Free Cornell MBA Essay Samples
“Second-year students have just returned from summer internships where they put in long hours to secure full-time job offers, so there are surely more enjoyable things they could be doing. Nevertheless, they are here in Sage Hall, meeting with us future Investment Banking-hopefuls. It is truly an inspiring experience to be a part of.”
This is part of a conversation I had with a first-year MBA student. Almost all of the students and alumni I spoke with showed a similar excitement about the collaborative learning environment and the opportunities to learn about different cultural norms and gain valuable perspectives from their classmates on solving problems in different ways.
This extraordinarily collaborative tight-knit culture was one of the main drivers in my decision to apply to Johnson. I want to get my MBA in a community I feel I belong to, and in which I can learn from others and vice versa. Working in such an environment would provide me with the opportunity to create a positive impact, and I strongly feel that I can add significant value not only because of my vast professional experiences working in the private and public sectors in 7 countries but also because of my unique life experiences outside of my professional career.
Prospects to engage in some of Johnson’s more than 100 student clubs open up an additional avenue to create impact. While talking with another student, he mentioned how he got involved in the Green Revolving Facility (GRF) and spent weeks analyzing different solutions to improve energy efficiency and cut GHG emissions. Having worked in the Energy sector for the last 6 years with world-renowned veterans, where a key part of my job was to lead energy-efficiency initiatives, I strongly believe that I can bring out-of-the-box ideas to the table as part of GRF club activities. At the same time, this unique opportunity would allow me to practice pitching to investment committees and monitoring investment returns, broadly what I expect to be doing post-MBA for a firm such as Blackstone or Warburg Pincus in the Private Equity sector.
Finally, I believe I have a larger role to play post-graduation in bringing sustainable development to emerging countries. My long-term goal is to bring private capital to the Water sector in Africa and Asia, through a PE fund that will be aimed at providing clean drinking water to people below the poverty line. Sustainability knowledge and experience I gain in various classes at Johnson, such as the Sustainability Global Enterprise Immersion, will help me achieve this goal. I realize that in order to successfully overcome the challenges of entering the PE industry, I must strengthen my professional network, and hence another main driver in my decision to apply to Johnson was the strong and accessible global alumni network. Through my interactions with Johnson alumni, I know that this network will help me connect with industry leaders and lay the foundation for groundbreaking initiatives in the Water sector.
‘Mischief, Prank and smiles’……………
Being the youngest kid in my family, my innocent harmless pranks were loved and adored, making me popular amongst my friends and family
‘From playing badminton at district level to chairing a cultural committee’…………………….
My extracurricular activities formed an essential part of my upbringing. My parents were of the opinion that “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” and hence I was encouraged to participate in as many extracurricular activities as possible.
‘I may be powerless to prevent injustice but there will never be a time when I fail to protest……’
Being raised in a cosmopolitan society I was taken aback by the discriminatory practices that existed in many parts of India, including my undergrad college. The chapter narrates the story of my fight against this discrimination by backing and lobbying for a neutral candidate for the post of general secretary
‘My stepping stone to the business world’………..
From learning management theories to organizing inter-college Business plan competitions, to arranging field trips and gaining lifelong friends – I spent my college years discovering and pursuing my passion for business
‘Treading through difficult waters after Global Meltdown-2009’……………………..
The Global meltdown struck me hard and pushed me further back, but could not break my perseverance. I fought back in a resilient manner and braved all odds to make meaning for myself.
‘Branded as the BLACK SHEEP for following my dreams of starting my own venture’…………..
My decision to start my own venture did not go down well with my family, who wanted me to have a ‘stable job’. My struggles I faced in building my business would prove to be one of the greatest learning opportunities of my life
‘When the GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING’……………..
Broken-hearted from having to shut down mintleaves.com, I decide not to let the situation break my spirit. I know I had to rebuild everything from scratch. So be it….the chapter narrates my journey from small successes to big impactful victories, leading a $468M brand repositioning strategy
‘The day I was criticized I knew I was doing something right’
Entrusted with the responsibility of managing the Marketing Communications department after the sudden departure of my reporting manager, my leadership abilities are put to the test as I work to gain the trust of my team members, many of whom much older and more experienced than me
‘Finally I have a dream Job’…..
After an exhilarating 1 year experience at SCJCB I land a dream job with a technology company
‘Sequel’……….
