Wharton Stories

Bridging the Cultural Divide

Personal experience and selfless family sacrifice led Tsion Bezabih, W’27, to create a nonprofit aimed at helping young people connect.

One morning in my Ethiopian home, when I was seven years old, I was awakened by the sounds of laughter and packing. I quickly got out of bed and saw our luggage piled up on the floor next to my mom. I asked, “Where are we going?” She replied that we were going on a shirshir, which meant “vacation.” My parents would always call anything a shirshir, whether it was a trip to the amusement park in Addis Ababa or a visit to Awasa, a vacation spot in Ethiopia. So I assumed we were taking a short getaway to one of the usual local destinations. When we arrived at the airport, I was confused by my aunt’s and grandmother’s tears. Little did I know I wouldn’t be back for another six years.

During my family’s first year in the United States, I frequently complained about our moving away, which I could see hurt my parents. I had vivid memories of my parents back in Africa, with my dad drawing cartoons and heading the office of a newspaper company while my mom owned an import/export business. All of that changed in the U.S.: My dad worked as a valet attendant and my mom as a custodian. At times they juggled two jobs each to support our new lives here in Philadelphia. Going from an office to jobs like those wasn’t easy for my parents, especially considering they weren’t fluent in English. The hardships they went through helped me see how fortunate I was to have parents willing to make such sacrifices. Their difficult path led me to Penn, and during move-in last fall, I saw another Habesha woman pushing a cart twice her size, and I couldn’t hold back my tears. She reminded me so much of my mother.

My parents’ sacrifice, mixed with the hardships I witnessed in Ethiopia, inspired me to help others — initially, orphans in Ethiopia. After reading my college essay on the topic, my former eighth-grade math teacher and mentor, Larry Kaplan, GED’97, reached out to discuss a similar program he was thinking of developing. We quickly set up a meeting at a Center City cafe to discuss our plans for what would later be known as the Philly Unity Project, or Philly UP.

“Grit and passion not only inspire others but also allow people to truly believe in you and your mission.”

Mr. Kaplan, as I still call him, shares my belief that many of the world’s issues stem from a lack of understanding of other perspectives. To address this, we’ve built three components into Philly UP: an educational program that exposes students to a range of topics and fosters discussions; service projects that give back to the community and build deeper relationships among the students; and travel that allows students to see real-world applications of what they’ve learned about. During Philly UP’s first year, we met weekly to shape the educational curriculum and walked through the Rittenhouse Square area, talking to high-school students and professionals to spread our mission. We ran a pilot of the educational program with an amazing Central High School student, Sophia Cucinotti, discussing race and ethnicity for hours, then held a larger event with more high-schoolers to foster space for comfortable conversation and finding common ground despite differing views.

We sought advice from a range of people in our community, including Wharton professors Peter Fader and Martine Haas, whose feedback we incorporated into the programs. Initially, we wanted to create a more global program, but the financial challenges of international service projects were significant. We decided that starting locally was the best approach, and Philly UP has truly become a community effort.

I also faced personal challenges with my reserved nature as we aimed to get Philly UP off the ground. Mr. Kaplan’s guidance and classes I’ve taken at Wharton have allowed me to articulate my ideas clearly and feel more comfortable meeting strangers. Throughout our walks around Rittenhouse, Mr. Kaplan and I would try to talk to as many people as possible. This allowed us to spread our mission and connect with individuals who were inspired by our idea. As a result, we expanded our network, connecting with more people, including City Council president Kenyatta Johnson, G’00, and were even featured on NBC 10 news and in the Daily Pennsylvanian.

Our goals in the new school year are to fundraise, bring in more board members, and start the first Philly UP cohort by the spring. Recruiting students and talking to high schools in the area about partnerships has already begun. In the long term, our aim is to expand our mission and realize my dream of a global approach, taking students to other countries for service projects and building connections through travel and teamwork.

This experience has taught me that sharing your passions and ideas is essential, since it could lead to something great. Breaking out of your shell, no matter how difficult, is crucial to articulating your ideas. Grit and passion not only inspire others but also allow people to truly believe in you and your mission. Words are powerful, and if you can inspire one person to believe in that mission, it can create a ripple effect — much like the one my parents created for me.

—Tsion Bezabih, W’27 

Originally published as “Bridging the Cultural Divide” in the Fall/Winter 2024 issue of  Wharton Magazine.

