New Stanford MBA Club Envisions A World Accessible To All

Paulina Paras, MBA ‘24
Club Co-founder

Summary of professional career: I was a Neuroscience major at Duke University to study the brain and behavior of people with disabilities. I worked as a strategy consultant at Bain & Co. for three years, focused on healthcare, and co-founded Bain’s now-global Disability Affinity Group. I also worked in operations at two disability-focused startups: one focused on pediatric autism therapy, the other focused on benefit management for adults with disabilities in California

I have always been involved in the disability community from a young age, starting from high school, where I started an after-school sports program for students with disabilities in our community, staffed by volunteer high school student “coaches.” We adapted the sports/activities to meet the needs of each student, which taught me the value of giving individuals with disabilities the tools they need to each reach their fullest potential.

Throughout my undergraduate studies at Duke, and my first job as a Consultant at Bain & Co., I sought to build disability communities that embodied the same joy and empowerment I experienced in my hometown’s disability community. Specifically at Bain, we were able to create a disability affinity group that supports the 500+ nationwide employees who either identify as having a disability or as a caregiver. These employees felt seen and supported at work, and empowered to lean into the advantages or “superpowers” afforded by their disabilities.

Please describe your experience with disability or caring for someone with a disability? My sister has intellectual & developmental disabilities, which present much like autism (ASD). When she was born, the doctors said she would never walk or talk. However, she has made tremendous progress in her development thanks to many therapies, surgeries, great public school education, and a ton of support from our community. She now not only walks and talks – she dances and sings!

Growing up with Lorena, I always assumed a role of equal parts sibling and caregiver. When we were young, this meant finding ways to communicate with Lorena and teaching her sign language in order to play games together.

While we were both living at home through our school years, I spent time after school helping Lorena with homework, reminding her of appropriate behaviors, and guiding her through her daily routines.

Ever since I moved away to college, my role of caregiver is much more of an emotional support to both my sister and to my parents, who are still home with Lorena day-to-day.

Our heads constantly swim with questions as small as: ‘Will Lorena’s fingers be strong enough to hold a pencil? Will she ever surpass a 3rd grade reading comprehension level?’ To questions as big as: ‘Will she ever be employed, Make real friends, Live independently?’

I have become much more involved in figuring out Lorena’s path towards independence alongside my parents, advising them, as well as exploring and even trying to create opportunities for her.

What made you want to pursue an MBA? Why Stanford? I wanted to pursue an MBA to pivot fully into the disability space as a career, and not simply as an advocacy or extracurricular activity. The two years would allow me to explore different angles within the disability space (e.g., build, manage, invest), to network within the expanding ecosystem, and to hone the type of leader I wanted to be in this burgeoning industry.

Stanford GSB encouraged me to take an entrepreneurial mindset to the disability space, dreaming up new solutions and approaches for the industry. The GSB also uniquely focused on values- and mission-based leadership, allowing me to contend with how to balance impact and profit in the disability space.

Why is a club like the Stanford Disabilities and Caregivers Club important to students like yourself?
Pioneering the GSB’s Disabilities / Caregiving Community was a super rewarding experience, and one of my proudest accomplishments here.
It was clear that the GSB needed a community focused on the disability population: 20% of GSB students are registered with the Office of Accessible Education (OAE), yet many students (and prospective students) keep their disabilities quiet in fear of pity, shame, or being seen as less capable.

However, data shows that individuals with disabilities are often great leaders and drivers of business performance. We needed to find ways to reduce stigma and build community on campus.

Career aspirations Post MBA: Post graduation I am building LivEdge Capital: an early-stage VC firm investing in startups that support the independence and inclusion of individuals with disabilities.

We are an institutional VC designed to generate absolute returns, targeting a $50mm fund raised from LPs who share our balanced approach to non-concessionary returns with a mission orientation.

We will invest in the following four verticals where we see the greatest opportunity: Healthcare, Employment, Benefit Navigation, and Assistive Technology.

What improvements, if any, would like to see in workplaces for people with disabilities and/or caregivers. Recently, upon graduating from high school at age 21, Lorena began regressing in her development. Though this was not unique to Lorena. The “Cliff” is a common trend where adults with disabilities face a sharp drop-off in resources, funding, and support upon phasing out of the special education system.

I am both frustrated by the “Cliff,” and invigorated to address it. We must increase the rate of innovation, investment, and inclusion for adults with disabilities.

Research shows that we all stand to benefit from the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace, schools, and communities.
Compassion is not enough – we need active inclusion from employers, policymakers, and entrepreneurs. And donations are not enough – we need private capital investments to drive quality and scale of disability-focused innovations.

Advice for young professionals with disabilities or who are caregivers now considering pursuing an MBA? To the extent that you feel comfortable, try sharing (bits of) your story. You might feel relieved to bring more of yourself into the program and into your leadership development. You might feel empowered by the unique strengths your disability grants you. You might be surprised to build a connection with someone who also has a personal connection to disabilities. You might even encourage them to share their own story. And slowly but surely the community of MBA students with disabilities will grow bigger, stronger, and louder.

Advice to those without disabilities about what they can do in their everyday lives to support those with disabilities, and/or advocate for the disabilities/caregiver community?

As future business leaders, we all have the power to decide who to include, and where to invest. I implore my classmates to think about adults with disabilities.

To all the employers and future team leaders: consider hiring people with disabilities.
To all the entrepreneurs: consider disability-inclusive designs.
To all the investors: consider deploying capital towards DisabilityTech.
And to everyone else: consider inclusion. Not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because we all stand to benefit.

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