Start my own product designing consultancy in partnership with my wife and establish a foundation that focuses towards educating underprivileged kids
Dedicated to my parents, wife, and future child
Opening:
Year: 2043
Occasion: At my book publication ceremony
Frame 1
Welcome, everyone.
Let me begin my speech by giving a brief introduction of myself.
Frame 2
My name is ————, and I am the founder of ———–.
I was born and raised in Sri Lanka, lived in India and the US, and am currently living in Kampala, Uganda.
I want to present you with a montage of what you can expect to read about in my book. Let’s get started.
Frame 3: 1988 – 1998: The humble beginning
My family faced many challenges in my childhood. When I was 6 years old, my mother suffered from a severe illness. A few years later, my father’s business enterprise collapsed, pushing us into economic hardship. As a result, I had a lot of struggles growing up and was not a good student in elementary school.
Frame 4: 1999: A life-changing class
Then one day, I met a remarkable teacher who changed my attitude and perspective on life. Thereon, I became a more determined person to face any challenge and embarked on taking many leadership roles in my school. I believe that development achieved through leadership roles immensely helped me become successful in my professional and personal life.
Frame 6: 2007: Getting closer to the community
Upon high school graduation, I joined a foundation aimed at community development in low-income districts in Sri Lanka, which was a turning point in my life. I was fortunate enough to lead some of the foundation’s programs, including setting up a scholarship fund for students from low-income families and had the privilege to interact with people who do not have access to basic social infrastructures such as water and sanitation. These interactions really made me think about my commitment to society. I am still involved with the foundation today, as the Chairman of the board.
Frame 8: 2011: Hosting a live TV show
In 2011, I was selected out of more than 100 staff members to host a weekly live finance TV show on Sri Lanka’s national television channel to build public awareness about capital markets. This live show was sponsored by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Sri Lanka.
Frame 9: 2011: Entrepreneurial spirit
While being a full-time Investment Banker, I took the first step towards my goal of founding my own venture and establishing a polythene recycling facility to help a growing social issue of waste management in Sri Lanka.
2013: Becoming a resource in South Asia and Africa
Upon graduating from university, I joined the XXX Bank Group, where I led financial engineering and structuring projects in the Infrastructure and Water sector in South Asia and Africa. While there, I took a lead role in organizing the World Youth Summit an annual summit in Washington, DC where youth from across the globe pitch their ideas to solve real-life issues and create the vision for the future of education..
2017 – 2019: A Once in a lifetime journey
In 2017, I left the XXX Bank Group to pursue an MBA from Johnson at Cornell University. Spending two years at Cornell was truly a life-changing experience.
2017 – 2019: A Once in a lifetime journey
I was able to make lifelong friends from across the globe, gain an immense amount of knowledge and create a strong global network around me. While at Cornell, I was involved in the BR Venture Fund as an Investment Manager and learned a great deal about investing in start-ups. In addition, I was extensively involved in the Green Revolving Fund as a project lead. Lastly, I was the President of the Asia Business Association. With the help of Johnson’s strong Alumni network, I was able to enter the Private Equity sector.
2019: Becoming a New Yorker
After receiving my MBA from Johnson, I joined the XXX Group, the largest PE firm in the world, as an Associate.
2019: Becoming a New Yorker
Within five years, I was able to become a Director at the company’s Diversified Multi-Strategy Fund, where I led a team of 100 in managing a USD 1 Billion fund invested in the Utilities, Energy, and Healthcare sectors across the US, Europe, and Asia.
2025: A mission in Africa
After spending more than six years in Private Equity, I decided to take up a different role in the Water sector. In 2025, I joined xxx, the largest water company in the world, as a Senior Director, Project Development in Africa, where I was responsible for expanding xxx water operations in Africa and leading the project development division spread over 20 countries in the continent.
2025-2030: Unlocking the continent’s true potential
In my five years at xxx, I was able to expand the company’s footprint in Africa by more than 150%. I led the division’s successful entry into some of the most difficult markets such as Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Guinea. My focus was to invest in financially sustainable projects that can make society better, and I believe I was able to achieve that goal – more than half of the projects I managed received the United Nations ‘Water for Life’ awards.
2030: Clean water to everyone
After spending several years at xxx, I left to start my own PE fund focused on the Water sector. Leveraging the relationships I made while working at xxx, as well as the strong network I built while getting my MBA at Cornell and the Cornell alumni network, I was able to collaborate with some of the largest financial investors and launch the largest Water sector-focused PE fund in Africa.
