta Beta (DB), a national honor society and the largest student-run organization at Smith. Through mentoring groups of pledges, members and alumni, I learned to lead by example, investing in each of my own pledges and cultivating new leaders in Smith. Two years later, one of my mentees became DB President. Through DB, I realized the power of my personal impact and developed a resolute penchant to continue helping others. I channeled this to my professional experience, where I joined Mentors R US. Leveraging my career skills, I coached low-income individuals to overcome employment barriers and achieve economic self-sufficiency. By delivering difficult, honest feedback, I learned to address conflict head-on, even in uncomfortable situations. As a result of my direct approach and my mentee’s adjustments, she is now enrolled in college and earning her bachelor’s degree. My past experiences shape who I am and what I hope to do within the Wharton community. People and relationships are the foundation of my experiences. Serving as a Cohort Leadership Fellow would be the culmination of my past and potential. Fostering deep relationships, I’d maximize the Wharton experience for my fellow students, esteemed faculty and myself.