CORE STORIES
Showed Leadership
Throughout high school, Model United Nations (MUN) was one of my main extracurriculars and favorite activities. My older brother introduced me to MUN and taught me everything I needed to be successful. I was elected Secretary General (equivalent of President) of my MUN club for my junior and senior years. I had the responsibility of teaching my club members parliamentary procedure, refining their public speaking, debating, and writing skills, and providing any assistance they needed during our conferences. I was a strict but kind leader, and my members knew that they could come to me for absolutely anything, MUN related or not. I ended up becoming extremely close friends with the delegates in the class below me. I got to know them on a personal and professional level, which allowed for me to be a mentor and a friend to them.
​
One experience that really stands out to me was during my sophomore year in MUN, well before I had an official leadership position. We had long bus rides to travel to the conferences, and that was prime prep time. I had already won a couple of MUN awards by that time and had confidence in my abilities. There were four freshman boys who I had never met sitting behind me, and they were freaking out. They didn't think their speeches or speaking skills were strong enough and they didn't understand how conferences truly worked. I turned around and offered to help them. They were nervous to talk to me at first, but then I ended up working with them for the entire 3 hour bus ride. I gave them my phone number so they could reach out during the conference, and they did. Each of the boys won an Honorable Mention, and I was so proud. Over the next 3 years, I became super close friends with them and when I graduated, I knew I was leaving my MUN team in great hands with 4 co-Secretary Generals.
Took Initiative
I grew up playing competitive tennis, and competed on my high school's Girls Varsity Tennis for freshman, sophomore, and junior year (senior year I was elected Captain, but the season was canceled because of COVID-19). Tennis is a very individualized sport, but high school tennis is still very much a team experience. I'm a very vocal player; I love to be loud on the court. Throughout my three years on the team, I was the girl you could always hear, from any court, cheering on my teammates and pumping them up to try their best. My favorite tennis quotes are "you got it" and "right here, right now." I would constantly try to hype up myself and my teammates, so they knew I had their back and was supporting them.
​
I've also suffered many injuries from tennis, so I had an "injury bag." This duffle bag had essentially anything one could need, from bandages to wraps to BioFreeze gel to rollers to KT tape and everything in between. Although it was "Rosie's bag," the girls knew I had them covered if they ever needed anything. During my sophomore year at the state championships, I had a really bad loss. I was heartbroken, gutted, and in physical and emotional pain. Nonetheless, I immediately started cheering on my teammates. One of the girls on my team lost her balance and fell on the ground, hard. Before my coach could even look at me or the girls could call for me, I grabbed that duffle and sprinted to the courtside to give her whatever supplies she might need. I am truly a team player, and when my friends, family, or teammates need me, I will be there as fast as I can.
Worked With a Team
In the Summer of 2019, I had the exceptional opportunity to attend Summer@INSEAD at INSEAD: The Business School for the World. At this program, I was one of 80 students from 29 countries. I had the privilege of living and collaborating with individuals who had very different personal, cultural, religious, and familial backgrounds than me. Most of them spoke 2-3 languages, while English is my first and only language. That program is a huge reason why I'm pursuing business, and I absolutely loved it.
​
A major aspect of Summer@INSEAD was a simulation project. The directors assigned us groups of 5. I was working with individuals from Norway, Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands. We were given the task of acquiring, restructuring, and running a bicycle company, called Maywood Cycles. While daunting, our team succeeded at each step of the project. We generated financial statements, pitched a new marketing strategy, redesigned the organizational structure of the company, and created 5 and 10-year plans. At the end of the program, we had the opportunity to pitch all of our work to INSEAD professors. I'm so proud to say that my team won first place out of 16 teams. I credit our success to our strong communication, collaboration, and creativity skills. It was an incredible three weeks, and I'm still in contact with that group today!
Gave a Presentation
I thoroughly enjoy public speaking. I'm thankful that I grew up performing and doing theater, so I'm very comfortable talking no matter the size of the group in attendance. In high school, I took a Speech Class to work on my speech writing and delivery skills. I believe that exponentially improved my presenting skills, and although I did not want to take that class, I'm so glad I did.
​
One of the things I love about Olin is that most of my business classes have a presentation aspect. Whether it's a group project or an individual presentation, we are encouraged to further develop our presenting skills. In Management Communications, I had the opportunity to present on the three communication models: transmission, interaction, and transaction. A key part of presenting is conducting research and becoming an "expert" on the topic you will be presenting on. I needed to know the models inside and out so I could clearly articulate their unique aspects and examples. After gathering information, I had to organize it in a way that would be effective. I always like to write out my speech so I know exactly what I'm going to say. But hands down, the most important part of preparing for a presentation is practicing. I practice to my friends, family, and myself over and over until its delivery is smooth. Presenting is all about confidence, composure, and preparation. It's nerve-wrecking and challenging, but I find it to be a lot of fun.