Kendall Laws ’23

I’ve always been interested in understanding and solving the social and economic problems that shape people’s lives. I struggled with how to integrate this passion with a business career. Yale SOM’s mission of creating leaders for business and society was my solution. Having this view of business, inside and outside the classroom, was key to me. My goal is to one day build a mission-driven fashion organization that can act as an agent of positive change, and SOM was the right place to start.

I knew I needed a holistic management education to gain a comprehensive understanding of how organizations work. The integrated curriculum gives us the tools to examine organizational challenges from all stakeholder perspectives. I’ve developed a much more multi-faceted and cross-functional approach to problem solving. My classes have also given me the empirical and analytical grounding to think critically about problems facing the fashion industry.

The Yale SOM community feels like family. We champion and look out for each other. Last year, a friend on my learning team told me about an independent study with the Yale School of the Environment and Quantis, a sustainability consulting firm. The project ended up being my absolute favorite experience at Yale SOM.

We analyzed fashion brands’ supply chains and conducted a benchmarking analysis of innovative, effective, and scalable solutions implemented by different companies. We chose a diverse peer set to gain insight into the landscape and understand best practices for driving sustainable change. The project aligned perfectly with my interests in fashion’s environmental and social footprint. I would have missed this amazing opportunity without the help of my learning team.