I hope you enjoyed the montage. To date, my PE fund has raised USD 500 Million. 100% of the committed funds have now been invested in Africa across more than 20 projects.
Much more importantly, last year, investee companies of the fund have dispensed water to more than 5 million people. I am currently working with several key investors, some of whom are good friends of mine that I met during my time at Cornell, to launch a division of Cool Water Fund LLC. in Asia.
Contents
Movie of first half of my life
Scene 1: The beginning
Scene 2: The Patch and the Growth
Scene 3: The foreplay of Climax
Scene 1: The beginning
“58 seconds! Yes, I made it!” one little girl excitedly yelled at the room with a face full of tears.
Narrator：
That was me. I was training on how to cry within one minute, which was one of the requirements of a talent competition to become a hero for a movie. I was 14 years old and had a dream of becoming an influential actress.
Without siblings and growing without friends during childhood because we needed to stay at home during the evenings, the television became my best friend.
In childhood, I was keen on the series of depicting stories of professional careers like policemen, lawyers, and doctors, whose exciting life journey deeply attracted me
I only realized later in life, that the movies do depict and teach us many attributes and beliefs that we later need or use in real life.
For example, having an optimistic attitude. I learned to be optimistic from watching romantic series and used this trait whenever I have difficulties in life. Holding such beliefs and using these attributes helped me both in my campus life in university and later on during my career progress.
Scene 2: The Patch and the Growth
One drop, two drops...
Narrator:
I was a little sad when rejected by the Shanghai Theatre Academy, for not acting in a “touching way” and not fulfilling my potential.
The movie “Pursuit of Happiness” saved me from the depression when I wanted to watch one comedic movie to find back a little laughter, only to find out it was such a sad but inspiring movie. The movie is based on a real-life story and after watching it, I felt no reason to be depressed.
After discussing my future with my parents, I chose to study Finance as my major and regarded acting as my amateur hobby. I participated in the acting club and conducted several dramas on campus.
The most meaningful event during campus life was when I changed my position from active acting to being a director by setting up a wedding studio during college.
Directing a wedding ceremony is like directing a movie and couples need to rehearse several times for the fruit of love and pass this happiness to everyone who blesses them. Coordinating every detail of the wedding ceremony was the perfect gift to contribute to the happiness of couples.
Scene 3: The foreplay of Climax
“Without you, we cannot start to produce the ”, said one man holding the hands of a young lady.
Narrator:
That lady was me. The man approached me because I helped his movie production company, xxx Ltd, get a loan of $2.23 million, which is indispensable for producing. I was so excited that my career could relate to my childhood dream.
xxx asked for the loan service from our bank but was almost rejected because of no positive cash flows. I decided to help it because of my lasting passion to the movie industry.
As a banker, I analyzed the financial data and collected future income contracts to prove its capital ability. I also connected and persuaded one shareholder of Jiabo, which is a famous state-owned funding enterprise, to be a guarantee to manage the risk of the loan.
After offering these substantial evidence and negotiating with the approvers, finally, the loan for the movie was approved. It was a closure for me.
I am so excited that my routine work could dramatically change the destiny of one movie and thus let me know that although I cannot be an actress in a movie, I could be someone who contributes to it.
Besides the fact that the Cornell MBA will provide me with a lifetime wealth of networks and a substantial business and international education, the main reason for me to apply to the Johnson program is that the abundant organizations of Johnson will develop my leadership skills and help me achieve both my short-term and long-term career plans.
My short-term goal is to specialize in the Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) business at an Investment bank such as Citibank or Morgan Stanley. This position, together with my MBA, will serve as the fundamentals to my long-term career plan which is to manage a private equity firm focusing on the movie industry.
I am really looking forward to attending the Johnson’s Parker Center for Investment Research, which involves diverse roles in running a $ 1million fund. I am sure that this experience will help me master how to manage a fund in the real world.
Furthermore, I look forward to helping organize some Women in Investing (WIN) conferences utilizing my project management and event organization skills.
When I am back in China, I would like to utilize this experience to help strengthen many pioneering women who are still facing gender inequality situations. When I become a leader of a private equity fund, I am planning on sponsoring outstanding Chinese women by funding MBA scholarships in which they can elevate themselves, without any consideration of finance or recruitment.
