A few months back before graduation I got an email from the Columbia Business School administration telling me I’d been selected as one of their candidates to nominate for the Poet’s and Quants 100 Best and Brightest MBAs (2017).
Honestly, I was floored they even wanted to nominate me. Seriously, my MBA journey has never been a walk in the park, but it hasn’t stopped my constant hustle.
…so months passed and there was no word on whether I’d been selected. And in true transparency, I was a weeeee bit bitter. Profiles went up about other students, and I thought the idea of getting included was getting bleak.
When the Poets and Quants 100 Best and Brightest went live, I read the article to see who they did include, and who they ultimately picked from Columbia.
Well you can imagine my surprise when I was reading the article and came across a familiar name…
Like, what the what?!?
I cried, I yelled for my mom (I was home in DC on vacation), then I yelled downstairs to tell my dad.
This recognition couldn’t have come at a more fitting time. I was struggling to acknowledge my accomplishments, because I’m still in the job hunt. I have been so bogged down by where I want to be that I wasn’t taking a moment to appreciate how far I’ve come.
If you want to read the piece, head here.
I’ve come a mighty long way for a girl who’s parents were told to lower their expectations of their child, because she wasn’t as bright as they believed…
XOXO,
MacKenzie
Miss USA to MBA 