Where it all began (in less than 5 minutes)....
I grew up in Rochester, NY in a small, master-planned community. "What's a master-planned community?" Well, I don't think that idea was ever fully flushed out and never came to realize its full potential, but it's a community that provides a family with everything it needs to live - grocery store, drug store, gas station, etc. An interesting concept that made for an even more interesting place to live. And because of this small community, I went to an even smaller high school that provided me with the opportunity to explore every activity - volleyball, track and field, chorus, band, drama, and art. Although I tried it all, I never excelled in anything until I took an Honors English course. There, I realized my natural abilities in writing.
Initially, I pursued a degree in music at the University at Buffalo, but quickly realized that I couldn't envision a career recording at the soundboard. Reevaluating my options, I chose to pursue a B.A. in Communications, rationalizing that this could apply to any career path. I soon found my way onto The Spectrum newspaper staff where I excelled through the rankings of a lowly staff writer to Sr. Editor of Life and Features. I made great friends, took an internship with the UB Communications Office where I tried my hand at life as a "professional" journalist, and slowly built my writing portfolio.
After graduating with a strong academic performance, I was accepted into University of Rochester Simon School of Business in their M.S. in Marketing program. At the time, one-year business programs were very new concepts, and Simon offered one of the firsts and one of the bests. Knowing that my background in journalism would lend itself well to a career in marketing but that I lacked an analytical education, I took classes in marketing research, analytics, statistics, accounting, operations, and even programming.
With a diploma in hand, I did what any new graduate does - I took a month-long trip to explore Europe, absorbing new cultures and meeting new people. But soon enough, I was back in the States and back to reality. I packed my bags and moved to the big city - Boston, MA. With no connections in Boston and no job prospects, I took a job at the Gap folding sweaters and attending networking events at night until I landed my first job in corporate marketing in the financial industry. I learned some hard lessons in that job - but the one that stuck was that who you know means everything, and your success isn't necessarily determined by your performance. It was a company wrought with nepotism, but I put in my time until I could pursue a career in small-business marketing at an education startup where I knew that my passion and qualifications would set me above the rest. I then learned my second hard lesson - money isn't an infinite resource. I was paid a paltry salary on a 3-month contract, but thought that taking a step back might push me two steps forward. And it did. Soon, I was hired to work at a blossoming startup expanding its reach into Boston. I worked harder than I ever had before for 8 months, truly living the startup life. Twelve-hour workdays, seven days a week, feeling completely exhausted and burnt out. I managed a staff of two and an operations team, but I felt drastically under qualified to not only be a manger, but to run a business. So with a third hard lesson in mind - you have to know what you're doing in order to run a business - I started to think about MBA programs. I contacted my alma mater and secured a position in the fall cohort to pursue a MBA in Brand Management and Marketing.
Cramming MBA courses into one year was overwhelming, but I didn’t want to pause too long from my career in Boston. While taking courses and working part-time, I flew through my coursework and excelled in my classes. It seemed easier this time – I knew what to expect, and I knew who to go to for help. This time, people were actually asking me to tutor them in their coursework, and that extra dose of confidence was what I needed to graduate with my third degree.
After a brief pause to take a hiking trip through the Big Island of Hawaii, I moved back to Boston where I took a job at Autodesk to help people imagine, design, and create a better world. And here I reside, hoping to pave the way for more females to pursue jobs in technology, and still dreaming up new travel itineraries in between my runs through Boston.
I grew up in Rochester, NY in a small, master-planned community. "What's a master-planned community?" Well, I don't think that idea was ever fully flushed out and never came to realize its full potential, but it's a community that provides a family with everything it needs to live - grocery store, drug store, gas station, etc. An interesting concept that made for an even more interesting place to live. And because of this small community, I went to an even smaller high school that provided me with the opportunity to explore every activity - volleyball, track and field, chorus, band, drama, and art. Although I tried it all, I never excelled in anything until I took an Honors English course. There, I realized my natural abilities in writing.
Initially, I pursued a degree in music at the University at Buffalo, but quickly realized that I couldn't envision a career recording at the soundboard. Reevaluating my options, I chose to pursue a B.A. in Communications, rationalizing that this could apply to any career path. I soon found my way onto The Spectrum newspaper staff where I excelled through the rankings of a lowly staff writer to Sr. Editor of Life and Features. I made great friends, took an internship with the UB Communications Office where I tried my hand at life as a "professional" journalist, and slowly built my writing portfolio.
After graduating with a strong academic performance, I was accepted into University of Rochester Simon School of Business in their M.S. in Marketing program. At the time, one-year business programs were very new concepts, and Simon offered one of the firsts and one of the bests. Knowing that my background in journalism would lend itself well to a career in marketing but that I lacked an analytical education, I took classes in marketing research, analytics, statistics, accounting, operations, and even programming.
With a diploma in hand, I did what any new graduate does - I took a month-long trip to explore Europe, absorbing new cultures and meeting new people. But soon enough, I was back in the States and back to reality. I packed my bags and moved to the big city - Boston, MA. With no connections in Boston and no job prospects, I took a job at the Gap folding sweaters and attending networking events at night until I landed my first job in corporate marketing in the financial industry. I learned some hard lessons in that job - but the one that stuck was that who you know means everything, and your success isn't necessarily determined by your performance. It was a company wrought with nepotism, but I put in my time until I could pursue a career in small-business marketing at an education startup where I knew that my passion and qualifications would set me above the rest. I then learned my second hard lesson - money isn't an infinite resource. I was paid a paltry salary on a 3-month contract, but thought that taking a step back might push me two steps forward. And it did. Soon, I was hired to work at a blossoming startup expanding its reach into Boston. I worked harder than I ever had before for 8 months, truly living the startup life. Twelve-hour workdays, seven days a week, feeling completely exhausted and burnt out. I managed a staff of two and an operations team, but I felt drastically under qualified to not only be a manger, but to run a business. So with a third hard lesson in mind - you have to know what you're doing in order to run a business - I started to think about MBA programs. I contacted my alma mater and secured a position in the fall cohort to pursue a MBA in Brand Management and Marketing.
Cramming MBA courses into one year was overwhelming, but I didn’t want to pause too long from my career in Boston. While taking courses and working part-time, I flew through my coursework and excelled in my classes. It seemed easier this time – I knew what to expect, and I knew who to go to for help. This time, people were actually asking me to tutor them in their coursework, and that extra dose of confidence was what I needed to graduate with my third degree.
After a brief pause to take a hiking trip through the Big Island of Hawaii, I moved back to Boston where I took a job at Autodesk to help people imagine, design, and create a better world. And here I reside, hoping to pave the way for more females to pursue jobs in technology, and still dreaming up new travel itineraries in between my runs through Boston.