Aloha Student Voice Readers! My name is Britney Sussman and I'll be moonlighting as an Anderson student blogger while I prepare to join the incoming full-time MBA Class of 2016 at UCLA Anderson this fall. I hope to share some stories, advice, bad jokes, and yet another Anderson perspective with you, but first a little background info:
For the last three years I worked for a business-policy non-profit in Washington, DC, called Business Forward. Its mission is to bring more business leaders into the policy-making process because Washington's lawmakers need to do a better job at listening to business and the business community needs to do a better job at helping Washington on tough votes. I served as the organization's Director of Corporate Member Services, working with over 50 of some of the largest companies in America (think Microsoft, Google, AT&T, Walmart, Target, Visa, Comcast, etc.), who underwrite Business Forward. Each corporate member makes it possible for thousands of business leaders across the country to get involved without having to pay anything. This experience at the nexus of business and policy gave me invaluable exposure to a wide range of policy issues. I became especially interested in workforce issues as I designed many roundtable discussions focused on diversity and inclusion, hiring the long-term unemployed, the skills gap, immigration, and healthcare. While dialog is important, I realized that I wanted to work for a company that moves beyond talk and takes bold action - more specifically in the tech sector, in strategic human capital management. Enter UCLA Anderson as the golden key to my career switch.
You may have noticed that I used the past tense in the previous paragraph about Business Forward (especially if you've been studying the verbal section of the GMAT). I recently left my position there to spend the summer before bschool traveling. I was born and raised on the small island of Kauai, HI, and due to island fever (yes, that's a real thing), I caught the travel bug early on. This summer's itinerary includes Thailand, Laos, Cambodia (I'm writing this from Phenom Penh), Indonesia, and Malaysia. Stay tuned for more from the road. A' hui hou!
One benefit of going back to business school - the opportunity to do some traveling beforehand.. Angkor WHAT?!