Posted: December 3, 2024

Undergraduate Program

Tsion Bezabih, W’27

Image: Courtesy of Tsion Bezabih

Hometown: Philadelphia by way of Ethiopia
Concentrations: Finance and entrepreneurship

Philly Up logo

About Philly Unity Project

The mission of Philly UP is to nurture and inspire teens to break down racial, cultural and religious barriers by building up understanding, empathy and human dignity.

Wharton Stories

Making a Tangible Impact through Snider Consulting

Image: A Snider Consulting team meets with an instructor in Tangen Hall (Photo credit: James Graves)
Through the four-year consulting program at Penn, undergrads get real-time experience with startups almost from the minute they step on campus.

At the end of October, as Locust Walk’s trees hit their peak bloom of red and orange, students were submitting their midterm essays and Esha Pathi, W’25, was getting ready for her team’s midpoint presentation.

“We’ve conducted a ton of interviews with other students and are hoping to share our findings in a clean, synced way to the client,” she explained. “It’s a chance to recalibrate the scope – midpoint is a great sanity check, touching base to see if the client wants you to dive deeper or completely pivot for the final presentation.”

She spoke with the fluency and professionalism of a seasoned consultant while describing how Snider Consulting manages relationships with their clients. To be fair, she is a seasoned consultant. This is her fourth year in Snider, and she currently serves as her team’s engagement manager (EM). As an EM, she oversees her consulting group to ensure they are on track to accomplish their weekly and semester goals.

Snider Consulting is a four-year program in Penn’s Venture Lab that hires Penn student consultants to provide “tailored research, analysis, and execution support to meet clients’ needs.” As a part of Penn’s expanding entrepreneurship opportunities for students, Snider Consulting not only utilizes students’ unique experiences and knowledge but also hires them directly as paid student workers.

The way it works is teams of students work with companies to solve strategic problems for them. The students meet weekly within their teams, with Snider Consulting as a whole, and with their clients to deliver those results.

Jon Potter, Snider’s growth program director, explains how the program has changed over the years: “It’s evolved to the point where the undergrad program is pretty much exclusively focused on Penn startups, from students or faculty, companies coming from the Penn ecosystem.”

They have worked with a variety of clients, ranging from global consulting firms to growth stage startups that have raised eight figures and early-stage clients that have since gone on to raise Series A and B funding from venture capital firms.

Both Esha and Shivani Desai, a fourth-year who is an engagement manager and leading the first-year training program, have felt the impact of working for high-growth Penn enterprises and the accountability of Snider Consulting being a paid, high-responsibility job.

Shivani says that “it’s put a sense of responsibility on me from an early stage, and it was nice to receive formal feedback my first year. I carried myself better at Penn.”

The four-year aspect of the program is especially compelling. The tangible impact that Snider provides to companies is incredibly valuable, and students often report that it has far-reaching implications beyond their first year.

“As much as college is really important, a lot of it is kind of low stakes because you’re only doing things for yourself,” Esha said. “Snider was the first time that I did something for the success of someone else’s company. There’s a lot of additional pressure to execute at 120 percent and that’s the attitude that I’m going to take into the future.”

As Shivani and Esha discussed their progression through the program, they continually mentioned that they gained a sense of tangible confidence that allowed them to carry themselves with more professionalism in the workplace. However, having such early access to Snider Consulting’s network has also allowed them to explore which workplaces to channel this energy towards.

Through their four-year experience in Snider Consulting, students wear a variety of hats. They start out learning by doing—training their financial analysis skills and interfacing with clients and their real-world challenges. As they progress, they begin to take on mentorship roles with the first-years and lead the processes that accomplish real impact for Penn startups.

Shivani declared her concentration in entrepreneurship because of her experiences working with these startups, and through Snider, she gained exposure to Venture Lab as a whole. The summer after her first year, she participated in Venture Lab’s Bet on Entrepreneurship program that connected her with an internship at a venture-capital firm in San Francisco.

When Esha was looking for internships, she “tapped into the Snider network, a really great community of alumni that have gone on to do such incredible things. Everyone in Snider pays it forward.”

However, this focus on “paying it forward” doesn’t stop at the alumni network.

