Elizabeth Banes ’23

I believe in equitable, affordable education, and I wanted to build a career that would let me contribute to expanding educational opportunity for everyone. I pursued an MBA to develop the strategic and managerial skills to build that career. When I started looking at programs, Yale SOM stood out. Not only did its mission resonate with me, but SOM alumni also had succeeded in paths that excited me, from running university and foundation endowments to founding education-focused nonprofits and institutions. I really knew SOM was the right place when I read about the opening of The Broad Center. It felt like proof of the school’s commitment to developing leaders across sectors and within the field of education.

As a history major in college, I didn’t have much exposure to quantitative fields like accounting or economics. But I got the chance to explore these disciplines, and to gain greater confidence in my quantitative ability, in Yale SOM’s core curriculum. By teaching business perspectives simultaneously, the core underlines the importance of balancing the views and needs of multiple stakeholders as a manager. I found myself making connections across perspectives, a way of thinking that was not nearly as accessible to me before the core.

Clubs and volunteering opportunities have been wonderful ways to explore professional areas of curiosity—and to make friends and build community. One of my favorite experiences was running a 5K in support of the local nonprofit IRIS—Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services—with many of my classmates. We ran through East Rock Park after several feet of snow had fallen that morning. It was really fun, and very slippery!