Discover the Difference - LGBTQ

Hi there, I think our microphone is working now my name is Jackie auto in associate director at that Upper School of Business in today. We're hosting the discover the difference web and our LGBTQ and just to make sure people can hear us. If you don't mind typing in the chat box your name an where you're joining us from that would be absolutely wonderful just want to make sure that people can hear me.

I'm so feel free to type in your name and where are you joining us from?

And see.

Now you know, she was Terrence Yeah Alright, you can hear us. Find Loop Alright. We have some positive affirmation microphone is working.

Thank you, John from Baltimore. I really appreciate that and anyone else who's listening. I'm glad you're here. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us for this web norm. Today is a moderated chat so please use the chat box to type in any questions that you might have at anytime. I will see them. Not everyone will see them so the host will see them. But feel free to put in any questions at anytime that you might have for our students to answer for you today.

Again, thank you for joining us again my name is Jackie Auto says he tractor. I've been here at pepper for smidge over 7 years on the lead recruiter for LGBTQ candidates and I'm really excited to be here today, sharing the experience of our students and resources for perspective. MBA students whether you identify or you're an ally or just interested in learning more. I'm glad you're here.

The purpose of today's webinars to help you understand the distinct benefits of the Tepper MBA curriculum and diverse community by hearing directly from our students today will be focusing on the experiences of our LGBTQ students and joined today by several 1st and 2nd year. MBA students who are excited to share their experiences and answer your questions. We have some topics to get it started and then we'll do our best to get to as many questions as we can.

Alright moving on thank you. Our students for taking time out of your very full and busy schedules to participate in today's panel. Let's start with a round of introductions, so David if you'd like to start sure my name is David Bars. I'm in the class of 2020. So I'm a second year, MBA student. I came here from Seattle, an prior to coming here to temper I started my career in education, 1st and teach for America and worked in startups for a bit.

And after temper I'll be going to Google Cloud is a senior program manager.

Hi my name is Penny Barnes. I'm in the class of 2021, so that means that I'm a first year MBA.

Uh.

My home town, I'm from Houston. TX and what I plan to do after me. As a big switch from what I was doing before I was a geophysicist in the oil.

And gas industry, after my ambien planning to do some kind of marketing either. Tech marketing or CPG marketing to be determined. However, on my name is Josh Rowan. I'm with the class of 2020. So I'm a second year. Originally from Baltimore, MD heard. There someone on from Baltimore. So yes, pre NBA. I actually was working in technology consulting with Deloitte in Washington, DC. And after my MB MB LB actually came back to DC with Deloitte in the same practice.

OK, I want my name is Cory Fowler. I'm a fresh air NBA as well. I'm actually from Pittsburgh. So if you have any questions about pittsburghers like that. Feel free to spend a check box before my MBA. I was working for a couple of manufacturing companies chemicals and metals specifically doing corporate strategy business strategy work and launching some customer experience programs after Post MBA. It's still questionable but targeting to go into management consulting with the focus on customer experience and just operational transformation of some kind.

Listen, thank you guys for joining us so as I begin this presentation. I just wanted to encourage you to take a moment and think about the dramatic transformation of business, you'd exponential leaps in technology. Think driverless cars. Apple Pay Bitcoin and also consider the amount of data being introduced as as it has increased massively and there's no denying that landscape businesses change and there's one thing that is certain it's going to continue to do so and the temper schools uniquely positioned to take advantage of this opportunity.

And we train our students to lead at the intersection of business and technology.

And it wasn't all that long ago for you, that you were perspective. Students here and thinking about your MBA researching programs to attend can if you if you share some insight and how you believe the focus on leadership and the Analytics. Help Tepper students stand apart and how his temper helped you to enhance these skills.

Sure, I'm happy to get started. This is David. So when I was looking at various MBA programs. One of the things that did really attract me about temper was the focus on leadership and Analytics. And for me. I think one of the things that's really important to consider there is that while the proliferation of data and technology has led to create new insights. You also have to be thinking very critically about the type of data that you're collecting higher going to be utilizing that data and.

You know what are the implications of big data on society and so I think one of the really big values of temporaries that not only are you developing hard skills that will benefit you in your future careers. You're also developing a strong ethical framework for how to think through the problems posed by the use of data in the business world. So I think that's been a really excellent part for me, I think the other pieces that there's so many opportunities to.

