Jasmin Rainbow

New York University, Stern School of Business

“Just an English girl who thinks people are magic and the world is an adventure.”

Hometown: Cambridge, UK

Fun Fact About Yourself: For the past decade, I’ve sung in a 10-piece function band called Colonel Spanky’s Love Ensemble.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Cambridge, Languages (French, Latin, Dutch, Polish)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Invenia Labs, Talent Specialist

What excites you the most about living in New York City and how do you see it enhancing your learning experience?  The music! Since I’m having a hard time linking that back to the learning experience, I will say that I’m someone who thrives on variety and novelty, and the fact that you can find anything and anyone in this city is exactly what drew me to it. I hope that being part of this rich cultural tapestry will prime us to take a holistic and intersectional approach to learning.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of NYU Stern’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? I believe that Stern really puts thought into supporting less conventional MBA candidates and their goals. Something that attracted me was the SternWorks Program, which helps to fund summer internships in diverse environments such as start-ups and organizations in the social and environmental impact space. This provides access to experience which would otherwise be financially prohibitive, both for Stern MBA candidates and the organizations they work with.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at NYU Stern? In terms of courses, I’m super excited to work on all things quantitative, having spent the past 11 years of my education and career focused more on people than numbers. In terms of clubs and activities, I’m looking forward to joining the community of Outclass, Stern’s LGBTQ+ Club. There is also an organization called Reaching Out MBA (ROMBA), who educate, inspire and connect MBA students and alumni across the globe. Last year, Stern sent the biggest contingent of any school to the ROMBA conference. I can’t wait to take the 27-hour Amtrak from New York to Chicago to attend this year’s event, especially to reconnect with the lovely people I met on ROMBA’s pre-MBA trek to Seattle in July.

What does EQ (Emotional Intelligence) mean to you and when have you seen its value in your career? Without getting too philosophical, to me, EQ is a deeply-held, genuine respect for the reality, validity and importance of human emotion and relationships. It manifests as the ability to understand your own and others’ emotions, connect with others, and foreground emotional drivers and potential emotional impact in your words, actions, and decisions. EQ has been invaluable in my career, most poignantly in supporting colleagues through challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and departmental reorganization.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: If I wanted to give the most objective “professional achievements” story, I could send over my resumé! However, the accomplishments I am personally proudest of are those that directly impact individuals’ lives. For example, I am so happy to have collaborated with our People Operations team to roll out a company gender transition policy which enabled my good friend and colleague to access transition-related healthcare that her insurance could not cover.

What do you hope to do after graduation (at this point)? I really think I could be most useful in and thrive in an operations management role. However, I am open-minded and ready to explore many opportunities.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into NYU Stern’s MBA program? Truthfully, I can’t give you those answers. I made my application mine — even when it was “weird” (some said “creative”!) — and it worked for me. But this is about you. Truly reflect on who you are and why you are doing this. If you show up authentically, the universe has a way of opening the right doors, whether or not those include NYU Stern.