Another valuable experience of Cornell is Johnson Leadership Fellow (JLF), which offers second-year MBA students opportunities to mentor newcomers. Since I have had such an experience coaching 3 junior customer relationship managers after my promotion to Senior Client Manager, I am willing to utilize this experience and try to be a member of JLF, sharing my Johnson journey, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and giving some tips of communication skills which I acquired in the past.
I regard JLF as a course of self-discovery and also a way to repay the community, a belief which I will pass to my fellow students and wish them to benefit their inferiors.
In addition, the unique Johnson Board Fellowship (JBF) and the Women’s Management Council (WMC), provide me with another platform to network and make contributions outside of Johnson. Based on my work traits and strong interpersonal skills, I would propose to help Ithaca women to cope with diverse relations at the workplace, analyzing the situation and sharing my stories from my past about how I coped with conflicts in my organization.
Another plan I have is to establish a student organization of languages on the campus. Last year, students from 38 countries were admitted to Johnson, which means that there is great potential for a club like this.
In this club, besides teaching their native language, students will also share unique cultural attributes with their classmates.
In summary, there are many ways in which I can use the MBA program to benefit others, but also to explore my entire potential. These considerations contribute to my application to Cornell.
Besides the fact that the Cornell MBA will be a lifetime wealth of networks for me, the main reason for me to apply to the Johnson program is that the abundant organizations of Johnson will develop my leadership skills and help me achieve both my short-term and long-term career plans. My short term goal is to specialize in the Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) business at an Investment bank such as Citibank or Morgan Stanley. This position, together with my MBA, will serve as the fundamentals to my long term career plan which is to manage a private equity firm focusing on the movie industry.
I am really looking forward to attending the Johnson’s Parker Center for Investment Research, which involves diverse roles in running a $ 1million fund, will help me master how to manage a fund in the real world. Furthermore, I look forward to helping organize some Women in Investing (WIN) conferences utilizing my project management and event organization skills. When I am back in China, I would like to utilize this experience to help strengthen many pioneering women who are still facing gender inequality situations. When I become a leader of a private equity fund, I am planning on sponsoring outstanding Chinese women by funding MBA scholarships in which they can elevate themselves, without any consideration of finance or recruitment. Another valuable experience of Cornell is Johnson Leadership Fellow (JLF), which offers second-year MBA students opportunities to mentor new comers. Since I have had such an experience, coaching 3 junior customer relationship managers after my promotion to Senior Client Manager, I am willing to utilize this experience and try to be a member of JLF, sharing my Johnson journey, emphasizing the importance of team work and giving some tips of communication skills which I acquired in the past.
I regard JLF as a course of self-discovery and also a way to repay the community, a belief which I will pass to my fellow students and wish them to benefit their inferiors.
In addition, the unique Johnson Board Fellowship (JBF) and the Women’s Management Council (WMC), provides me with another platform to network and make contributions outside of Johnson. Based on my work traits and strong interpersonal skills, I would propose to help Ithaca women to cope with diverse relations at the workplace, analyzing the situation and sharing my stories from my past about how I coped with conflicts in my organization.
Another plan I have is to establish a student organization of languages in campus. Last year, students of 38 countries were admitted to Johnson, which means that there is great potential for a club like this. In this club, besides teaching their native language, students will also share unique cultures attributes with their classmates.
In summary, there are no other graduate programs where I could be not only irrigated of mental value, which I can use to benefit others, but also taught to explore my entire potential. All these considerations contribute to my application to Cornell.
1. Why are you applying to the Johnson Cornell Tech MBA?
As first a medical device product manager and later a company founder, I will need a multidisciplinary approach to penetrate the conservative healthcare environment. The Johnson Cornell Tech MBA’s Product Studio and Startup Studio, led by Prof. David Tisch, will provide that, as I’ll be working with peers from other master’s programs, each offering a different perspective. In no other program will l be able to immediately apply what I’ll be learning in the studio-based courses – especially in ‘Product Management,’ where I’ll learn to develop a product from start to finish. The program’s proximity to the vibrant healthcare scene, including the biomedical research unit at Weill Cornell Medicine, can allow me to network and become acquainted to industry needs. The possibility to take elective courses taught by Prof. Deborah Estrin from the Health Tech Master Program will also allow me to remain within the medical world, while developing my business and technological skills.