Michael Sarboraria, W’28, C’28 (Photo credit: Weining Ding, W’27)

Michael Sarboraria, a first-year in the Life Sciences and Management program, began his time in the Snider Consulting training program in early October. In high school, he worked on a passion project that produced braces for multiple-sclerosis patients, and he came into Penn looking to gain exposure to life sciences entrepreneurship.

Of his time in the training program so far, he mentions that his biggest takeaway is the willingness of upper-level students like Esha and Shivani to serve as mentors in his professional and personal development.

“The training really starts from the ground up,” he remarked. “The fact that they’re willing to put aside time and actually invest in the younger students in the program is the most positive form of mentorship I’ve had.”

However, the mentorship extends beyond professional into personal. Shivani says that Snider “sets up coffee chats where students can grab a coffee or meal, and the upper-level students get to know them outside of the projects that they do.”

Students also learn the necessary business art of the coffee chat and get to earn that coffee money themselves. Michael has done a few coffee chats and gotten the inside scoop about course selection and life at Penn, but he’s excited to “graduate” the training period.

“I’m looking forward to completing the training program,” he said. “My next step is actually getting involved in the program and trying to make an impact for some of these startups that I’ve been really excited to see passing through.”

—Alex Zhou, C’25, W’25

Posted: December 2, 2024

Undergraduate Program

Esha Pathi, Michael Sarboraria, and Shivani Desai (Photo credit: Weining Ding, W’27)

About Snider Consulting

Snider Consulting is a four-year program where undergraduate students work on semester-long projects. Students must apply for the program as first-years during their first few weeks on campus. After that, there are no further opportunities to join. After formal training and workshops, the paid student consultants meet weekly with their team to deliver recommendations to help clients drive and sustain business growth. The teams are supported by staff with years of experience as professional consultants.

Wharton Stories

Wharton Ranked #1 in Poets & Quants 2024 Executive MBA Ranking

The Wharton MBA Program for Executives was named the top Executive MBA (EMBA) program by Poets & Quants in their 2024 rankings.

“We are incredibly honored to be recognized as the top Executive MBA program by Poets & Quants for 2024. This accolade reflects our commitment to providing unparalleled education and leadership development opportunities to our students. It underscores Wharton’s dedication to excellence and innovation in business education,” said Wharton’s MBA Program for Executives Director of Admissions Barbara Craft.

This prestigious recognition adds to Wharton’s impressive standing in other major rankings, including the top spot in U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 list of U.S. EMBA programs, third place in Fortune | Education’s Best Executive MBA Programs, and a tie for second in the Financial Times’ Global EMBA rankings.

Read more in Poets & Quants.

Posted: November 27, 2024

EMBA Program

Wharton MBA Program for Executives

Credit: The Wharton School

Wharton Stories

Wharton Field Challenge: Empowering Financial Futures

Image: Penn students explain to visiting West Philadelphia high-school students the difference between index funds and their returns. (Photo courtesy of MGMT 3530 TAs)
Third-year Anthony Wright describes taking an Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) course that teaches West Philadelphia middle- and high-school students financial literacy

This semester, I am taking an ABCS course, Management 3530: Wharton Field Challenge: Financial Literacy Community Project, a course that focuses on helping middle- and high-school students in West Philadelphia become financially responsible.

When researching Wharton as a prospective student, I fell in love with the idea that students were granted the opportunity to take ABCS classes and apply the knowledge learned inside the classroom to help West Philadelphia students. MGMT 3530 stood out to me in particular because it focuses on teaching financial literacy to students in underserved communities. As someone who grew up in a low-income community and a household with minimal financial literacy, I often turned to news articles, documentaries, and renowned business professionals to gain financial knowledge and advice. After finding this class, I knew it would be a privilege to share the financial knowledge I have learned at Wharton with these students and help them attain a life of financial freedom.

The class is structured in two main parts: lectures and in-class teaching lessons. On Mondays, Penn students meet to review the key financial literacy concepts we will cover in each week’s lesson plan. Moreover, we learn about the wealth disparities in the West Philadelphia community and how to best combat them. In these lectures, students are equipped with the knowledge and skills to hone their teaching techniques, classroom strategies, and overall basic financial literacy.

