Fellows of SOM: Anthony Asiegbunam ’27, Inclusive Growth Fellowship

Why did you pursue this fellowship, and what does it mean to you?

Opportunity should never depend on where someone was born or who they know. Much of my education is a testament to people who believe in inclusivity, who see that where you’re from shouldn’t limit your aspirations. Because of that, whenever I enter a new space, I ask myself two questions: How do I leave it better than I found it? And how do I make it easier for others to enter after me?

That’s why I applied for the Inclusive Growth Fellowship. It’s a chance to apply what I learn at SOM to the community around me in a way that honors the generosity that shaped my own path. I want to create opportunities for those often relegated to the periphery during conversations about economic growth. The fellowship also represents an exciting opportunity for me to learn more about the city of New Haven and its people, and to learn with and from remarkable individuals committed to the service of society.

How does your status as a fellow impact the way you engage with your community and contribute to your overall SOM experience?

It would be easy for me to attend SOM without engaging with the city around it: marching back and forth between my little apartment in the East Rock neighborhood and Evans Hall, with maybe the occasional trip downtown or to Wooster Square. The Inclusive Growth Fellowship changes the way I move through both SOM and New Haven, making me much more intentional about how I connect what I learn in class to the world around me.

Through the fellowship, Ahita Pual ’26 and I are picking up from where the previous cohort of fellows left off to build an implementation plan for a New Haven conference center. We’re estimating potential demand by analyzing the existing events landscape and reviewing comparable markets. Using that analysis, we’re developing a financial model and an execution plan that considers projected costs, potential locations, and possible funding pathways.

Now, when we learn about markets, incentives, or externalities in class, I visualize what those ideas look like in relation to affordable housing, small businesses, public spaces, and people’s everyday lives. I consider not only what works, but who it works for. Most importantly, I’ve deepened my relationship with New Haven. I don’t feel like I just attend school here. I feel a responsibility to understand this beautiful city, engage with it meaningfully, and contribute to making it better.

What lessons have you learned that will help you contribute to business and society at SOM and beyond?

During the core course Modeling Managerial Decisions, we spoke extensively about framing, where we take the perspectives of various stakeholders when trying to understand a problem. I often find myself using that framework when thinking about how to accurately evaluate the true projected costs and benefits of the conference center. I’ve found that doing research, gathering numbers, and building models can sometimes make the decision-making process feel overly simplistic. But when you’re sitting in a room with people, and there are faces behind those numbers, you’re forced to have more perspective. That’s a lesson I’ll carry into my career: use the numbers, but always remember to exercise empathy.

What’s one highlight of this experience?

Very easily, the people. I’ve loved working with my teammate Ahita; the rest of my cohort; and the amazing team at City Hall, who pay careful attention to our ideas and recommendations and have been instrumental in helping us build partnerships with important stakeholders. We’ve formed a community, and being a part of it has been a highlight of the experience.

What advice do you have for other students interested in this fellowship?

Come into it with curiosity and humility. Be open and always be ready to put on your “and society” hat.