Describe the essence of who you are both personally and professionally.

My essence has been shaped by balance. I define balance as embracing new activities and perspectives that challenge me, broaden my worldview, and ultimately allow me to enrich my work environments and communities. Consciously maintaining a balance in all elements of my life has trained me to be versatile and has helped me develop numerous strengths. My team leadership and adaptability skills have grown most under this philosophy.

Balance enabled me to maximize my leadership potential both at Colgate and throughout my career. While I was initially drawn to Colgate for its academic reputation, I made the decision to balance my scholastic pursuits with my passion for team sports by joining the Division I lacrosse team. Although I was not the most physically gifted athlete, I compensated for my lack of innate skill with a dedicated work ethic, uncompromising team loyalty, and strong performance under pressure. A consummate student, my experiences during the first years on the team taught me that the most effective leadership style requires a balance of leading by example and leading by instruction. Recognizing that I was developing these attributes, our coach selected me as captain my senior year. In turn, I helped lead the team to our first Patriot League regular season title.

Subsequently, I have applied the leadership skills developed on the field to my career, where I have led several teams. Most recently, I partnered with the Global Head of a new sales team at AllianceBernstein to execute the strategic direction of the company. In this role, I have collaborated with multiple levels of stakeholders across our global offices to determine that we should shift the firm’s sales strategy from one focused on equity products to one oriented towards alternative investments. Although I am successful in my post-collegiate career, my career alone does not define me. To maintain balance in my life, I am deeply involved in several non-work activities. In particular, I embrace and thrive in a diversity of environments. To maintain ties to the outdoors and fulfill my passion for adventure, I annually climb fourteen-thousand foot mountains in my native state, Colorado. To maintain ties to team sports, I captain a club lacrosse team and race for a cycling team in New York. To maintain ties to the arts community, I supportively patronize emerging artists and am a young member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Finally, to maintain ties to the broader New York community, I actively work with two nonprofit organizations: the Fresh Air Fund and Year-Up.

While my adaptability and team leadership skills will allow me to immediately contribute to the Georgetown MBA program, I believe my perspective on seeking balance is the strength that will enable me to truly enrich the McDonough community. I plan to share my experiences and skills with fellow students while leveraging the full resources of the school to gain not merely a degree, but a holistic educational experience.