On Tuesdays through Fridays, Penn students go into West Philadelphia schools to build one-on-one relationships with middle- and high-school students and teach key financial literacy concepts covered in the lectures. The students are not only taught concepts but are also able to put this knowledge into practice. They have the opportunity to create the beginning stages of their own startups and can implement new skills in their business models. Furthermore, many students often begin investing in safe investments such as mutual funds, the S&P 500, and other high-performing, low-risk investment options, which start their journey to financial freedom and generational wealth.

One of the most surprising experiences I have had so far in this course is how interested these younger students are in learning about financial literacy. Whether it’s learning about ETFs (exchange-traded funds) and mutual funds, investing in stocks, or maintaining higher assets than your liabilities, the West Philadelphia students are so intellectually curious about what we are teaching and are constantly asking us ways they can immediately implement our advice into their lives and their financial wellbeing.

This course has been nothing short of eye-opening. Being able to witness these students’ brilliant ideas and their motivation to create generational wealth for their families has showed me how impactful this class is.

Growing up, I attended a school called Beacon Academy that helps eighth graders from underserved communities in Boston apply to independent boarding schools. This school changed the trajectory of hundreds of students’ lives, including mine. I was able to pursue my dreams of attending a New England boarding school which opened the door for me to attend a school like Wharton. After pursuing a career in finance, I want to return to Beacon Academy to continue the life-changing work they do and provide more students with the opportunity to create a better life for their families and themselves through education.

MGMT 3530 has inspired me to not wait until I am finished pursuing my career in finance to have an impact in underserved communities. Instead, it has shown me that I can have an impact on young students’ lives throughout my career.

For anyone who is on the fence about taking this class, I would highly recommend that they do. It is hard to understand the impact that you can have on students’ lives until you are in the classroom with them and directly interacting with them. For a lot of these students, they have never had the access to such helpful and useful financial advice, and are often so appreciative of the lessons we plan for them. Moreover, this class often gives students the inspiration as well as the confidence to attain a life of financial freedom, generational wealth, and potentially even pursue careers in business or finance.

—Anthony Wright, W’26

Posted: November 25, 2024

Undergraduate Program

Anthony Wright, W’26

Image: Weining Ding, W’27

Hometown: Boston

Concentrations: Finance and Legal Studies

Activities: Wharton Undergraduate Finance & Technology Group (WUFT), Black Wharton Consulting, Black Pre-Law Association, Wharton Ambassadors

About ABCS Courses

The Penn Netter Center for Community Partnerships offers approximately 80 ABCS courses a year, where students and faculty work with West Philadelphia organizations to help solve community problems, including environmental, health, arts, and education issues.

Wharton Stories

Wharton student interns at Common Cents

“As financial landscapes evolve and new economic challenges arise, the role of organizations like Common Cents becomes even more important”

Erin Hong, WH ’26, Tenafly, NJ

Published on November 6, 2024.

This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to intern at Common Cents, a student-run organization at the University of Pennsylvania that doubles as a national nonprofit. Our mission is impactful yet simple: to prepare college students and underserved high school students with the necessary financial skills to achieve independence. The core of Common Cents’ approach lies in its community-oriented structure, where committees collaboratively organize events, workshops, and craft bespoke educational resources tailored to the unique needs of our peers.

The intimate setting of Common Cents, where I knew each team member personally, fostered a warm and supportive environment that was conducive to both personal and professional growth. This familiarity allowed for a free exchange of ideas, making our meetings feel more like brainstorming sessions among friends rather than formal corporate gatherings. It also enabled me to take initiative confidently, knowing that my contributions would be received openly and constructively.

This story is by Erin Hong. Read the full story here.

Posted: November 21, 2024

Undergraduate Program

 

Penn Career Services, Erin Hong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wharton Stories

Tips for Round 2 Applications from the Admissions Director

The Round 2 deadline for Wharton’s MBA Program for Executives is January 14, 2025.

The Round 2 (and final) deadline for Wharton’s MBA Program for Executives is Tuesday, January 14, 2025. It’s crucial to start working on your application early, as crafting a strong submission requires significant time and effort.

This is the top recommendation from Admissions Director Barbara Craft. She advises prospective applicants to plan backwards from the deadline to figure out how much time is needed to secure sponsorship from your employer (their sign off is a required piece of the application). You will also need time to prepare for a standardized test, write compelling essays, complete the online application, gather transcripts, and secure a letter of recommendation from your manager or above.