Take a leadership role here at temporary really shape your experience and so as a student. I've been able to take on leadership abilities and that was something I saw as being very attractive. When I was looking at various MBA program so I'm the president of the business and Technology Club. In addition to being on the board about an allied which is our LGBTQ organization, so that's another thing that was very attracted to me as well.

Hi this is Penny Barnes I felt like the Analytics.

Curriculum here was very, very attractive to me because coming from a background where I processed a lot of data where I dealt with a very big data. I wanted to continue that and learn how to take that and make business decisions in lead with those business decisions. What I've learned here temper. What has been attractive to me has been everything is focused on making business decisions with the best information available and that's exactly what we do with all of our curriculum is focused around.

Either making big business decisions or teaching you how to be a great leader with that information in mind.

And this is Josh I definitely echo David and penny. I think one of the really amazing things about the way we approach classes, not only from the ethical framework, but also data driven approach. I think is something that we are always focused on and I think another huge benefit that the class provides with your classmates very collaborative and I think for those that maybe don't necessarily come from strong analytical backgrounds. They're able to leverage their help with their classmates there is.

Number of tutors, etc to really kind of equip people with the necessary skill set do well in class and obviously be able to do well at an internship and post MBA as well.

Now I think this Corey. I think everyone said. A lot of things that I believe fully in and I want to provide a specific example. It's on my mind right now of how this actually translates to real life applications so.

Temper had a very exciting. I'm accomplishment last year. They came 2nd and National Deloitte Case competition out of all the Top business schools across the country. They the team from temper competed fiercely and was able to climb. All the way to 2nd out of these really Top tier programs. The direct feedback. They got all along the way was that the strength of their analytical capability their models. They built the financials. They brought in was.

Very advanced compared to the other teams and that was something that propelled them to get to that point.

The outside that the leadership side was.

So the way they were able to translate that analytics and bring a fully formed thought strategy and problem solving skills. These these tough high risk high stress situations was tangible example to me of how temper prepares you to sort of navigate these problems and execute them in Comp Lish amazing goals.

Thank you for sharing that I appreciate that is there anything else that contributed to your decision to choose Tepper for your MBA. No leadership and Analytics? Is definitely echoed in our materials on our website and our webinars today. But there might be some other factors. I just want to know if there's anything else that contributed to your decision to choose Topper.

I'll just I'll add onto a Josh said earlier about the collaboration in the classrooms. I think one of the things that really struck out to me are stuck out to me when I was visiting the school was how collaborative all of the students were, and it's something that just it permeates the culture here and something that you feel. In a big way so whether it's in class getting assistance with assignments if it's through the recruiting process when you're trying to navigate that or even like getting.

It's a period pastor NBA talking to alumni in hearing how they interact with one another. The thing that's very clear about Tepper students and temper. Alumni is that they're very collaborative in the way that they approached thing. So it's a place where you're going to be supported to achieve and do your best.

I want to add specifically why came at why I chose temper is because of the people looking at the people in Josh and David's class that I met before I decided to come here. They were so well connected with each other. They were so supportive of each other so supportive of what they had to accomplish in class with recruiting and everything that I saw myself coming here, an repeating the same thing with my glass and so far. I have not been disappointed.

Yeah, I would say 1 this is Josh one other aspect that I really liked about temper is actually the smaller class size. I think that was something that I really appreciated my internship this summer. When I worked with Google and it was just amazing to see how the Tepper students really already knew each other were hugging each other. But then we're like OK. We know each other. We're going to spend time to go network with other colleagues of ours that are going to be interning and it was just really interesting to see how other schools.

Our students from other schools didn't even know each other necessarily and I think that was something that really stood out to me and really made me appreciate the fact that I had gotten to know who all was going to be joining Google and I had this immediate network that I could reach out to let's really amazing to Maine.

Yeah, I think.

What I would keep thinking about is my time this time last year I was thinking about really 2 categories is first. The decision to actually go to Business School was sort of past that and then it was where and that had much different criteria, then do I go to Business School. So definitely do your due diligence. On that, like dig into like? What you want to do after school. What if this will get you there, but on the like. Why Tepper it's definitely what everyone says the people aspect is get to know some of the current students talks in one on one task.

Challenging questions just get to know them as a person because it definitely is.

Is very important to your success but also you're just?

Ability to take advantage of these opportunities is really finding the community and people that you drive with.

