[MUSIC]
I was a junior, an undergrad, and
there was a senior who was talking
about other deferred enrollment
programs.
And for me, I knew that if I was to
get an MBA, I would only want to do
that at GSB and that was the only
place I saw myself.
And so I went back into the car and
Googled, does Stanford have
a deferred enrollment program?
Saw little paragraph on the website
and just applied.
And I remember telling my parents
and family who don't come from
a business background, what I was
doing, and they were just so
confused about the program and
what I was applying to.
But I'm so thankful that I did that
quick, easy Google search to see if
GSB had it and the experience that
it's provided me.
[MUSIC]
There are a few reasons that really
motivated me to apply for
the deferred enrollment program.
First, I loved college and
being in an academic setting,
being in the classroom,
being around fascinating professors
living on a campus.
And the deferred enrollment program
really allowed me to build that in
into the next chapter of my life.
Second, I had a feeling that I
would want to
take some risks early in my career.
And I also knew how hard and
difficult that would be to wrap my
head around.
But having a place waiting for
me at GSB would make it a little
easier.
And then third,
it was a bit of a why not?
If I didn't get in, I would just
apply again in a couple of years
from now.
So it really seemed like there was
no downside and
it was a no brainer.
[MUSIC]
I really used the deferral
period to explore my interests and
passions and take risks.
I started as a consultant with
McKinsey in their Chicago office.
I serve just retail and consumer
clients, but functionally did work
across the entire business.
So did revenue and
growth work as well as cost work?
I then took some time off from
McKinsey, moved to New York City,
and did a full-time software
engineering boot camp.
I always regretted not studying
computer science in college and
really wanted for
fun to learn how to code.
And so I was able to use that four
months to really go deep and
to learn a new skill.
And then most
recently before coming to GSB,
I started a women's apparel brand
with my co-founder Olivia and
quitting your job, leaping into
entrepreneurship is for sure scary.
But knowing I had a spot at GSB
waiting for
me made it a little less scary.
[MUSIC]
Coming to GSB has really been
incredible.
The sandbox of resources that
are on campus is incredible from
the classmates, to professors,
to courses, it really forces us to
to think about things differently.
And then also geographically I grew
up on the East Coast, spent eight
years in the Midwest and
have always wanted to live
on the West Coast.
And this weather really beats
Chicago winters.
[MUSIC]
So the great thing about GSB is
that we're all really using
these two years to explore what we
want to do next.
I know I want to stay
in the retail consumer space, and
I would love to continue to build
Pareto full time with my co-founder
after graduation.
[MUSIC]
Two pieces of advice, one for
an applicant and one for
a student that's admitted.
For the applicant, apply, just do
it, there's really no reason to not
throw your hat in the ring.
For the student that's accepted,
my biggest piece of advice would be
to take advantage of the deferred
period.
You're given this amazing setup and
opportunity, and there's no better
time to explore your passions,
grow as a person, and
it'll just make you, put you in
a better spot to utilize your MBA
and to gain so much more from it.
[MUSIC]