“You can’t accomplish everything in just a week,” she says. “Begin early by discussing your plans with key people in your life, such as your partner, employer, and children. Their support is essential as you navigate this journey.”

Barbara also encourages visiting the program and engaging with current students. “It’s important to ensure that this program is a good fit for you. Current students can share their experiences in the program and explain the depth and flexibility of the curriculum and the time commitment required.”

If you receive an invitation for a virtual interview, be sure to come prepared. “Candidates should formulate thoughtful questions that relate to their unique circumstances and the Wharton experience. We’re trying to determine if someone is a good fit for this program and if the program is a good fit for them. Our questions aim to uncover how well prepared you are for an MBA, what your future aspirations are, as well as how you will contribute to the Wharton community,” she explains.

Recognizing that this is a significant decision, the admissions team is available to answer your questions and provide all the guidance they can, notes Barbara.

Here is a checklist of what is required to be submitted by the January 14 application deadline. 

If you have questions at any point in the application process, please contact us. We are happy to help and look forward to hearing from you!

-By Meghan Laska

Posted: November 8, 2024

EMBA Program

Wharton MBA Program for Executives

Photo of Wharton's EMBA Admissions Director Barbara Craft
Admissions Director Barbara Craft

 

To learn more about the application process, we invite you to join us for a Virtual Application Workshop on Monday, December 16 from 7:30 – 8:00pm ET. This session is designed to help candidates navigate the admissions process, understand the requirements, and gather tips for a successful application. 

 

Wharton Stories

Navy Vet Insights: What Military Applicants Should Know About Wharton’s EMBA Program

Navy Veteran and Wharton EMBA student Marco Segura, WG’25 aims to inspire and support more veterans in joining the program, by actively sharing his experiences, supporting military applicants, and demonstrating the value of their perspectives in the Wharton community.
Veterans and members of the military comprise more than 10% of the Wharton MBA Program for Executives (EMBA) class. Wharton second-year EMBA student and Navy veteran Marco Segura, WG’25, is one of those passionate to see that number increase.

“It’s a wonderful program and worth it, but like everything else you have to put your left foot in front of your right foot and go all in,” says Marco “Military students bring a lot of value to the program with their unique perspectives and experiences, and I am committed to helping more veterans transition into business.”He knows first-hand about unique experiences. Growing up in Lima, Peru, he dreamed of becoming an American and serving in the military. At age14, he embarked on an undocumented immigration journey to Virginia. Living with his aunt, he learned English in high school and planned a future in construction – until an admissions brochure arrived in the mail from the University of Virginia that ignited his aspirations for a four-year degree.

Marco with his mother in 2021
Marco with his mother in 2021, Photo: Ada Hermoza-Ross and George Ross

“I started to see how school was like magic,” says Marco. “It could unlock opportunities – and this would only happen in the U.S.” His new goal became to do well in school, attend college, and then join the military.
While he did earn his undergraduate degree from UVA, the rest of his plan was delayed due to his immigration status. As he sorted that out, he earned a master’s degree. Finally, after a delay of several years, he was able to join the Navy – but with a hitch. “When you’re a new American, you have to wait for a lengthy background check to be an officer, but I didn’t want to wait any longer to serve, so I enlisted,” Marco explains. With no prior mechanical experience, Marco became a ship mechanic and attended law school at night. “I was the only enlisted person in my Command attending law school night classes, waking up at 4 a.m. for military duties and then spending evenings in school.”

His focus shifted in his last semester when he attended a guest lecture by Wharton alumna and negotiation expert Mori Taheripour, WG’03. “Her talk ignited my interest in business and led me to consider pursuing an MBA at Wharton,” Marco recalls. After attending admissions events and engaging with Wharton’s EMBA program to learn if it would be a good fit, he decided to apply.

Today, he’s a second-year EMBA student at Wharton’s San Francisco campus, a Tillman Scholar, and Senior Assistant Vice President of Corporate & Investment Banking at Wells Fargo’s Confirmations Team. As a leader of the Wharton Veterans Club, he actively encourages fellow veterans to explore the EMBA program by sharing his experiences and how he navigated the admissions process.

Marco with his wife Karolline Segura
Photo: Leonor Hermoza

Marco emphasizes how he made sure to tell his personal story and how he would contribute to the Wharton community. “Approximately 1% of the population in the U.S. serves in the military; we are unique individuals with our own experiences and perspectives that we can bring to the classroom. That kind of diversity brings value to the ecosystem.”