2. What technical skills and professional experience do you have that are relevant for this program?
During my university final project, working in a team of 3 to develop a medical treatment application, I acquired research, time management, hardware and software development skills. [Final project picture]
My work at xxx Medical truly exposed me to the medical device industry. Working as an R&D engineer, I planned and performed the tests of the company’s products, introduced one product in an international cardiovascular conference, and participated in both product development and project management. At CathWorks, I have worked on developing products from R&D mode to functioning as user-friendly devices. I trained the medical professionals at hospitals in Israel, the US and Europe, during a FDA clinical trial. These days, I am building and developing the training strategy for our US market sales teams and end-users.
3. How would you uniquely contribute to your class and the greater Johnson and Cornell Tech communities?
I plan to play an active role in organizing the iTrek, which I heard about from Israel Krush (MBA 2018). I will use my network to schedule meetings at local startup companies and plan the leisure activities. As part of the ‘Emerging Market Institute’, I envision contributing by organizing a speaker series with medical device companies.
I’m currently involved in an afterschool program, which teaches Science to elementary school girls. I am passionate about this program since it aims to close one of the gender gaps in our society. I see myself joining the Women in Technology and Entrepreneurships in NY (WiTNY) program, which shares a similar agenda, and where I can help promote women in all professions.
4. What are your short- and long-term career goals after graduation?
”Changing the future of medicine” – these words have come to represent a vision for me – something truly attainable. Over the last four years, I have developed a profound understanding of the medical device world. I have come to know first-hand the workings of the international hospital arena and witnessed the rich contribution that medical device and biotech professionals can make to patients’ lives around the world. These experiences led me to know exactly how I want my future career path to look. Following my MBA, I plan to gain a position as a medical device product manager at a large healthcare company. This will be the first step towards my long-term goal of establishing my own medical device company.
Immediately post-MBA, my goal is to work as a(n) [Role]at [Company] within [Industry].
- Targeted Job Role: Product Manager – Smart Cities
- Target Job Company: Cisco / Verizon
- Industry: Technology / Public Sector Consulting
In 5–10 years post-MBA, my goal is to work as a(n) [Role] at [Company] within [Industry].
- Targeted Job Role: Founder and CEO
- Target Job Company: PPP (Public Private Partnership) Transportation Firm
- Industry: Technology / Public Sector Consulting
As a schoolboy in Pakistan, I regularly took a local bus. On a holy Friday afternoon, a deafening explosion thundered from about 1,000 meters behind my bus. Later, I learned on the news that I had narrowly escaped yet another suicide attack. About 350 people were killed or injured that day. Many of these fatalities could have been avoided had there been infrastructure for timely distribution of intelligence information of a possible terrorist attack, and for a faster and coordinated emergency response.
A few years after this incident I moved to New York for college The mundane deeply impressed me– a sirens-blazing ambulance weaving through grid-lock, an orange alert for a missing child, a text message warning about a gas leak. I started to envision a modern city infrastructure in Pakistan.
Over the next 4 years, I worked with transit agencies, including Massport in Boston, New York MTA, and New Jersey Transit, designing and deploying smart transit management systems including efficient traffic routing, real-time transit information on mobile apps, and integration with state police departments for emergency response. I built technical skills and acquired experience leading engineers and non-technical stakeholders in cities and their transit agencies through large-scale projects. At business school, I plan to systematically learn how new products are conceived across industries and deployed in multi-stakeholder settings. After the MBA, I plan to work as a product manager, defining the roadmap for new smart city technologies and engaging the public sector towards a sustainable future infrastructure.
For me, this road then leads back to Pakistan.
After that suicide attack, my family took a risk and kept me in school; however, UNICEF recently reported that Pakistan has the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school children, one reason being unsafe or poor transportation infrastructure for commuting to schools. I hope to build a firm that works closely with government agencies via public-private partnerships (PPPs) on the next generation of transportation infrastructure. If I’m successful, perhaps the future generations of Pakistan won’t go through the daily ordeal that I survived as a child but many of my fellow citizens could not escape.
I’ve been fortunate to have had several meaningful opportunities to volunteer alongside my career and to see the impact my contributions have brought to the communities I served.
Over the past year, I worked as a career mentor with Pursuit in New York where I steered 6 underprivileged adults towards landing their first tech jobs by training them in software coding and recruiting skills. Not only are such technical skills critical to the economy, but they also make a massive impact on the lives of the individuals who can build careers out of them. I plan on continuing with Pursuit or a similar organization after my MBA.
