Lizzy Salata

MIT, Sloan School of Management

“I enjoy curating environments, focusing on community and wellbeing, where people feel welcomed and included.”

Hometown: Winchester, VA

Fun fact about yourself: I have eight (and counting) group fitness instruction certifications.

Undergraduate School and Degree: William & Mary, BS Physics & Applied Mathematics

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? I was a research scientist at Metron, Inc., in Reston, VA

Where did you intern during the summer of 2024? Rivian, Normal, IL

Where will you be working after graduation? Nike as a lead, applied analytics professional

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

Community Work:

Awarded the MIT Sloan Community Builders Fund (Spring 2024 & Spring 2025) to create and instruct a series of group fitness classes called “Spring into Strength” for my classmates. Designed MIT Sloan branded swag items and organized post-workout smoothies for networking and community building.

Awarded an additional MIT Sloan Community Builders Fund (Spring 2025) to organize a “Coffee & Connections” networking event that catered artisanal coffee, hot chocolate, and tea.

Awarded a grant (Spring 2024) to design and facilitate a pen pal letter writing program for my classmates in the Leaders for Global Operations Program to promote inclusion, support, and community during our six-month internships.

Leadership Roles:

Co-founder and co-president of the MIT Sloan Fitness & Wellness Industry Club, a professional organization at Sloan designed to offer networking events and career opportunities for students interested in the fitness, wellness, and health industries.

Organizer of the 2024 MIT Sloan Study Tour to New Zealand: Unlocking Oceania’s Entrepreneurial Potential.

Lead business team instructor of the 2025 MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) Uruguay Global Teaching Lab.

Student lead of the Spring 2025 MIT Experiential Trips Program.

Teaching assistant for Operations Strategy during the Spring 2025 semester.

Co-chair of the Leaders for Global Operations Alumni Relations Committee.

Other Awards:

Robert N. Noyce Fellowship.

MIT | QUT Collaboration Sprint Grant: Brisbane, Australia.

MIT Graduate Student Council Professional Development Grant (x2).

MIT Graduate Student Council Conference Grant.

MIT Graduate Student Council Athletic Performance Grant.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I am most proud of the work I did for the 2024 MIT Sloan Study Tour to New Zealand. I organized a class visit to Les Mills International Headquarters, providing my classmates with a unique global experiential learning opportunity. Les Mills is a renowned global fitness brand. For over 35 years, this company has been innovating group exercise by designing a vast portfolio of class formats, from kick-boxing to strength training to yoga and everything in-between. These classes seamlessly blend music and movement backed by scientific exercise research to ensure the effectiveness of each training modality. I have been a group fitness instructor teaching Les Mills programs for nearly eight years. By leveraging the network of fitness industry professionals I have built over the past decade, I arranged a corporate visit where we explored Les Mills’ approach to innovation and entrepreneurship.

Despite the jet lag and the 17-hour time difference, my classmates fully embraced the “when in Rome” mentality, waking up early to join me for early morning workouts before diving into the rest of the day’s activities. It brought me immense joy and fulfillment fostering a sense of community and camaraderie while prioritizing the group’s well-being.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I am most proud of the impact I left on the Rivian community during my internship. When I moved to central Illinois for the summer and fall semester, I didn’t know anyone. I was initially hesitant when someone referred me to an informal Rivian running group as I didn’t consider myself a runner. I decided to join because I saw it as a great opportunity to meet people, build a personal network, and challenge myself to step outside my comfort zone.

Later, while attending a volunteer event, I learned about a half marathon fundraiser for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Inspired by the cause, I decided to organize and captain a Rivian running team. This was not only a major physical challenge requiring me to train for a distance I had never imagined tacking but also a chance to test my ability to network and bring people together. The race was a huge success! Nearly 20 Rivian employees participated, contributing to St. Jude’s highest-ever fundraising event, and a Rivian cheer squad came out to support us.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose MIT Sloan because it is a place where I can truly be myself and receive support from my peers in pursuing my passions. Everyone I have met here is driven to follow their dreams and create a positive impact in their chosen fields, which inspires me to do the same. Achievements are celebrated, not envied.

MIT has a unique culture, from the buildings being numbered, not named, to the “banana lounge,” a student-run space filled floor to ceiling with free bananas for on-the-go snacking. These aspects of the school’s culture help me embrace my own idiosyncrasies. MIT is teaching us to become leaders who break boundaries, question norms, and leverage our imaginations to change the world.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? My favorite MBA course was actually cross-registered with MIT’s School of Engineering, Sports Technology: Engineering & Innovation, which I took in the spring of 2024. In this class, I collaborated with MIT students from various disciplines and the head coaches of AusCycling, the national governing body for cycling in Australia.