Another important part of his application process, he says, was preparing for the standardized test and knowing when to ask for help. “I thought I was going to apply in Round 1, but I wasn’t happy with my Executive Assessment (EA) score. So, I sought out tutoring to improve my score enough to apply in Round 2,” Marco explains.
Knowing when to ask for help has continued to be crucial throughout his journey. “In my first year, I struggled with some quantitative subjects, but a member of my learning team helped me understand the material. I went to his house every week and we’d work together. Wharton EMBA students are collaborative, and we’re all committed to each other’s success,” he says. The program, he adds, forms a tight-knit community. “It’s an amazing place with a unique student body. My classmates are my inspiration and have become family. That’s why I want to make sure to give back to other military applicants by increasing awareness and supporting them through the process because this is an incredible opportunity.”

– Meghan Laska

Posted: November 4, 2024

EMBA Program

Wharton MBA Program for Executives

Marco Segura, WG’25

Photo Credit: NOSC San Jose

Hometown

Lima, Peru

Major/Program

EMBA student at Wharton’s San Francisco campus

Currently

Navy veteran

 Senior Assistant Vice President of Corporate & Investment Banking at Wells Fargo’s Confirmations Team

Tillman Scholar

Leader of the Wharton Veterans Club

Previous Education

Undergraduate degree University of Virginia, Masters Degree Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, Law Degree Santa Clara University School of Law

Explore Wharton’s EMBA Program

If you are a veteran or military student, we invite you to register for our upcoming Veterans Webinar on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 8:30pm ET to learn more about Wharton’s EMBA program.

If you have questions for Marco, he can be reached at: masegura@wharton.upenn.edu

Wharton Stories

Crayon Politics: Simplifying Complex Policy for Young Voters

Third-year Chuby Madu, along with fellow Wharton students, launched Crayon Politics, a student-run platform dedicated to providing Gen Z with easy-to-understand data to be more informed voters.

What specific experience motivated you to start Crayon Politics?

I started competing in congressional debates in middle school. While competing, one thing I often noticed from researching current events was that social welfare cases that were highly desired by the public were often still shot down in Congress. So, in a way, I have always been aware of a disconnect between politicians’ policy and what constituents want.

Where did the name come from?

The name Crayon Politics stemmed from our site’s goal of portraying political information in a simple, digestible way. When thinking about simplicity, my mind went to elementary school. From there, I started thinking about the different elements of elementary school until I started thinking about crayons. Crayons worked perfectly because they symbolized simplicity while also being multicolored. Politics isn’t just red and blue.

Why did you decide to initially focus on the Israel-Hamas war, climate change, and reproductive rights?

In politics, there are millions of issues. Since the goal of the site is to make politics more digestible, we aimed to unpack three key issues that voters care about. We went about this by interviewing over 200 Penn students on what key issues they thought mattered the most this election and showcased the results on our site.

We plan to expand the scope by continuously changing the topics showcased on the site based on data from our users on what they believe are the biggest issues in our current political climate. We also have a newsletter that will unpack current events and topics across all topics.

How do you avoid oversimplifying complex topics and misinformation?

The goal of our site isn’t to be the final destination for acquiring political information but rather the first step in the right direction. To engage most people in taking that first step, our information has to be simple and digestible. Our goal is to teach people to become data- and fact-driven voters rather than defaulting to their voting biases (for example, race, gender, political affiliation). To assist voters to be more research-driven, we link out debates and governmental resources towards the bottom of our website that users can explore.

We limit bias and misinformation by focusing on candidates’ past actions and current stances through direct quotes. Data that is shown on our site is confirmed information of what a candidate has either said and/or voted on for a particular issue.

How has your time at Penn contributed to your ability to create a product like this?

My time at Penn has opened my eyes to the power I have as an individual. I’ve taken a couple of entrepreneurship courses like Social Entrepreneurship that emphasizes creating with social benefit. That culture and drive to innovate while assisting people is what I brought to this. By going to Penn and taking entrepreneurship courses, exploring Venture Lab, and meeting entrepreneurially minded people, I’ve learned that startups/businesses have the power to make a difference in critical issues.

What are your long-term goals for Crayon Politics?

