Exploring Meaningful Careers at Social Impact Week

Now in its fourth year, Social Impact Week brought the SOM community together for a week of events and conversations exploring what it means to live out the SOM mission of being a leader for business & society. During the first week of December, the Net Impact Club collaborated with other student groups to organize speaker events, food tastings, clothing and book swaps, and a cross-school social. The theme for the 2024 Social Impact Week was “Pathways to Purpose: Exploring a Life at the Intersection of Business and Society.” This theme sought to build on the 2023 theme of “Earning your Power,” and help students understand the roles we can play in society after we leave SOM, and how we can effectively build a life aligned with our values and personal missions.

The week started off with a great conversation between alum Seth Goldman ’95 and current student Lauren D’Souza ’25. Seth, the founder of Honest Tea, reflected on his journey from launching one brand to rebuilding another, Just Ice Tea; his work on various boards; his founding role at the plant-based meat company PLNT Burger; and building a family. Seth encouraged attendees to be patient when building a career focused on impact, and to lead with values in order to open up more values-aligned opportunities. Attendees shared that he helped broaden their perspective of what integrating impact into a private-sector career might actually look like. After the event, students enjoyed Just Ice Tea along with their lunch!

The next day, we welcomed Mark Watson, co-founder of Potlikker Capital, for a lunchtime conversation on “innovative impact.” Mark perfectly embodied the Social Impact Week theme, and discussed his career path from working in traditional investment banking to running a charitable loan fund that supports BIPOC farmers across the U.S. as they navigate various economic, social, and environmental shocks. Mark offered students actionable steps for how they can use their business education and be strategic to move the needle towards a more just world.

On Tuesday evening, students gathered over dinner for an engaging session on how to develop a giving strategy with Jackie Downing and Sharon Cappetta, two local leaders from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. Jackie and Sharon provided a wealth of actionable ideas on how to engage in community-building work as donors, volunteers, board members, or even future employees of nonprofits addressing some of our world’s most pressing needs. Attendees reflected that learning about topics like donor-advised funds and the coming Great Wealth Transfer was particularly useful!

Wednesday was also a busy day! At lunch, there was a special edition of the weekly Social Impact Lab, which featured a panel of students with a wealth of experience in local, state, and regional government for an insightful and honest conversation on the topic “demystifying local government.” Malik Dent ’26, Peter Waggoner ’26, Emily Harwell ’25, and moderator Caroline Tanbee Smith ’25 (who is currently serving as a New Haven alder) spoke to a packed room. We even ran out of time for questions because there were so many ideas about how to get involved in our communities and create change on a local level. In the afternoon, the Food, Agribusiness, and Beverage club coordinated a themed snack tasting with food and beverages from companies making a positive social impact. That evening, Net Impact collaborated with students from the Jackson School of Global Affairs and School of Public Health for a social event at the local bar Old Heidelberg. With students from all three organizing schools, as well of the School of the Environment, in attendance, it was a wonderful way to connect with like-minded individuals from across Yale who are interested in these exciting topics and have a variety of experiences and viewpoints.

On Thursday, we wrapped up a busy week with a book swap coordinated with the Education Club, and a clothing swap coordinated with the Sustainability Committee and Retail Club coming to a close. During a final lunchtime panel, we were joined by SoVonna Day-Goins, Alex Kasavin, and Sabrina Ling for a panel on “operating at the &,” moderated by Net Impact leader Rebekah Wellons ’26. Students reflected that this panel was one of their favorites, because the panelists offered such a wide variety of perspectives on how to integrate values and impact into both work and life. We discussed how to say no to opportunities that aren’t aligned with personal values, navigate career decisions, own the power we have, understand our positions in different environments, and break down big social challenges into smaller pieces. This conversation was the perfect way to close out a busy Social Impact Week!

Many people are drawn to SOM because of the mission. Every year, Social Impact Week provides space to envision what this mission looks like in practice. Net Impact is so grateful for our speakers and the various clubs that partnered with us to explore these themes and spark exciting conversations about how we can utilize what we are learning at SOM after we graduate. We are also grateful for the support from the Program on Social Enterprise, Innovation, and Impact and the professors and administrators who supported our efforts to make this week possible. See you for Social Impact Week 2025!