Thank you. We talked about this a little bit. Josh I know you mentioned sort of your internship in your experience at Google and I'm glad you had a wonderful time. Their your classmates and alumni so at temporary the academic experience is a big part of the program. But so is your work with the with the Masters Career Center for your internship and full-time recruiting. I just want to hear from you all of our panelists here about your involvement with the MCC in terms of your job search preparation.

And how they supported you achieving perhaps some of your career goals.

This is David um so I think one of the things that I was thinking about when I came into temper was so I had experience as a teacher to begin with Micah rear and then later it was working in startups and so I had these great experiences that I had in my career, but I was looking to work in a larger tech company and I wasn't sure how to translate those experiences that I had in 2 messages that were going to be meaningful.

To these larger tech companies and that was going to get me noticed, and so one of the things that the MCC really helped me out with was helping to translate these experiences that I had had into meaningful language both in my resume and cover letters. But I think it went beyond that. Part of it was also the alumni network that I was able to connect into through temper was really invaluable for me in my overall like job search both in my internship search and ultimately in my post temporary job search.

So being able to tap into that element at work. The MCC was really able to help me get a start. With that and then once they help me get the ball rolling guide me along the way providing me with some good feedback on how to maximize my interactions with alumni and then as I could have built up my own relationships. I was able to take that and just really want run with it.

I feel like I've gotten this is penny. I feel like I've gotten 2 really strong key features from MCC in my time here. One of 'em is the interview prep like David mentioned and I won't go any my my resume now looks great compared to what it did before hand but the interview prep and helping me get specific insight into what the various companies are interested what they care about has been huge for me in terms of.

Helping me prepare for every interaction and getting the most out of.

Basically, every moment that I have with recruiters to optimize and maximize my chances of success. I feel like the MCC has been instrumental in Mount Yes. This is Josh. I definitely agree completely. I think alumni just being able to be connected with maybe not alumni that aren't always on campus, but having that introduction to that alumni. It was something that I found really valuable with MCC and I would also say one of the things that I really valued in. I think was really shocking for me, but learning new companies with our career tracks so I went to the store.

Let's go for a track I guess.

Last fall and it was a really awesome opportunity. There is a large number of companies that we attended. It was a whirlwind of a trip, but it was super fun. But I honestly found companies that I wasn't necessarily initially going to apply to but having the opportunity to connect with alumni that were present at those companies and really being able to hear what they do, and their experience kind of really transforms my approach for applying to different companies and I think that was another values at the MCC really offers as well.

I'll provide a specific example. This SUV so in the summer before I started. I did the Ramba tracks, which will talk about wrong. But I think a little bit later. I did the consulting in general management track to Chicago amazing experience. One of the best weeks. I had this summer and maybe it was 2 days. I don't know, but either way. The MCC I did not have much interaction with the school yet. I'd accepted but like was not exactly.

In that headspace and.

They helped I reached out and was just like help? What is this for why am I doing it? How can I take advantage of this and Leslie really Leslie whose focus on consulting and strategy within the MCC was tremendously helpful. Just hopped on a call with me. Talk me through what the purpose is what I should be trying to get out of it and that was very personal. To me like where I was in my sort of discovery phase of what I wanted to do with my career.

And was just provide her years of experience and just helped sort through ideas in my head didn't exactly tell me what to think, but told me how to think about it and then that help me get to.

Where I need to be?

We will talk about reaching out in a little bit, but I'm glad that you had that opportunity. I think penny were also at the we want to track as well, or also got to go on 2 tracks, though I didn't go in the one that Corey when John I went on tech tracks on the West coast and seeing some of the tracks that like BMT plans and other clubs and organizations. Those are student left right? That's a leadership opportunity that students have is that right. Yeah, that's correct, yeah, so the trucks that we do in the fall and actually there's also trucks that happened in the spring as well.

So those are put on by students so they receivers support from the MCC to help to garner some initial Contacts, but typically second years, will help to plan the tracks for first years and those are traditions that have been going back for you for years now, so be into these trucks, Silicon Valley in the fall and then to Seattle in the spring. There's consulting tracks in New York, Chicago and Boston. There's a healthcare track. Entrepreneurship track to Austin. I think they also go to Silicon Valley.

Spring marketing went to New York, so there's there's a ton of opportunities and first years can start to plug into that, like very quickly so as speaking from the BMT perspective we actually got first year trek planners to start helping with planning. The track in their 3rd week, so as a really, really fast. Welcome to Jeff but obviously they were supported by second years, who had done a lot of legwork getting things going but.