Our long-term goal is to push people to become more informed voters. By having more informed voters that leads to more informed voting decisions which ultimately puts better people in positions of power, creating better policy. We think young people especially have the power to lead this change, so we are focusing on Gen Z voters.

As we expand, we want to include more Penn writers and students interested in politics. We are considering expanding it as a club where students can volunteer. We’re hoping to onboard writers from other schools by recruiting them from their school newspapers.

—Alex Zhou, W’25, C’25

Posted: October 31, 2024

Undergraduate Program

Chuby Madu, W’26

Image courtesy of Chuby Madu

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Concentrations: Finance and Entrepreneurship

Activities: Joseph Wharton Scholars, Black Wharton, Wharton Undergraduate Private Equity and Venture Capital Club, Successful Transition & Empowerment Program

About Crayon Politics

Mission: To close the gap between political knowledge and civic engagement among Gen Z by making political education accessible, engaging, and relevant to the issues that matter most to our generation.

Website: crayonpolitics.org

Wharton Stories

A Conversation on Mental Health during your MBA

“We work on clarifying core values, realigning with our strengths, and reconnecting with why students originally applied to Wharton. Ultimately, this helps students build confidence around individual recruiting plans.” – Maria Halpern, W’03

As students prepare for the anticipated rigor of the Wharton MBA program, one aspect often overlooked is the profound impact mental health can have on career outcomes—especially during the high-stakes recruitment process. We sat down with Maria Halpern W’03, Well-being Coach from Wharton’s Office of MBA Career Management, to discuss the intersection of well-being and career success. With a unique perspective as a Wharton alum, Maria sheds light on how stress, anxiety, and burnout can affect even the most promising job searches, and how prioritizing mental, emotional, and physical health can empower students to make meaningful career transitions.

Maria Halpern, W’03, Well-Being Coach in the Office of MBA Career Management (Image: Maria Halpern)

MBA Admissions: Can you tell me how you came into your role as a Well-being Coach, and what your goals have been since joining the MBA Career Management team?

Maria Halpern: The importance of well-being is something that is very personal to my own professional journey. When I was a Wharton student (many years ago!), my dream was to be a marketing executive. After graduating, I landed a great job at American Express and was ultimately promoted to Chief of Staff supporting the Head of Global Advertising and Brand Management. I was the epitome of a “successful” Wharton graduate and on the path towards my dream job, but the reality was I didn’t have the tools to help me manage stress and anxiety and I developed many unhealthy coping habits. I also have an autoimmune condition that is triggered by stress, so I was frequently getting sick and began reflecting on whether the corporate environment was the right fit for me. I realized how much I enjoyed helping others thrive in their careers, and that led me to become a career advisor at Wharton and for companies like Shift.org and IDEO where I was also supporting high-impact career transitions. While these roles were rewarding and I had left the corporate world, I was still struggling with anxiety and putting so much pressure on myself to be “perfect” that it took a serious physical toll. That’s when I decided to get educated on how our mental, emotional, and physical health is interconnected, so I became a health & wellness coach, certified through the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching. I was thrilled when Wharton’s MBA Career Management team hired me back as the team’s dedicated well-being coach because as a former career advisor (and student), I knew how valuable this new resource could be. My primary goal is to help students see their well-being as a key aspect of the recruiting process and provide them with the support and tools they need to focus on their mind, body, and authentic self.

MBA Admissions: How do you work with MBA students? What kind of issues can students discuss with you?

Maria: Students can sign up for well-being coaching the same way they sign up for a career advising appointment. These sessions cover a wide range of issues and students will often book several sessions to build some accountability towards the goals we set. Some students schedule time to discuss developing healthy habits around nutrition, movement, and sleep. Others want to think through strategies for managing stress and anxiety or prioritizing time across academics, community-building, and recruiting. Staying motivated, combatting imposter syndrome, and being true to your own sense of self throughout the recruiting process are also common topics.

MBA Admissions: What unique mental health challenges do students struggle with during networking and job recruiting?

