Chinaelo Okafor

Yale School of Management

“Adrenaline enthusiast. Romcom Queen and sci-fi nerd. Caring. Persistent. Passionate. Self-reflective. BLM.”

Hometown: New Haven, Nigeria/Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’m excellent at falling off and over things (unintentionally): chairs, air, sidewalks, buildings, waterfalls and once, a mountain. Still alive.

Undergraduate School and Major: New York University; BA English & American Literature

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: General Mills; Brand Marketing Associate

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The opportunity to work with a General Mills–founded nonprofit, Partners in Food Solutions, on projects aimed at improving food security and supporting entrepreneurs in emerging economies by contributing my marketer’s lens. The role was deeply rewarding, whether it was a bakery in Kenya or a flour mill in Ethiopia or collaborating with experts across the globe to arrive to a solution to help address pressing and fascinating problems and then to watch its successful application by the business owners in those markets.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Sincere. I had the opportunity to meet quite a few of my classmates through the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management’s orientation program earlier in the summer. I was struck across the board by their sincerity—in how they related to one another and expressed themselves, in the goals they had for improving society through advocacy, volunteering, founding nonprofits, or being involved with nonprofit boards.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? When it comes to careers in social impact, I don’t think there is a better school than Yale to get the preparation needed to be a leader in that field. It’s a mission genuinely supported by the whole Yale community, which can be seen in everything from classwork to club offerings to yearly fundraising to support students taking on unpaid nonprofit internships. Whether it is learning how to lead a nonprofit or foundation, exposure to careers in impact investing, or social impact consulting, all with the explicit support of current students, faculty and alumni, Yale SOM has all of that and more.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I hope to be a part of Yale SOM’s Nonprofit Board Fellows, which provides students, if they are accepted, the opportunity to serve on the board of a New Haven nonprofit. Net Iimpact is also a club I’m looking forward. I also hear the Hockey Club is a very popular choice at Yale SOM.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I have known for the past few years that I wanted to switch careers to pursue more purpose-driven work, but was unsure of the how’s and what’s and where’s. Ultimately, the catalyst for my business school journey was my work with Partners in Food Solutions, and my subsequent realization that I could be doing more through business to support the advancement of women and people of color in emerging economies specifically, but here in United States as well. After seeking advice from mentors and family members, I realized the utility of an MBA in achieving my goals.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? When I fully realized the worth an MBA network.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Haas, Darden, Ross, Stanford.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? Any program can make claims that align with your personal metrics for fit; therefore, I strongly encourage a campus visit whenever possible. I knew what I wanted in an MBA program: a small program, commitment to student diversity that wasn’t just all talk, cultural fit, a strong alumni network in my intended career field, a campus experience different from my undergraduate institution, strong school ranking, and so on. Until you get on campus, sit in on classes, and talk to faculty and students, you just won’t know. There were other programs that I was accepted to that checked most of those boxes on paper, but ultimately, you’ll know when you get on campus the answer to the questions, can I flourish here?

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I became the primary caretaker of my 4-year-old niece approximately five years ago. Prior to that, despite my commitment to providing mentorship to those in need whenever possible, I had never been so completely responsible for another human life. That experience has changed me in ways that I never anticipated. I am more mature, more patient, more empathetic, more understanding of vulnerability, and more open than I believe I would be otherwise. I am also more driven to lead a purposeful life—to achieve more so she doesn’t let anything stand in the way of fulfilling her unlimited potential.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I would like to do work that makes a positive and sustained difference in the lives of others. Whether it is through working at a foundation, impact investing, founding a nonprofit, or engaging in corporate social responsibility at a large corporation, I plan to work for society.

Where do you see yourself in five years? A leader, doing fulfilling work, surrounded by good people, happy.