Peter Jorgensen

University of California-Berkeley, Haas School of Business

“Part-time skier and world traveler, full-time extrovert, committed to building a sustainable and equitable future.”

Hometown: Bethesda, MD

Fun Fact About Yourself: Despite growing up terrified of water, I learned how to whitewater kayak two summers ago and can’t wait to paddle through Northern California.

Undergraduate School and Major: Hamilton College; World Politics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Deloitte Consulting, Senior Consultant

Berkeley Haas is founded on four Defining Leadership Principles: Question the Status Quo, Confidence Without Attitude, Students Always, and Beyond Yourself. Which principle resonates most with you and why? Confidence Without Attitude resonates most with me. I want to be the kind of leader who can express expertise without ego, acknowledge and address my own skill gaps, and empower those with diverse experiences to challenge established best practices. Since arriving on campus for Days at Haas, every interaction with Haas students has proved that my classmates truly embody Confidence without Attitude. Haasies will engage you in a discussion about anything from Barbenheimer to the debt ceiling before daring to brag about themselves. Hours into a coffee or happy hour, you’ll learn that, beyond being just fabulous conversationalists, your classmates are helicopter pilots, sports policy experts, or small business owners without an ounce of ego.

When you think of UC Berkeley, what is the first word that comes to mind? Why? Community. When I applied, I was aware of the features that set Haas apart from peer institutions—its small class size, its worldwide alumni network, and its range of, and support for, student organizations. Since joining my classmates, I have felt an undeniable sense of community with students who not only take advantage of these features but also build on them. Rising second year students have been generous with their time throughout the summer leading up to orientation, updating me on their summer internships, helping me navigate the Berkeley housing market, and sharing advice for my first semester. Beyond those informal connections, I’ve already joined several Haas student organizations and cannot wait to camp out with my peers at the annual Haasemite trip to Yosemite National Park.

Aside from classmates and the Defining Leadership Principles, what was the key part of Berkeley Haas’ MBA curriculum programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Because I am pursuing my MBA to pivot my career toward a future in renewable energy and climate-tech, I am most looking forward to taking the course Energy and Environmental Markets. I view this course—and all of Haas’ unique curriculum—as an opportunity for me to build on my project management and client delivery skills with technical expertise and Bay Area industry connections.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Berkeley Haas? I am thrilled to join the Berkeley Energy Resources Collaborative (BERC@Haas), which links students across Berkeley’s academic disciplines to pursue energy research, provide entrepreneurship opportunities, and develop relationships with leading and emerging energy firms. I spend most of my free time in nature and I hope that BERC will facilitate lasting connections with classmates who are equally passionate about countering the climate crisis.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:  Although the details of my CIA accomplishments are classified, I can say that I am proud to have been the lead analyst on a burgeoning policy focus area. I have delivered high-quality analysis on newsworthy policy matters for military and civilian leaders, and served with some of the most insightful and driven young people I have ever met. At Deloitte, I helped develop climate equity tools that state and local clients used to invest in historically marginalized communities. I also built a new system for staffing Sustainability and Climate initiatives, and led the first-ever assessment of the Bureau of Prisons’ mental health programming.

At this point, what do you hope to do after graduation? I hope my Haas education will lead me first to a role as a project manager for a renewable energy or climate-tech firm. I am passionate about expanding consumer access to affordable sustainable energy and climate solutions that can both effectively meet consumers’ needs and meaningfully reduce emissions. Wherever I end up, I want to lead in a way that prioritizes employee well-being, celebrates diverse backgrounds and viewpoints, and fosters healthy competition.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Stanford, Harvard, Duke

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Berkeley Haas’ MBA program? Keep it real. Successful applicants are more than just high achievers—they demonstrate how all of their interests, goals, and values will enrich the Haas experience. For instance, in my essays, I examined reckoning with my own leadership style as a CIA analyst, learning greater resiliency from the DC high schooler I mentor, and how serving as the culture and inclusion manager for Deloitte’s DOJ practice helped me grow as an ally. These windows into who I am showed my ability to overcome challenges, evolve as a leader, and meaningfully contribute to Haas.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE BERKELEY HAAS MBA CLASS OF 2025