Again, it's It's you know, I think one of the great things about the experience of temper is that things are so student driven and you can really drive your experience here in a really big way. and I want to add that just because I think it is a very unique thing like talking to my other friends that other schools that the tracks were very unique experience. You learn certain things and not all schools do that. So it's something that I found my value being able to see these companies toxin in their environment and kind of get outside and also it's just fun traveling your friends? Yeah.

Yeah, I'd say one additional plug is that there are also Co visits that we do here in Pittsburgh as well. So there is I think more one time for one visit one Co visit and so that's something that is playing across different clubs as well. So there's definitely in terms of opportunities here in Pittsburgh. We're going to shift gears. A little bit and talk about our diverse community here atop are one of the temper. Schools values is diversity and we know diversity comes in many forms and intersections.

I mean, it Tapper We believe in diverse community creates a richer and more robust learning environment. So our panelists. How do you believe that upper school fosters an inclusive community?

I think I'm probably will just mention again what I was sharing earlier, which is that so many things here at Tepper are driven from the students themselves so there are a number of different organizations here in student clubs, so out in Allied is a club that we were all a part of that's for LGBTQ students analyze but there's a number of other dni organizations here as well. There's the Black Business Association. There's Saba, which is for S Asian business students.

There's the Asian Business Association, so there's a number of different student clubs who's like explicit goal is helping to both provide a safe place for students who come from various backgrounds, but also a place where allies can learn how they can better provide a supportive and inclusive atmosphere, not only here on temper, but also in the business world as well. I think that that's actually. The thing that I've found like like most interesting and really helpful for me is.

Yeah, I'm a white man, I come from a mostly like white area and being able to interact with students who come from all over the world and getting to understand where they're coming from and being able to understand how I can best use the privilege that I have in order to help be supportive of them into like promote them is extremely helpful and it's going to be not valuable. Obviously just my personal life, but also in my professional life as well.

I this is penny and I really value, the diverse community that I have here at Tepper. There are people from all over the world and one of the opportunities that really speaks out to me from what Tepper provides is the accelerate leadership center learning how to be a great ally to my classmates how to understand them just from talking to them is great, but also learning how to internalize that and how to be a great leader for them an?

My future colleagues has been mostly driven it's been mostly self driven based on the resources that are available here. The accelerate leadership center is great for helping me understand what I'm learning from them just telling it and do.

Sort of bite sized digestible pieces, so that I actually learn what I need to learn from my classmates.

This is Josh I think one thing for me that really stood out with pepper was my initial application process to temper and really connecting with Jackie was having that liaison admissions staff member to really kind of feel welcomed and E completely out to new I am with something that I didn't necessarily get across from other schools that I was looking at and that really kind of gave me that sense of comfort when I was feeling included at temper and definitely depends point with accelerate leadership center.

Dave it's playing with the students there's definitely so many different things. I attended a gender intelligence training with accelerate. We had deployed here last week to kick off our inclusion week which is a week long event or events happening now and they talked about unconscious bias. So there's Today is a big emphasis on a global perspective and really learning from my classmates letter from across the world and I think we're really trying to kind of continue to build new events and kind of really strengthen those events going forward too.

Yeah, I think if I were to sum it up in one word for me. It's like inclusion is constant really here. I mean, it's it's something that every week. There's an events that just is more explicit way to have people learn how to be more inclusive. It also just like in classes and listening professors and the way they use pronouns when they're describing particular business case.

There are so many examples that it's honestly hard to pinpoint one that's that defines sort of what inclusive community means of temper. But it's just from the star from admissions onwards, I've just felt.

That's just like the ingrained culture of like who this school is or what it is.

Thank you. Thanks for the child Josh and we're going to shift gears and talk about clubs and now we've sort of addressed. This a little bit already, but clubs provide a rich opportunity for leadership in Grove outside the classroom and many of you are involved in multiple clubs. But let's start talking about Allied and how this club supports our students here and pepper.

Sure, so uh so this is David. I'm on the on the board about now I'd I work mostly with kind of admissions related initiatives and so now it has like several pillars up support for students so part of it is to provide professional support in terms of connections to organizations like reaching out NBA or rumba. We went to the Ramba conference that was in October.

