Ramya Srinivasan ’26

I’ve spent most of my career in consulting, but my real interest has always been education. I came to SOM because of its “& society” focus and social impact courses like Data Visualization in the Social Sector and Global Social Entrepreneurship. I wanted to hone my business skills and bring them to the social space.

When I was researching MBA programs, something that struck me about SOM was the community. Current students would always make time for me, and they’d immediately connect me to others on similar career paths or people who had taken the courses I was interested in. I felt that sense of camaraderie right away. As an international student moving far from home, this was important to me—I felt like I could belong here.

Coming into SOM, I faced a dilemma: After graduation, should I return to consulting or immediately dive into the education work that is my ultimate goal? Conversations with second-years and international students in both spaces helped me figure out the best choice for me. I realized that while I eventually want to work in education, I don’t want everything in my life—the country and the industry—to be new at once. Over the summer, I interned at McKinsey and was able to learn more about the social-sector work the firm supports.

I’m involved with lots of clubs at SOM, but one of my favorites is Voices. Every Monday, three students get on stage in an auditorium full of people and talk about an aspect of their personal lives. Everyone is so vulnerable and real. I remember attending Voices virtually during Welcome Week and thinking, “This is so cool.” It’s a way to get to know new people and learn more about your friends. It’s not something you’d normally associate with business school, but it’s very SOM. I’m doing one at the end of the year.

The people here made my move from India so much easier. I knew I’d be spending a lot of time with my classmates, but I didn’t realize how close we’d become in such a short time. At SOM, I think everyone finds their people. It’s a smaller class size compared to other business schools, and most of us moved to New Haven from somewhere else. We’re experiencing it all for the first time together, and everyone’s looking out for each other.