Emily Bestwick

UCLA, Anderson School of Management

“Passionate student and humanitarian, dedicated to learning from and contributing to different cultures and communities.”

Hometown: Reading, PA

Fun Fact About Yourself: On the first day of a ski trip in high school, I smashed into a tree and broke my nose. After feeling it was knocked sideways, I bopped it back into place with my fist and then enjoyed the next four days shredding on Killington & Okemo.

Undergraduate School and Major: Lehigh University, Finance Major & Theatre Minor

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Prudential Financial, Senior Financial Analyst International Treasury

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: In a product innovation challenge at Prudential, I teamed up with several friends to create a solution for America’s challenge to help people save for retirement. My team and I developed a retirement product that created lifetimes of income for younger generations by leveraging existing company resources. The idea won “audience favorite” at an enterprise-wide presentation; it felt amazing to be recognized for developing innovative solutions at such early stages in our careers.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Shared Success! One of Anderson’s pillar characteristics is notably present within each of my classmates. As seen in this summer’s passionate class discussions and literally on the ropes course in Culver City, my class has begun to form a culture that embraces the goal of shared success and to foster a collective trust that supports courage as we all embark on the mission to grow as individuals. I’ve been inspired by my classmates’ willingness to share with each other and am empowered to grow with them.

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? Common to both UCLA Anderson and the Greater Los Angeles Area, what attracted me most is the inclusion of diversity. The school and the city are home to incredibly rich varieties of cultures and expressions of ideas. I love the influence of greater perspective that Anderson and LA offer, as well as the sense of inclusion that comes with being new here. A slogan that I’ve learned and grown to attribute to my experiences in LA is “be interested and be interesting”.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Definitely the Net Impact Club! After meeting students last year who had such meaningful experiences in Net Impact at Anderson, I’ve been excited about the opportunities that this upcoming year holds. Specifically, I’m looking forward to participating in Anderson’s Impact Week and the Net Impact Consulting Challenge.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I had an incredible experience in Prudential’s Finance Leadership Development Program. Tragically, in November of 2016, my family lost my older brother. I gained a new perspective on what I want to achieve in life. Ultimately, I’ve learned that I want to work directly on impacting social initiatives and decided that pursuing an MBA would be an excellent opportunity to gain experience and insight.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? Throughout my life, I have been inspired by individuals who earned their MBAs from programs across the globe. I value the commitment and the experience of gaining the perspective offered through an MBA, so it has always been part of my plan. When life changed so suddenly, intuition told me this was the right time to invest myself.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Berkeley Haas School of Business, another great program.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I cannot express how meaningful it was to visit the schools in person. While the admissions programs provide excellent resources and host insightful sessions, there is something to be said for personally feeling the energy on campus. After visiting several schools, I knew that I wanted to be part of a collaborative culture in an environment that supported fearless thinking. After attending classes, tours, and coffee chats with students, it was clear which schools shared my core set of values.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? After we lost my older brother, I knew life would drastically change. I am proud that my three siblings and I were able to rise up after such a devastating loss. Collectively, we rebuilt our lives here in California. While on our individual paths, we have all learned so much about sacrifice and determination. I learned that we are not unique, that many families have suffered, especially recently. This shaped my understanding that despite facing our individual battles, we all are fighting on the same field; this has inspired me to find solutions that promote empowerment.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I would love to partner with an organization that is working to drive change in the education space. I believe that many of the problems we face as a society can be addressed through improved education and, with effort, true progress will be made. I plan to align myself with an initiative that builds opportunities for the advancement of young individuals in a way that empowers them to forge stronger paths and perpetuate sustainable growth.

Where do you see yourself in five years? With experience, I hope to be on the path of partnering with exemplary individuals and organizations in order to initiate my own venture: one that will get at the core of helping people overcome the tendency to accept what we know is wrong, to settle for less than we deserve, and to be limited by lack of resources. My sincere belief is that supporting education will give individuals the ability to create the change that our world needs.