Dear Students,
April is halfway over but it has already been a whirlwind as there is so much going on. April showers are said to bring May flowers but in S-OP, April has also brought us the Consulting Profession workshop, the Organizational Design workshop, the Psi Chi induction ceremony, the ELDP/OHDCC field trip to West Point, the OHDCC Human Capital Case Competition, the Group Relations Conference, and this week, the SIOP conference. No one can forget that we also experienced an earthquake and an eclipse in April and we celebrated Easter, Eid al-Fitr, and will soon celebrate Passover. Never mind that you all are also immersed in the day-to-day graduate school tasks of studying for exams, writing papers, preparing presentations, reading and more reading, working, and sourcing internships and jobs. I hope, somehow, you are also finding time to eat, sleep, and, maybe even relax? Phew. It's a lot.
I saw a young woman in Lower Manhattan the other day wearing a t-shirt that said, “You are enough.” As I watched her walk jauntily by me, headed determinedly for the D train (in that New York way we do when we are laser-focused on catching our train) boldly proclaiming my worthiness, your worthiness and the worthiness of all of us. I smiled as we passed each other. She smiled back and I felt her generosity of spirit wash over me. I loved that her t-shirt slogan was delivering a kind message to the rest of us rather than declaring the statement in the first person. For a brief moment she and I were in community together, two strangers in a city of eight million people. As she disappeared down the subway stairs and I walked on, headed for the 1 train, I felt myself exhale. You are enough. I am enough. “Facts.” I thought.
As we head into the final stretch of the Spring 2024 semester I want you to know that you, too, are enough. You are more than enough, really. Whatever you are doing or not doing, however much or little you have been able to check off your to-do list, whether your last grade was exceptional or not as exceptional as you hoped, if you have found time to exercise or have instead been super glued to your couch, whether you have landed the internship you wanted or are still deeply engaged in the job hunt, if you are living the dream or just trying to sleep enough hours to have time to dream – you are enough. Just as you are right now, in the midst of the swirl that is April, you are exactly as you should be. I hope you will allow yourselves a deep exhale and believe me when I tell you that you are not behind, you are on the right track, you have made good choices and you will continue to do so. Nothing is so off-kilter that you can’t set right. You are enough. We are so proud of you. We are cheering you on to the finish line of this semester. And, we are here for you. Don’t forget it.
Warmly,
Current Student Profile
Kristen Adams is a second-year S-OP MA student who is graduating in May 2024. A Long Island, NY native, Kristen obtained her bachelor’s degree in finance from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Post-graduation, she worked as an analyst in Morgan Stanley’s Corporate Wealth Management division and in business development at AQR Capital Management. These experiences inspired her to explore the necessary continued focus on culture and people-development initiatives across the finance industry, which motivated her to pursue her MA.
Currently, Kristen works part-time as both an external and internal consultant on a Leadership Advisory team at MarketOnce. She will be joining the team full-time in May. As a consultant, Kristen focuses on leadership development/assessment and change management efforts with Private Equity clients and also mirrors this work internally with leaders and teams at MarketOnce. She received her Hogan Behavioral Assessment certification here.
Kristen is honored and humbled to have served as the TC Chapter President of Psi Chi, International Honor Society in Psychology and is an active member of the Columbia Coaching Club. Kristen was a lifelong athlete; since her competitive athletics career came to a close, she has grown her interest in spirituality/mind/body practices as a reiki practitioner. She also embraces her love for arts and crafts and writing prose. A true homebody, Kristen's favorite pastime is laughing and storytelling over dinner with her close family and friends. Some of Kristen's favorite reads/listens include: Mindfulness Meditations by Jon Kabat-Zinn, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, and The Moral Molecule: How Trust Works by Paul Zak. You can connect with Kristen on LinkedIn here!
Alumni Profile
Kendall Brown holds a B.A. in Psychology from Boston University and is a recent graduate from the S-OP MA Program. During her tenure at TC, Kendall served as Internal Communications Officer for the Black Student Network. Kendall also served on the board of the Organization and Human Development Consulting Club (OHDCC) as a Professional Development Associate during her first year, and as the Director of Alumni Affairs during her final year. She was a member of Psi Chi International Honor Society.
During the summer after her first year at TC, Kendall was a User Experience Intern for Uber's Product Equity Team. With a background in researching burnout, productivity, and collaboration among teams, Kendall expanded her purview during the internship by researching ways to increase accessibility for all riders.
With prior experience implementing DEI initiatives, evaluating organizational culture assessments, and promoting workforce development programming, Kendall is passionate about enhancing work environments and creating equitable opportunities for people of diverse backgrounds. Utilizing this passion, Kendall then served as a Talent Management Intern at Amtrak where she helped strengthen the company’s talent pipeline. Here, she improved succession planning and high potential processes, and developed a framework for managerial coaching conversations.
Upon receiving her M.A., Kendall accepted a position at Uber where she currently works as a full time User Experience Researcher.
Outside of work, Kendall enjoys attending Broadway and off-Broadway productions, listening to podcasts, and traveling in her free time. You can connect with Kendall on LinkedIn here!
Kendall Brown holds a B.A. in Psychology from Boston University and is a recent graduate from the S-OP MA Program. During her tenure at TC, Kendall served as Internal Communications Officer for the Black Student Network. Kendall also served on the board of the Organization and Human Development Consulting Club (OHDCC) as a Professional Development Associate during her first year, and as the Director of Alumni Affairs during her final year. She was a member of Psi Chi International Honor Society.
During the summer after her first year at TC, Kendall was a User Experience Intern for Uber's Product Equity Team. With a background in researching burnout, productivity, and collaboration among teams, Kendall expanded her purview during the internship by researching ways to increase accessibility for all riders.
With prior experience implementing DEI initiatives, evaluating organizational culture assessments, and promoting workforce development programming, Kendall is passionate about enhancing work environments and creating equitable opportunities for people of diverse backgrounds. Utilizing this passion, Kendall then served as a Talent Management Intern at Amtrak where she helped strengthen the company’s talent pipeline. Here, she improved succession planning and high potential processes, and developed a framework for managerial coaching conversations.
Upon receiving her M.A., Kendall accepted a position at Uber where she currently works as a full time User Experience Researcher.
Outside of work, Kendall enjoys attending Broadway and off-Broadway productions, listening to podcasts, and traveling in her free time. You can connect with Kendall on LinkedIn here!
Recommended Readings
The book, Data-Driven DEI by Dr. Randal Pinkett, offers detailed tools and metrics practitioners can leverage to measure, analyze and improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. You can read more about the book and Dr. Pinkett here.
This report from Gartner highlights the 9 future of work trends of 2024. Each of the 9 trends aligns with one of four themes: 1) managing the shift in the employee value proposition, 2) augmenting critical skills for managers, such as conflict resolution, 3) evolving career assumptions, and 4) experimenting with and implementing artificial intelligence.
This video, "Leadership is a kind of love", from Dr. Gianpiero Petriglieri offers a unique perspective on humanizing leadership and how doing so can help us better identify, select, and develop leaders.