H@H: Ep 16 – Paulina Lee interviews Leigh Ann West, a full-timer in the class of 2021. Leigh Ann talks about her journey from environmental research in the Peruvian Amazon to a 2nd-grade classroom in Atlanta to C-suite meetings as a consultant and grant-maker. Her story demonstrates how education has been a driving force in her life.

Episode Quotes: 

On finding her northstar after changing her undergrad major - “And I think that really started a trend that I've followed through the rest of my life: following people who make me feel passionate and motivated about what I’m doing .”

On why an MBA is valuable - “At the end of the day, when you're at a high level in an organization, it’s about managing people and making decisions about how to allocate finite resources, and that’s training that you get at an MBA.”

On why she got involved - “I wanted to be a voice for people who felt like their needs weren’t being 100% met. And see what we can do to make sure everyone is learning as much as they can in these 2 years.” 

On becoming a leader - “I really believe in doing other things and exploring so that you both become stronger and potentially [develop] new passion areas.”

Recommendation & Resources List:

• Film: Waiting for Superman
• Teach for America
• Schusterman Family Foundation
• Ballerinas: Tiler Peck & Patricia Zhou

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