Stephanie Kim ’24

In college, I became curious about how policy, public health, and social norms influence health outcomes. This translated into a career with a public health nonprofit that uses a social marketing approach to solving health problems. I saw how public-private partnerships can help expand access, but lack of collaboration too often prevents the delivery of care, especially in underserved communities.

I pursued an MBA to refine my leadership, operational, and finance skills. Yale SOM’s partnership with QuestBridge Graduate School Match Program, which provides MBA scholarships to students from low-income backgrounds, made it possible. Ultimately, I want to help organizations make smart, sustainable, thoughtful business decisions that will enable more communities to gain access to comprehensive healthcare services and products.

Before SOM, I had never formally joined an LGBTQIA+ group in an academic setting, so I was very intentional about participating in the Out of Office club. In my first year, I was part of a student panel discussing our experiences as queer individuals in personal and professional settings. It was the first time my name and picture have ever been publicly advertised alongside a queer event—a personal milestone I achieved in large part due to the encouragement of my new SOM friendships.

This year my classmate Kim Rosa-Perez ’24 and I established the First-Generation, Low-Income Club to support SOM students who are the first in their families to pursue higher education. The club’s a safe space to talk about issues around overcoming financial inaccessibility, building generational wealth, and navigating cultures of extreme wealth and privilege. We also connect students with similar groups across Yale and at other business schools.

Pivoting from the nonprofit global health sector to the domestic healthcare space, I knew little about the traditional recruiting process, especially when it came to private sector companies. I leaned on the Career Development Office and on my classmates who had come from the healthcare industry. I’m incredibly thankful for all the guidance. The CDO offered the structure I needed—the Career Management System portal, résumé and cover letter review, and interview prep. And for industry-specific questions, I turned to members of the Healthcare and Life Sciences Club. Ultimately, I secured multiple internship offers thanks to the community that helped me navigate the emotional and stressful recruitment period.