Maria: We often liken the recruiting process to an endurance sport because it requires resilience, stamina, and a growth mindset. Students dedicate a lot of time to drafting resumes, networking, applying to jobs, and interviewing and in each of these stages, there will inevitably be some setbacks. Whether it’s not getting selected to interview, not hearing back from an alum you were hoping to connect with, or ultimately not getting an offer from a company you had your heart set on, those feelings can be hard to navigate. There are also marketplace challenges that are out of the student’s control, so it ultimately comes down to understanding what we can control… which is our mindset and the story we tell ourselves. We use research-backed positive psychology exercises and practices to help build resilience and motivation. Recruiting can also feel overwhelming if students are unsure of what direction they want to take or if students feel pressured to pursue a path because they see others doing it (we call this the “herd mentality”). When students pursue opportunities that are not aligned with their own interests, strengths, and values, they experience more stress and may end up in roles that are ultimately not right for them. This is another way well-being coaching can be helpful. We work on clarifying core values, realigning with our strengths, and reconnecting with why students originally applied to Wharton. Ultimately, this helps students build confidence around individual recruiting plans.

MBA Admissions: How can students maintain their mental health as they transition from 2 years in an academic environment back to their career?

Maria: The post-MBA career path is often associated with things like performance reviews and promotions, which places a lot of emphasis on outcomes and results. While I’m all for achieving career goals, when we focus too much on outcomes, we tend to get caught up in worrying about the future or ruminating about the past (i.e. Will I ever make it to the next level? Why didn’t I perform better in that meeting?) and we lose sight of the process itself, which is where all the learning and enjoyment tends to live. So, I’d encourage students to build consistency around a ritual that provides an opportunity to get back to the present and connect with themselves, or with a trusted person or community. Perhaps it’s a standing FaceTime call with a long-distance friend from childhood, or a simple meditation or journaling practice. Ideally, this is something that also helps connect you to the larger whole of life. For me, running in fresh air helps me feel more connected with the world around me and the intense physical activity forces me to stay grounded in the moment!

 

Posted: October 28, 2024

MBA Program

Three people in business attire are engaged in a lively conversation in a sunlit, modern office setting.
Image: Wharton MBA Career Management

Our MBA Career Management team is dedicated to connecting students with a wide range of employers from the Fortune 500 to start-ups. Wharton MBAs are in high demand because they create immediate and sustainable value for corporate, nonprofit, and government organizations around the world.

Wharton’s MBA Career Management team helped 650+ companies make offers to Wharton students. MBA Career Management helps students leverage and build upon previous professional accomplishments and provide personalized support on the journey to achieve internship and full-time success.

Wharton Stories

Write Your Own Story: How the Moelis Advance Access Program Unlocks Opportunity for Students

The Moelis program “gives someone who thought they had to check a box for their business-school application a different opportunity,” says Ken Moelis W80 WG81.

Patricia Tang WG26’s admission to Wharton’s Moelis Advance Access Program changed her career trajectory. Tang, who began her MBA this fall, had planned to follow a traditional path to business school after graduating from Northwestern University: She would spend a few years as a consultant before pursuing her graduate education. But the program, which enables students to defer admission to Wharton’s full-time MBA program while they work for two to four years after college, “motivated me to think about different paths and what I truly wanted to do,” she says.

The Moelis program, which selected its first class in 2018, was established with philanthropic support from Ken Moelis W80 WG81 and Julie Taffet Moelis W81 to offer students a sense of professional license early in their careers. “It gives someone who thought they had to check a box for their business-school application a different opportunity,” Ken Moelis explains. In a sign of quick growth for the program, Tang and other Moelis Fellows — as students in the program are known — make up about one-tenth of the School’s newest full-time MBA class. “Part of the appeal is the assurance that you can do the things you care about. For some, it’s an opportunity to gamble, because they know they have their Wharton acceptance,” says program director Jake Kohler.

Tang’s self-reflection following her admission to the program ultimately led her to transition from a role in consulting to a post at online clothing reseller ThredUp, whose social mission fit with her own ambitions. “I was starting to think about how I could pursue a more impact-focused career in parallel with the fact that I had the MBA in my back pocket,” Tang explains. “The MBA was the push I needed to pursue my passion for sustainability.” Her product-management job at ThredUp also provided foundational on-the-ground experience at an up-and-coming organization, which affirmed for her that she wanted to fund rising businesses herself someday. Now while at Wharton, Tang is also an investor at Virta Ventures, a venture capital firm founded by Russell Sprole WG11 that backs companies working on climate-technology solutions.

Read the full story at Wharton Magazine.

— Braden Kelner

Posted:

MBA Program

Related Content

Read More Stories
Back To Top