Hannah Steiman MBA ’13 spent part of her childhood on a Vermont commune, worked as a journalist and then at a global nonprofit organization. But an interest in economics eventually drew her to MIT’s Sloan School of Management.
Steiman, who received an MA in journalism from New York University, wrote and edited for Inc. magazine and Forbes.com, but soon realized that reporting was not her true calling. “Newspaper work is very solitary … and I wanted to be in a more active, team environment,” she says. She then became communications manager at the Clinton Global Initiative, a nonpartisan nonprofit started by former president Bill Clinton that brings together global leaders to create positive change and discuss world problems. The organization was “very consensus-driven and collaborative,” she says, and she enjoyed the startup vibe of the five-year-old initiative. While at CGI, she had the opportunity to brief Clinton before events.
Still, Steiman wasn’t fulfilled, and business school beckoned. “The number one reason I wanted to go to business school was that I thought I would like the academic end of it. I had made a career shift into communications, and I knew it wasn’t what I ultimately wanted to do, and I know business school is a good place for career changers,” she says.
One of the many things that appealed to her about MIT Sloan was the prominence of Global Entrepreneurship Lab (G-Lab, 15.389). “MIT is a school that is very engaged in practical real-world education … a big part of the experience here is solving real-world problems,” she notes.
Steiman finds the MIT Sloan community to be supportive. “The atmosphere here is very collaborative, and working with the Core team has been a really great experience,” she says. Steiman plans to be involved in a number of initiatives here, including helping organize the $100K Competition, and she also hopes to start a hiking or outdoor club. An avid cook, she has joined the Happy Belly Club.
She is considering working in the consulting field after graduation, but other opportunities also appeal to Steiman, who says, “I would also love to work for a startup. I’m open to a lot of things.” She has not completely abandoned writing, as she keeps a blog that focuses on personal finance and cooking. —Amy MacMillan
Steiman, who received an MA in journalism from New York University, wrote and edited for Inc. magazine and Forbes.com, but soon realized that reporting was not her true calling. “Newspaper work is very solitary … and I wanted to be in a more active, team environment,” she says. She then became communications manager at the Clinton Global Initiative, a nonpartisan nonprofit started by former president Bill Clinton that brings together global leaders to create positive change and discuss world problems. The organization was “very consensus-driven and collaborative,” she says, and she enjoyed the startup vibe of the five-year-old initiative. While at CGI, she had the opportunity to brief Clinton before events.
Still, Steiman wasn’t fulfilled, and business school beckoned. “The number one reason I wanted to go to business school was that I thought I would like the academic end of it. I had made a career shift into communications, and I knew it wasn’t what I ultimately wanted to do, and I know business school is a good place for career changers,” she says.
One of the many things that appealed to her about MIT Sloan was the prominence of Global Entrepreneurship Lab (G-Lab, 15.389). “MIT is a school that is very engaged in practical real-world education … a big part of the experience here is solving real-world problems,” she notes.
Steiman finds the MIT Sloan community to be supportive. “The atmosphere here is very collaborative, and working with the Core team has been a really great experience,” she says. Steiman plans to be involved in a number of initiatives here, including helping organize the $100K Competition, and she also hopes to start a hiking or outdoor club. An avid cook, she has joined the Happy Belly Club.
She is considering working in the consulting field after graduation, but other opportunities also appeal to Steiman, who says, “I would also love to work for a startup. I’m open to a lot of things.” She has not completely abandoned writing, as she keeps a blog that focuses on personal finance and cooking. —Amy MacMillan
