Dec 03, 2014

TuckTalks: Many Students, Many Paths to Tuck

By Jane Shiverick T’15, Tuck Bridge ’08

Jane grew up in Bronxville, NY. She graduated from Trinity College in 2008 with a double major in psychology and Italian studies. Before Tuck, she worked in New York City in wine import and distribution.

We arrive at Tuck with myriad stories to share. As a global community, we arrive at the same place from different paths. One of the special things about living and studying in this tight-knit community is the many opportunities we have to connect with each other and share our stories. A TuckTalks event this month debuted a forum for sharing the many fascinating stories we carry with us at Tuck. The brainchild of three students, this inaugural TuckTalks was a packed Raether Hall fireside gathering on a weeknight to listen to classmates and faculty share their stories.

As Matt Slaughter—associate dean for faculty and the Signal Companies’ Professor of Management—reminded us before the talks kicked off, great leaders have the confidence to share tales of their personal journeys and use them to inspire others. The talks that followed were nothing short of inspirational—they taught me something new about each speaker, and the evening helped to further strengthen the bonds that make the Tuck community so rich.

Here are some highlights from the stories shared:

• Lessons learned in meeting the challenges of serving a diverse set of client and shareholder needs while working at a nonprofit serving a low-income area in DC, and the importance of breaking outside of one’s comfort zone.
• Putting corporate finance skills from the first-year curriculum to use over the summer on a renewable energy internship project.
• The personal interactions that inspired a student from Mexico City to commit himself to helping Mexico achieve economic prosperity and stability.
• The importance of encouraging those around you who are working hard to accomplish something they care about—a few words of encouragement is a small investment of your energy that can have a meaningful, everlasting impact. This came from a first-year student who toured the globe with his rock band prior to Tuck, and was deeply inspired by the encouragement he received from early fans as the band was starting out.
• Our active and adventurous accounting professor shared with us her bucket list, and emphasized the importance of living deliberately. This is a valuable reminder as we know how easy it is to get caught up in the fast-paced life of school, recruiting, work, and other responsibilities.
• Speaking of living deliberately, an artist-turned-IT-consultant shared his journey and his ambition to pursue his true passion for painting.
• The incredible obstacles overcome by a student from Brazil who made his way to Tuck by opening one door at a time, carrying with him an unyielding dedication to his dreams to go to university, and ultimately attend business school in the U.S. His journey reminds us how fortunate we are to be here and of our responsibility to pay it forward in life.
• The unifying power of the dinner table in bringing people together and strengthening bonds—from study group dinners in Hanover to meals aboard naval aircraft carriers in Pakistan. This story came from a reformed picky-eater who was once admittedly so picky she insisted on frozen pizza for Thanksgiving dinner, and now is known by everyone in the community for her culinary savvy and memorable dinner parties.