Nicole Leonard

Rady School of Management at UC San Diego

“People person, loves dogs, thrives working with a team in a dynamic environment.”

Hometown: East Brookfield, MA

Fun fact about yourself: I have fostered 12 dogs over the last three years.

Undergraduate School and Degree: United States Naval Academy, B.S. in Political Science (International Relations)

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? US Navy, Naval Aviator (helicopter pilot)

Where did you intern during the summer of 2023? Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, CA.

Where will you be working after graduation? TBD for full time role. US Navy Reserves (Part- time Flying)

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: Foster, Fundraising, and Transport volunteer for The Cantu Foundation (local dog rescue).

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I am leveraging the time and resources in my second-year core classes to found a non-profit organization geared toward saving high-risk shelter dogs in Southern California.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I’m most proud of my time as a flight instructor. It was a privilege to train and mentor the next generation of helicopter pilots, both in and out of the cockpit.

Why did you choose this business school? I started business school at Rady less than a month after returning from my last deployment on active duty. Staying local to San Diego was important to me, and Rady’s admissions team and entrepreneurial focus impressed me.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Professor Uma Karmarkar. She conducted her marketing class in a professional, energetic, and engaging manner, and challenged students to think critically.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Lab to Market (renamed recently to the Rady Action Project). This course gives students the opportunity to pursue their own ventures. It has enough structure to guide you, but also provides the flexibility and space necessary to move concepts forward without getting too bogged down in academic deliverables.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? Rady School of Management teams up with the San Diego Military Advisory Council (SDMAC) to publish the Military Economic Impact Report every year. I co-authored the report in 2023. This continued partnership between Rady and SDMAC reflects Rady’s commitment to give back to our community.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? Looking back, I would have spent less time stressing over securing an internship in the winter, knowing now that many companies take a while to respond to applications and others post jobs later in the spring.

What is the biggest myth about your school? I had not heard of any myths about Rady before attending.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? San Diego has been my home for 10 years since the Navy brought me here in 2014. There’s a lot to love about San Diego, but I think the best part is how dog-friendly the city is. What’s better than bringing, or seeing, a pup at a brewery?

What surprised you the most about business school? I was most surprised by how international my cohort is. I did not expect to meet people from all over the world in San Diego, and it has been the highlight of my experience.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Blanca Daniela Luna. Daniela is from Mexico and went to undergrad in Wyoming. She got a job in Silicon Valley and was halfway through her drive up from Tijuana with her dad when the job was canceled. Instead of turning around and going home, she continued her journey, determined not to give up. She ended up landing an even better job in the Bay Area. Her resilience is inspirational.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? 1. Find a career that provides a sense of purpose and contributes to the greater good. 2. Make a lasting positive impact on people around me.

What made Nicole such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2024?

“I worked closely with Nicole as part of an Independent Study Project exploring the impact that defense-related activity brings to the San Diego region’s economy and community. In this, Nicole quickly emerged as the best kind of natural leader – a player and coach who takes the initiative to pick up complex intellectual work and inspires others through the example of her high-quality contributions. At the same time, she sees clearly when more direct leadership is needed, guiding and coordinating the work of classmates to create a collective product that is far better and far more impactful as a result.

The team’s study and report, delivered to civic leaders and the broader community at a well-covered press event, was an insightful and engaging exposition of both quantitative and qualitative benefits the military brings to San Diego, at a level far beyond what is normally expected from MBA students.”

Michael W. Meyer
Assistant Teaching Professor of Design, Rady School of Management and The Design Lab, UC San Diego
Fellow, Batten Institute, Darden School of Business, Univ of Virginia

DON’T MISS: MBAS TO WATCH: CLASS OF 2024