Which is the largest LGBTQ NBA conference in the United States and also we provide a variety of other kind of like professionally connected events. So organizations companies that are looking to recruit and hire LGBTQ students. We've provided space to inlays on with those companies and those students. We also provide like a kind of leadership development, so developing yourself as an inclusive leader.

Understanding what that means understanding what intersectionality means in like why you should care about it and then Lastly is more the social peace, so providing a safe an social place for LGBTQ students and their allies to be able to connect with one another so there's a lot of things we do, there coming out stories which is an excellent event. Let somebody else talk about that. More we have pink party, which is like a kind of a fundraiser for a local.

You charity here in Pittsburgh that we do with the temper women in business club and there's like a just a ton of other social events and business students so of course. We're very social, so I could go on and on and on and I feel like I'm doing that right now, so I'll add it here. There are actually so many points were not going to random things. I want to touch exactly on coming out stories which I think is one of the highlight events that out, now, it does.

And I had the opportunity to basically literally tell my coming out story.

In front of the entire class I don't know how many people were in there, I didn't hundreds. Hundreds hundreds, sweetie. We fill their auditorium and David one of my classmates and myself. We all had the chance to tell.

Our stories and the outpouring of support, I I got surpassed my wildest wildest expectations from my classmates.

It was such a pleasure and such an honor to be around people that had been brought together by out and allied to share something that was so sensitive and personal to me, but it is also fundamental to the way that I relate to my classmates myself and my future career.

This is Josh I definitely coming out story. It was able to share my story first year and it was definitely something for me really feeling vulnerable, but really having a community of support that really helps me. I think Alan Ellade also is you know looking or is involved with the community from the greater CMU community as well. So there is a greater LGBTQ Grad School organization called CMQ plus and that's something that we've partnered with them and have had events with them and we're looking to kind of continue having events were excited for having a social with them.

In November emphasis on social really are very social people, but also with the greater Pittsburgh community as well. I'm really excited this weekend. I am volunteering with myself and other classmates for it's called alternative homecoming with the Carnegie Library, Pittsburgh and it's really awesome opportunity for.

Students that are between the ages of 14 and 18 that don't feel comfortable going to their own coming as who they are the chance to go to this event and be supportive of them and this is something that I hope that out, and ally and temper can really kind of maintain that relationship going forward to really kind of provide that support to the greater Pittsburgh community as well.

That sounds awesome, yeah, it just sounds really cool. I'm pumped the one thing I want to. Add is this Corey. The one thing. I want to add is sort of how early this, this out allied and these sort of.

Clubs get involved with students so I had the Great Opportunity Excuse, Maine.

Got up I had the great opportunity to meet with current students write for diversity weekend or and some of the visits last year when I was.

In this stage and immediately felt like this group people this club. They were very just welcoming supportive answer. My questions very. Honestly, an inviting me to events because I was local in Pittsburgh. I could go to some of their events with them and it was immediate, an immediate inclusivity and just building a community here and that's probably why I'm here today. So I'm glad you're here. Yeah, me too. All of your academics your course works and everything else that you have going on and there's a question that came up from one of our attendees about how much time.

The students realistically contribute to these clubs.

Thoughts this is penny. I'm a first year and it's really up to you. It depends on what your priorities are? How much bandwidth. You actually want to expand on it, the clubs to me are so important that I.

Dedicate a fair amount of time to about 4 clubs and I personally among the Junior Board. The first year board for 2 clubs that are women in business and the net impact club. I think that the leadership opportunities associated with the with the club just by themselves or valuable. But the clubs offer so much opportunity to grow and to network and learn that they are worth?

They're worth the weight of that time in gold so I prioritize them quietly. The truth of matter is that like all business goals of constant balancing act like figuring out what you want to work on what you can and have time for the good and bad of that is the good of that is, you sort of sort through the things you don't maybe don't care about as much and you get to work on things you're really passionate about like really care bout 'cause That's all you have time for the Downsides. You can't do everything so you definitely like there's a constant sort of.

Do I want to be involved with this cloud, but this clouds really interesting. But like this. One is like corner like something like down alley like this is very important, and like something that I really believe in so you make time for that you figure it out.

It is a I think a life lesson when you come to the Business School at figuring out your priorities and acronym because it is hard and can't do everything so you have to make some choices about what you do and when and it might change. As you progress throughout your NBA experience here. I wanted to shift gears. A little bit and talk about reaching out talking about priorities and events, and activities and I'm reaching out is definitely very valuable organization for us in their conference that we send her some students too.

