Representation Matters: Embracing Hispanic Heritage Month At Stanford GSB

Stephanie Grayson, MBA ’22, focusing on Impact and Entrepreneurship with a certificate in Public Management and Social Innovation; HBSA Co-President

Stephanie Grayson, MBA ’22

Why an MBA? For as long as I can remember, I was raised with the understanding that education was a fundamental driver of future success.  My family fled Cuba under this very premise, leaving their home and family behind in order to maximize the access to such opportunities for future generations.  As a result, I always knew that I owed it to those who came before me to invest heavily in my education.

Once I started working, this feeling of obligation to pursue graduate-level education was replaced by excitement.  Throughout my career in investing, I found myself seeking opportunities to extend my focus beyond my investing mandate, as I continually sought to immerse myself in all aspects of business building – whether in the form of my teams’ platform expansion efforts or new fund launches.  The process of building and growing captivated me and ultimately a mentor at my last firm pushed me to listen to my gut and use the MBA to explore these interests more intentionally and explicitly.

Moreover, as someone looking to build and lead organizations over the long-term, the concept of taking a step back to invest in solidifying my leadership foundation earlier in my career resonated deeply.

What other schools did you apply to? HBS

Why Stanford? As someone building a career dedicated to supporting, growing and ultimately leading organizations, I was drawn to Stanford’s entrepreneurial, growth-minded ethos.  Entrepreneurship and business building are the GSB’s lifeblood, driving much of the school’s academics and student culture. Having spent my career investing and building on behalf of large institutions, I sought to immerse myself in a new ecosystem that would push me out of my comfort-zone and catalyze my career progression.

What does being an Hispanic business student mean to you? To me, being Hispanic first and foremost means growing up as a first-generation American deeply aware of all that was sacrificed to afford me the freedoms and opportunities that I enjoy every day. Being a Hispanic business student means intentionally working to maximize the hard-earned opportunities before me to honor the familia that gave up everything to make them possible. Finally, being a Hispanic business student – and ultimately, a Hispanic business leader – means living a life committed to paying these opportunities forward, professionally and personally, in order to serve as an example, mentor and champion for those who seek to honor their family and heritage with a similar path.

What value does HBSA provide for you and your classmates? HBSA grounds the Latin community that has proven core to my GSB experience.  The organization provides an outlet through which to explore shared heritage while establishing and deepening smaller group connections rooted in similar cultural values despite vastly different experiences.  Finally, HBSA provides us with a platform through which to give back and spread awareness about critical issues.  Among our many initiatives, HBSA leadership’s key priorities while here at the GSB and beyond include providing and deepening Latin community and helping to pave the way for additional Hispanic applications and admissions throughout Stanford.

Why is Hispanic Heritage Month important to you? Hispanic Heritage Month offers an important opportunity to celebrate Hispanic culture and have high-impact conversations about what it means to be a member of the Hispanic community.  It is worth noting that Hispanic Heritage Month is as much of an educational opportunity as it is a celebratory one.  This month provides dedicated time for community members to pause and reflect on the culture, traditions and qualities that instill the Hispanic community with great pride, while also renewing our collective intentionality around the areas in which we as a community can do better such as advocacy, outreach and championship.  For while the month itself is finite, the opportunity and responsibility that comes with being Hispanic leaders endures far beyond the month’s conclusion.

What are your future career goals? Throughout my career, I have gravitated towards business building and expansion.  Accordingly, I look forward to a career dedicated to this effort, leveraging my experience in finance, investing and scaling to support entrepreneurs and new, high-impact companies.

I’m also currently working on my second impact-oriented business while here at the GSB.  Whether through my own venture or my support of others, I look forward to serving as a champion for scaled impact over the long-term.

What don’t your classmates know about you? That I am living proof that there is hope for those who struggle with traditional athletics!  After failed forays into sport after sport while growing up, I stumbled into taekwondo, earning my second-degree black belt and gold and bronze medals in the New York State Championships and Junior Olympics, respectively.

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