For our project, we were tasked with optimizing the race strategy for the Australian men’s Olympic cycling team in an event called Team Pursuit by developing a user-friendly tool for coaches to use during training and on race day. In the event, four cyclists per team ride in a tight formation around a velodrome, strategically leveraging drag and air resistance. To distribute the workload efficiently, the riders rotate positions throughout the race. Our team designed an algorithm that optimized the starting order of the cyclists based on biomechanical athlete data and determined the ideal timing and location for these position changes.

During the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, this team set a new men’s world record! It was incredible to contribute to their training process and strategy refinement.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? My favorite MIT tradition is Sloan’s student-led clubs. With options ranging from industry-focused groups like Sloan Women in Management to passion-based clubs like Happy Belly, there’s something for everyone. If a club doesn’t exist and enough students are interested, Sloan encourages and supports its creation, making it easy to build community and leave a lasting impact.

That’s exactly what I did by co-founding the MIT Sloan Fitness & Wellness Industry Club. I took the initiative to establish the club’s mission, structure, and initial leadership team, as well as secure funding and recruit founding members. Launching the club put many of the business skills I learned during my MBA to the test.  Everything from market research to branding, communication, professional networking, and (most importantly) team collaboration came into play.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? As a dual master’s student in both the MIT Sloan School of Management and the MIT School of Engineering, I spend time across the entire campus, giving me broader exposure to the institution’s available resources, not just those specific to Sloan.

Over the past two years, I’ve realized how many incredible resources MIT offers that aren’t always well-communicated to Sloan students. For example, the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI), provides fully funded internships and global teaching labs, allowing students to spend weeks or months fully immersed in other countries and cultures in a cost-neutral framework. Additionally, MIT’s Writing and Communication Center offers exceptional support for everything related to effective communication strategies, from editing theses to brainstorming grant proposals to practicing presentations. If I could do one thing differently during my MBA experience, I would work to bridge this communication gap so my classmates could take full advantage of these opportunities.

What is the biggest myth about your school? While it is true that everyone is internally motivated to succeed, the reality is that students are also incredibly humble. People always make time to help one another because they understand that the relationships you build and how you treat others are more important than grades or job offers. I have experienced immense kindness and generosity from my classmates.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? What I loved most about my business school’s town were the cannolis. Despite being obsessed with health and wellness, I have a huge sweet tooth. My favorite dessert is a cannoli, and Boston is home to two extraordinary Italian pastry shops: Mike’s and Bova’s.

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? Hidden Figures best reflects the realities of business. Ideas need to come from all perspectives for projects to be successful. To achieve this, we must commit to making our work environments inclusive, welcoming, and accessible. The film also highlights the importance of empowering women in STEM by ensuring they have the opportunities, support, and recognition they deserve.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? We use AI in all of our classes, and it is actively encouraged! The insights we have gained include questioning the validity of the answers, recognizing biases in the training data, and understanding how we can use AI as a tool without relying on it entirely.

In my Leadership and Organizational Change class, we examined the development of AI tools through a worker-centric lens, discussing strategies to balance technological implementation with operational efficiency while upholding our values, particularly in protecting employee job security. Many of my LGO classmates, for example, developed AI tools during their internships, recognizing that once fully implemented, these tools could automate or even replace certain job responsibilities.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? The MBA classmate I admire most is Rory Burke, MBA ’25, because he taught me something I never expected to learn in business school. By being vulnerable and sharing the adversities he has overcome, he changed my perspective on how I can better understand others. Our conversation introduced me to simple, readily available resources that helped me navigate similar challenges in my own life.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? The top two items on my professional bucket list are the following:

1. Becoming fluent in another language to improve my communication skills and hopefully lead global teams.
2. Becoming an international fitness trainer and presenter for Les Mills.

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

“Accolades: LGO – Co-president of fitness & wellness industry club, member of SIM and Christian Fellowship. Lizzy is so positive and always a pleasure to work with. Her work/service for fitness & wellness club is thorough – the club consistently partners with SLO to plan an event during wellness weeks. Also: MISTI Uruguay AI project, QuT technology sprint. Lizzy also is always highlighting the good deeds of her peers, by nominating people for the SLO community impact spotlight in our newsletter.”

Nia DeYounge
Director of Student Life Office
MIT Sloan

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