So if you're not familiar with reaching out reaching out some nonprofit organization, with over a dozen unique programs dedicated to educating inspiring and connecting the LGBTQ NBA community to impact change in the workplace and create the next generation of out leaders and notice that you were involved with reaching out so I just wanted to hear what some of the benefits are if we haven't talked about them already that you gain from being part of reaching out.

Hi this is penny. I'm reaching out for me when I was first exploring it was about this time last year. When I was first exploring Business School. I talked to reaching out and got an idea of exactly what schools would be a best fit for me through the process of deciding what school I wanted to go to it became very obvious that Rumble was good at reaching out which we call Ramba was going to be a great resource.

And over the summer I got to go on 2 tracks. I mentioned briefly one of 'em to San Francisco, where actually I got to run into David here at Google and to Seattle both of them seeing great tech companies and learning a lot about what they have to offer. I also had the opportunity to attend a fellowship retreat, which will let Corey talk a little bit about the Ramba Conference itself, which is the highlight of the year.

There were 1800 attendees this year, people that I've met through various events for their second years that I talked to during the recruiting process and tons of corporate partners with Robert where there and it was.

It was possibly the most valuable recruiting event of the year for for LGBT MBAs Rama is incredible. It's got all these tangible results. An tangible opportunities in the community that it offers connecting all of us, creating this huge network of LGBT.

LGBT leaders throughout all of Business School is invaluable.

Oh yeah, I guess I gotta pull there. Yes, I can't honestly speak highly enough about reaching out from like the tracks that penny mentioned the fellowship retreat, which.

Basically, what it was was just an opportunity to get us all together from all the Top business schools that have fellow the fellowship and.

Network interact make friends just learn about each other in their lives and build these lifelong friendships and.

Learn why we're doing that, we learned a lot about learn from McKinsey and BCG did some workshops and just some tangible takeaways, but

Overall, just amazing experience, but I want to sort of step back and really the way I think of Rombas or reaching out is the people signing professional side and both are super.

It impactful and helpful in my life right now, the people side. I've met some of my greatest friends and have friendships. I'll probably last slot rest of my life from that, and just have built that through everything from tracks to just impromptu interactions and the retreats and Rob the conference specifically professionally, though the opportunities were so much more than I expected. Getting to meet companies so early on, and interact with Ron Bellum.

In June, I think that was was tremendously, helpful and helped guide me towards what I wanted to do and then Rambo was the conference was in October, just so just a month ago, or 3 weeks ago that surpassed all expectations on what I thought I was going to get out of it.

And uh being tremendous opportunity in one of the highlights of my year.

I think one additional plug for Rambo that they do to really help the LGBTQ student organizations at different schools as they have a leadership conference in the spring and I had the pleasure to go this past spring with a few we actually brought 4 students. They told us too. But I asked we bring more and there's like sure so a lot of people wanted to go and it's a really good opportunity to learn about what other student organizations are doing after schools and how we can leverage ideas.

And templates and kind of really create this really inclusive environment at all. The business schools that are involved with Robin. I think that's another huge benefit that you get to kind of really strengthen the club, but also be able to build a network from students at other schools and really understand what's happening elsewhere.

Alright well, we're going to shift gears and talk about Pitts Burg now. Corey had lived here before in the NBA and just want to talk about your experiences and transitioning for those who moved here what it was like and how you taking advantage of this city.

I didn't move here awesome, so right so this is David I moved from Seattle and I grew up on the West coast so in Colorado and Washington. So Pittsburgh was very new for me. I never lived this far, E in the country so was feeling apprehensive before I came here. I would say that, like the transition went really well. Part of that was that I just got really busy with school and with clubs in with everything else that was going on so.

Uh I would say in the first few months. I was here. I was just very focused on what was going on. An ad pepper and not as focused on what was going on. Like in Pittsburgh, more broadly. I think as my time, like freed up and I got better prioritizing. I've been able to explore different pockets of the city. More and like 2 things that I really like about this area. The 1st is there's a lot of really great access to the outdoors here that I'm somebody who grew up spending a lot of time in the outdoors in Colorado and Washington while.

The environment here is very different. There's still a lot of really interesting and great like places to explore that are really close by Ohiopyle, which is about now in an hour and a half away is beautiful just beautiful like rivers that you can kayak in in which I did when I first came here and then you can also check out falling water, which is like the really famous Frank Lloyd Wright House that's over there.

