Jahana Wazir

Washington University in St. Louis, Olin Business School

“Bold and experimental Pakalacchian [Pakistani + Appalachian] on a mission to make a global impact.”

Hometown: Charleston, West Virginia

Fun Fact About Yourself: I was a mascot for the University of Kentucky’s Children’s Hospital and dressed as a large cat to visit pediatric patients!

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Kentucky, Liberal Studies

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: SmithPro Commercial Painting, Office Coordinator

What has been your favorite part of St. Louis so far? What makes St. Louis such a great place to earn an MBA? I love St. Louis’s layered history. St. Louis has lived many lives as a city, from hosting the 1904 World’s Fair to 60 years later, losing 70% of its businesses within a decade. The ornate architecture is a reminder of its storied history. Today we see more businesses opening and companies investing in the area committing to the future. St. Louis is a city of perseverance and revitalization. I’d recommend it to anyone!

You completed your global immersion earlier this year. What was the best part of the immersion experience for you? What was the biggest takeaway you gained? The global immersion was surreal because our class only knew each other for a few short weeks before we traveled the world together. In hindsight, I appreciate that we were all plucked from our comfort zones and thrown into new situations—it was like the Real World, MBA edition! For myself, I developed a more thorough understanding of a “global mindset.” As we learn new material, there’s typically a global immersion experience that I can draw on to put the concept into context. We built a strong foundation for the class to carry with us beyond the next two years.

Aside from your immersion and classmates, what was the key part of WashU Olin’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school, and why was it so important to you? The Entrepreneurship track set WashU Olin’s MBA apart from the other programs I considered. I had been interested in starting my own business but was intimidated by the process. I love that in some classes, we develop our own ideas while in others, we collaborate to support a classmate’s. The Entrepreneurship program creates a safe place to test, fail and innovate while also having a contagious energy about it!

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Washington Olin? Washington University in St. Louis has an incredible calendar of lectures, panelists and speakers, so you can find something interesting to attend on any given night!

What is one thing you have recently read, watched or listened to that you would highly recommend to prospective MBAs? Why? My advice to any prospective MBA candidate is not to seek validation from Facebook threads or Reddit forums. Those platforms can become exceptionally discouraging echo chambers. They don’t know your story and aren’t part of the admissions committee, so don’t let them influence your decisions!

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Washington Olin’s MBA program? I recommend connecting with the school early and attending any events. Don’t be afraid of asking questions or connecting with a current student. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn if you want to learn more about the program!

DON’T MISS: MEET WASHINGTON OLIN’S MBA CLASS OF 2024