Francesca Colombo

University of Michigan, Ross School of Business

“A creative problem solver committed to social impact, disability advocate, and proud nerd.”

Hometown: Harrison, NY

Fun fact about yourself: I started competing in ballroom and Latin dancing when I was only six years old, and I still love to dance. I’ve made it a goal to participate in all of Ross’s dance events: Diwali, Afrobeats, Latin Vibes, and A-POP!

Undergraduate School and Degree: Stanford University, B.S. in Computer Science (Human Computer Interaction track) with a minor in Studio Art

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Software Engineer at Gusto in New York City

Where did you intern during the summer of 2024? Intuit HQ in San Diego as a Product Manager II Intern

Where will you be working after graduation? Undecided – looking for an organization with a positive social impact and a good team fit.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

Co-President, Business Leaders for Diverse Abilities

Founder, RossAbilities Conference

VP of Recruitment and Culture, Social Venture Fund

VP of Community and Partnerships, Ross Tech Club

Co-Founder, Enable MBA

Dean’s Fellow (full merit scholarship)

Consortium for Graduate Study in Management (CGSM) Fellow

Forté Fellow

Disability:IN NextGen Leader

Applebaum Impact Design Fellow, +Impact Studio (2024)

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Before coming to Ross, I knew I wanted BLDA (Business Leaders for Diverse Abilities) to be a priority during my experience. The rapid onset of chronic illnesses early in college was difficult personally and academically. Although I persevered and made some progress medically, only a few years ago, I was hesitant about the feasibility of business school. While all the programs I looked into had DEI initiatives, I rarely saw disability mentioned, except when I met the previous President of BLDA at Ross. As incoming Co-President of BLDA last spring, I began connecting with leaders of disability affinity clubs at other MBA programs through a group we have come to call the MBA Disability Network. Members can connect with like-minded students, exchange strategies for raising awareness and inclusion in our programs, and support each other’s initiatives. Three of us – Seiver Jorgensen from Darden, Edwin Portugal from Wharton, and I – are starting a nonprofit similar to Forté or the Consortium called Enable MBA with a mission to enable individuals with disabilities to achieve their full potential through MBA education, mentorship, and career development support. This larger mission also propelled me to launch BLDA’s RossAbilities Conference, Ross’s first-ever conference on disabilities and accessibility in business. We hosted the conference in early February, providing both in-person and virtual access in line with our commitment to accessibility.

I am so proud of the inaugural event I founded and planned from concept to delivery, alongside a great team. We assembled an incredible group of speakers from across the country (and Canada!) to speak about topics that are too often pushed to the side due to stigma. Mollee Nagle, incoming Co-President of BLDA alongside Miles Turner, was instrumental in moving us past the finish line. I found a mentor and champion in Rebecca Cokley from the Ford Foundation, who, after hearing my vision for the conference and its potential impact, agreed to grant BLDA $25,000 to further our work. After seeing the agenda, including the amazing speakers, the Foundation doubled its grant to $50K over five years to guarantee the future of the club and conference. Witnessing the impact of this inaugural conference at Ross boosted my confidence in my ability to communicate my vision and passion to others and make things happen, which I will continue to utilize through Enable MBA, as well as my next full-time role.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? When I joined Gusto, teams had just gone through a re-organization, and brilliant engineers surrounded me, but there was a lack of team cohesion. So, despite my freshman status, I launched Tech Talks, a biweekly opportunity for engineers to present and exchange insights. While attendance was a non-issue, persuading teammates to present was a major roadblock. I attempted recruiting through memes like Bernie Sanders saying, “I am once again asking for TechTalk presenters,” to no avail. A teammate confessed that she felt she hadn’t mastered enough material for a Talk, revealing mismatched expectations. To convince people of the value of speaking at TechTalks (despite their initial discomfort), I needed to foster a stronger sense of camaraderie and highlight what could be gained.

Furthermore, I needed to take a risk myself, so I led by example and presented a TechTalk on what I’d learned about Test-Driven Development. Later, when a woman in the organization tentatively expressed interest, I suggested that we split the time to allay her anxiety. The day of, however, she gained confidence and enthusiastically filled the entire slot! Many engineers avoid public speaking altogether, but this experience prompted me to offer presentation run-throughs with feedback to better empower prospective speakers.

The challenges I faced leading TechTalks helped me feel more confident as a leader and created widespread impact at Gusto. Collaboration and initiative are essential in any community; by seeking feedback and sharing openly, I earned the trust of colleagues who, in turn, boosted TechTalks’ success. Over 25 TechTalks were recorded, captioned for accessibility, adding to Gusto’s Internal Knowledge Base and cohesion. Creating a knowledge exchange, building community, and persuading people to take risks were key competencies that have helped me at Ross, as well!

Why did you choose this business school? As a career switcher, Ross’s emphasis on action-based learning appealed to me. For my North Star, I wanted to focus on social impact through business, but it can be challenging to predict which roles will match you best without any prior exposure or experience. Through the Multi-disciplinary Action Program (MAP), Ross students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a new role and/or industry before taking the plunge with a full-time commitment. Through that program, I consulted with the Ashoka Foundation on their Changemaker social entrepreneurship challenges, gaining insight into the unique challenges of non-profit management of a global organization. One of the highlights of my first year was spending a week in Washington, DC, working with my team in the Ashoka offices and interviewing executives from across the company, including the founder and CEO, Bill Drayton!