The second thing is that the food scene here in Pittsburgh is actually really interesting. There's like a really like there's a lot of like like chefs that are trying new kind of exploratory things and so there's a lot of interesting and cool restaurants. Check out Lawrenceville is an awesome neighborhood. Really, like that neighborhood a lot and then just just around in and around the city. There's a lot of chefs that have moved here because it's cheaper than New York.

Or Chicago or one of the other big cities and they've found a really great environment where they can do some really interesting and fun things with cooking so I can't say enough about the food scene, it's good.

Awesome.

I was thinking about this when David brought it up. I'm still in the phase where I don't spend that much time poking around in Pittsburgh, but one thing I can definitely reiterate is the food scene here is great. There are there's way more variety than I expected. Here, which I'm coming from Houston, which is one of the food capitals of North America. There's plenty of variety to keep happy here and almost all of it is available at very high qualities.

This is Josh I was thinking. You know Friday for example, this past Friday. I was choosing between going to Mean Girls show or going to a concert. I ended up going to the concert. But just the fact that there are a lot of entertainment opportunities. You know that you can attend. There's a lot of big artists that come to Pittsburgh and play and I know there's a big group of people that really like EDM, including myself and we definitely have found a number of artists that come here and I think another really great thing about Pitts Burg is that there.

As being someone who enjoys makes gay bars. There's one in the neighborhood that a lot of people live in and it's just so really great place to have an essentially my back yard essentially and it's a great place to go to it's really fun to bring our class, there and just really have like a really fun great time.

Yeah, I guess I can speak to why I've made Pittsburgh Hemenway stay here, so it really comes out 3 things. The people and the friends I have here culturally. I think you would be so surprised about how much just cultural density. There is whether that's shows to go to museums extreme define made food is culture and way too, so there's a lot of that.

In the 3rd thing really being Linda ability. I mean, it's not a hard city live in. It's not hard to get around. It's not hard to find an apartment that you love. It's not hard to make friends, everyone most people want to talk to you if you want to talk to them.

It's it's an underrated well or all those ratings say Pittsburgh is like Top and everything. But it is underrated from peoples impressions and the gut reaction so.

I think once they visit usually people change their mind. I think people are pleasantly surprised. Yeah, they have to visit and see what we're all about and can be campus. So encourage you to come visit with us. If you can and See and check out, Pittsburgh yourself. I know we're at, I'm here for women are just about running out and there's 1 question that somebody's post. I don't know if somebody can take a quick step this. But just about our community here and we talked about how inclusive it is, but is there ever sense of tokenism.

As an LGBTQ student here at copper do you get a sense of that or is it really you know supportive and inclusive? We talked about?

I would love to respond to that I'm I'm a transgender woman and there aren't many of us in Business School. I do not feel like a token here. I am a part of the community. I feel completely involved completely welcome and, importantly to me, I feel like I fit in I feel like.

I feel like I'm here because I belong here.

Yeah, I would just say that, like whenever I've I've shared some very personal stories about facing discrimination in the workplace and what's really interesting to me about the responses that I've seen for my classmates is that they it's only gotten them more galvanized to understand like? How can we help stop this in the future. I don't think people aren't they don't dismiss it or ignore it, they care about it fairly critically and so.

Yeah, I think I'm glad penny. I'm glad you feel that way too. And yeah, I haven't felt like a?

Like an open here.

Well again, I know that we're kind of at time here. But just wanted to mention we do have some upcoming events where you can learn more about the temper experience from alone. I got just clear center accelerate leadership center will be sending some of these as well, but ever talks will be traveling the country. East Coast West Coast and everywhere. In between so please. If you can attend. One of these events in the sitting area. We'd love to see you. I know where application deadlines are coming up around 2 in Round 3. Later on in the year round.

Or we have some webinars and events to help you prepare your strongest applications to join us for that. There's the NBA journey on line campus visits class visits chats webinars. You can talk to an MBA student ambitious and faster off campus. There's a lot of ways to interact with pepper. Schools would say that an email S MB. A dash admissions at andrew.cmu.edu or give us a call 412-268-5687.

Best of luck to you in your MBA journey again. We appreciate you so much for taking time to listen to this webinar today and I hope to meet you very soon. Thanks so much and thank you. Again, students for joining us today. I really appreciate you because I know it's a very busy week with a lot going on so thank you for being here today, too absolutely looking at.