While at Ithaca, I hope to work with the Community Club to coach young adults. I also wanted to learn how to contribute, with my experiences, at Cornell. Speaking with Connor Henkel (MBA ’20), I learned about the High Tech Club and how it plays an instrumental role in preparing MBA students throughout the recruiting process. Building on my experiences working in the tech industry and at Pursuit, I hope to lead training and mentoring workshops at HTC, during and after my MBA, focused on careers in technology.
Speaking with Serena Elavia (MBA ‘20), I learned about the Johnson Entrepreneurship Club, where I hope to take on a leadership role. By sharing my experiences and technical skills acquired through professional and entrepreneurial work, I could provide a unique perspective to members about building business in collaboration with governments and strengthen their skillsets to effectively evaluate, launch, and grow startup ventures.
Immediately after the Cornell MBA, I plan to bring smart city technologies to transit infrastructure in US cities, and directly impact the lives of their citizens. Looking beyond the next 5 years, I hope to take my expertise to Pakistan, where extremely weak public infrastructure severely holds back its socio-economic development. By setting up a transportation consulting firm focused on large Public Private Partnership (PPP) city infrastructure projects, I will seek to transform public transportation and civic security. I hope my work will greatly improve the standard of living for the average Pakistani.
By becoming a leader in the Johnson Entrepreneurship Club and sharing my experiences and technical skills acquired through professional and entrepreneurial work, I hope to impart unique perspective in fellow members about building business in collaboration with governments and strengthen their skillset to effectively evaluate, launch, and grow the startup ventures.
At age 17, unaware of different international cultures & norms, I left my home country for the first time to pursue undergraduate education in Florida, a bit excited and anxious of what lie ahead. Realizing the challenges I faced during the student orientation week, I plan to lead the orientation efforts with International Student Association to ensure a seamless transition to college for the incoming international students.
Since childhood, the vast majority of dinner conversations have been around the family business and the challenges it has had to overcome over the past several decades. Due to my upbringing, retail and our company’s welfare have always been passions of mine.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company had to close the doors of over 300 stores, and its financial future was uncertain. To overcome this, I led and managed three thousand marketplace sellers. I broke down the built within the business and created spaces to foment effective communication and collaborative work. After implementing a successful team working environment, I empowered them to drive revenue to the marketplace business and reduce over 63% of the operational costs in Q3. Although I have significantly contributed to helping the company have a more stable future, I know there is plenty more to do.
Over the past few years, I have acquired leadership skills and the ability to act towards satisfying the customers’ needs and wants. However, I need to develop critical thinking and a vision to lead interdisciplinary teams to achieve my professional goals. Considering the prestige of faculty and courses that SC Johnson College of Business, I’m confident that I will have a firm foundation to succeed in my professional career.
My short-term goal post-MBA is to work with an international retail company such as Amazon or Walmart in a senior business development manager position to learn new business models and practices from successful global e-commerce. Having such experience will help me achieve my long-term goal of becoming the and applying new strategies and procedures to strengthen the retail business against the increasing online competition. Undertaking such a position will help me achieve my ultimate interest of providing a safe and stable workplace to our employees.
Growing up in my country, sexism was part of my everyday life, and being surrounded by such an environment has always affected me. Still, I only came to grasp the severity of this situation when faced with the statistics regarding sexual violence and femicides within my country. To contextualize the seriousness of the situation, eleven women are killed daily because of their gender; every 2.3 minutes, a woman or girl is raped, and 59.4% of women have suffered violence within their last relationship. I was 20 years old when I came across this data and promised myself that I needed to reduce gender violence within my own country.
I started promoting gender equality by volunteering in schools that provide educate girls in marginalized communities. There, I met a ten-year-old girl who had witnessed gender violence in her home. She shared her desire to escape the cycle of domestic violence and hoped to have a better education than her mother and aspire for better opportunities. As soon as I started working, I used a portion of my monthly salary to support her studies and help her provide a more secure environment for her and her mother. It brings me enormous joy to say that today she is studying at one of the most qualified universities with a 100% scholarship, and her mom has become financially independent to leave behind an abusive husband.
At SC Johnson College of Business, I aspire to join the “Women´s Management Council” and “Johnson Allies for Women,” I can collaborate with my peers to take active steps toward reducing gender violence . By developing a program within my family business to grant over 50k women employees the necessary resources to escape the gender violence, they face daily. Ultimately, I hope these efforts will be the blueprint for other companies to follow by granting equal opportunity to millions of women to live a life free of gender injustice in my country.