In the Social Venture Fund, one of several student-led funds at Ross, I’ve had the unique opportunity to help make investment decisions to support mission-driven founders and even serve on the leadership team as VP of Recruitment and Culture in my second year. I’ve consulted for an early-stage Kenyan start-up, pitched tech-enabled business ideas to a panel of investors, and role-played a corporate executive responding to an actual business crisis in a press conference of my peers. While I have enjoyed analyzing and discussing cases, action-based learning has provided hands-on experience to help me decide what I want to pursue next.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? I’ve had several fantastic professors during my time at Ross, so it’s difficult to pick just one, but Professor Scott Rick taught Consumer Behavior in such an engaging way that I was motivated to brave the Michigan winter to attend lectures. He made the material accessible through great examples that invited all students to participate in discussions and walk away with actionable insights. His sense of humor and expertise made me look forward to class, and it was exciting to read his book, Tightwads and Spendthrifts, and then discuss his research with him in person. Professor Rick made himself available to students outside of class and took the time to talk to me about user research for an +Impact Studio project on sustainable e-commerce, long after the course had officially ended. He is an excellent example of Ross professors going above-and-beyond for their students, and I’m thankful I had the opportunity to take his class.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Management as a Calling (taught by Andy Hoffman) is unlike any other MBA course. It provides an opportunity that is too rare during these pivotal years to disconnect from technology and distractions and take time for introspection. Two weekend-long, tech-free retreats in nature bookend the year and guide students through thoughtful, intensive exercises to deepen awareness of each student’s values and priorities. Lectures throughout the year bring in compelling guest speakers and remind students of the insights they unlocked during the first retreat, while allowing for continued refinement and development of their purposes. Based on what I’d heard from friends who graduated last year, I knew that Management as a Calling could be a meaningful part of my MBA experience if I approached it with an open mind. I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this course, program, and community. I’m excited for the end-of-the-year retreat, but the class has already been transformative in solidifying my aspirations and goals.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? A set of TED-like events, including OutX, VetX, and Story Lab, a program led by the Sanger Leadership Center, show the breadth of students’ experiences and make me proud to be a part of the diverse and talented community at Ross. Coming into business school, I challenged myself to venture outside of my comfort zone as often as possible, so when I had the opportunity to speak at the Story Lab showcase in my first semester, I knew I couldn’t pass it up. While it was nerve-wracking as someone who, in high school, would blush when answering questions in class, it was also an unforgettable and empowering experience.

Through the workshop and coaching sessions with storytelling consultants, I became confident in sharing my journey with a large audience – and it’s still on YouTube! This experience showed me early on how much I could learn at Ross if I jumped in headfirst. Each time I’ve attended one of these events, I’ve been blown away by my peers’ bravery, vulnerability, and accomplishments.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I would have been more intentional about dedicating time to friends from the beginning! I’d heard that the MBA experience could feel like drinking from a water hose, but I doubt that anything could have prepared me for all the opportunities, clubs, and events I wanted to participate in. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is a powerful pull, and between my varied interests and disability, I found myself with very little time and energy left. I wish I’d prioritized close friendships and communities earlier because those, over any single in-semester internship or event, are what I will treasure and take with me from Ross.

What is the biggest myth about your school? If you go to Ross, you have to love football. As someone who looks to others to decide when to cheer and still thinks fútbol is the real football (don’t tell my classmates), I can promise that not all Rossers are generally obsessed with sports. I still highly recommend going to the Bus with friends and checking out at least one game at the Big House! In my opinion, game days are more about the community than, well, the game.

What movie or television show (e.g. The Big Short, The Founder, Mad Men, House of Lies)  best reflects the realities of business and what did you learn from it? The Founder is an interesting take on entrepreneurship. Ray Kroc, the title character, is not actually one of McDonald’s founders, but is responsible for its meteoric growth and expansion. While it is a cautionary tale about ethics in business and having strong legal counsel, the lesson I take away from it is the value of persistence. Though Kroc faced several setbacks and was taunted over past failures by his detractors, his vision drove him to push past obstacles to grow McDonald’s beyond what anyone else had imagined possible.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? A class I’m currently taking, +Impact Studio: Designing the Equitable Enterprise, has introduced me to an amazing tool called BoodleBox. This platform integrates every LLM you’ve heard of while ensuring data privacy through contracts. It allows us to create user persona bots based on interviews and research, which we can use to conduct virtual focus groups. This can help us test ideas and better understand the perspectives of the communities we aim to center in our development process.

Coming from a technical background, I have concerns about biases in AI, and I haven’t seen many cases where AI helps highlight underrepresented voices. However, this class has been a great reminder that AI is a powerful tool that can, when used thoughtfully, assist in problem-solving with empathy. I’m excited to see what else we can do with AI to promote equity and inclusion!

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I admire Yashvi Patel, a friend and a fellow Consortium member, because she exemplifies the best qualities of the Ross community. She actively seeks to include others, is socially impact-minded, and brings people together (often with delicious baked goods). Whether through her work at the +Impact Studio or as VP of Community Building for Michigan Business Women, Yashvi excels at everything she does and uplifts everyone around her.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

1. Start my own social venture that drives measurable impact
2. Work internationally

What made Francesca such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2025?

“Francesca came to business school with a background as a software engineer at Facebook and a strong orientation toward having a positive social impact. She has been a leading disability advocate within the school and beyond, drawing on her personal experiences as a powerful touchstone. In my course on building equitable enterprises for the just transition, she brings an adventurous enthusiasm to our studies of design and is an empathic leader in team discussions. Her unique perspective enriches our collective learning and brings our discourse to a higher level.”

Jerry Davis
Gilbert and Ruth Whitaker Professor of Business Administration

DON’T MISS: THE 100 BEST & BRIGHTEST MBAS: CLASS OF 2025