Kate Wilkins

Washington University in St. Louis, Olin Business School

“Community-minded leader turning nonprofit experience into data-driven business impact.”

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri

Fun Fact About Yourself: I lived in Italy for two years and went to part of high school there.

Undergraduate School and Major: Washington University in Saint Louis, dual degrees in International Relations & Psychological Brain Sciences, as well as a minor in Legal Studies. I originally wanted to pursue law school.

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Program Manager at Pathways to Independence

What has been your favorite part of St. Louis so far? What makes St. Louis such a great place to earn an MBA? My favorite part of St. Louis is Forest Park. We’re incredibly fortunate to have such a large green space close to campus, offering free activities like the Art Museum, History Museum, and movie nights on Art Hill. A close second is the food scene. I love to eat! St. Louis has an impressive variety of restaurants. This is a city that grows on you with each year you spend here.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Washington Olin’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? One of the most important aspects of Olin for me was its small class size and collaborative culture. I wanted an MBA experience where I felt connected to but not competitive with my classmates, and that has absolutely been the case. The intimate cohort size also makes it easier to build meaningful relationships with faculty, staff, and alumni, which has been a key part of growing my network and creating industry connections.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Washington Olin? My favorite course so far has been Professor Sam Chun’s Marketing Management class. It taught us how to quickly analyze why a firm’s business model succeeds or fails by examining its financials, and it created a dynamic environment where we could actively practice pitching new strategies.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I am early in my career and excited to continue building toward future milestones. One of my proudest accomplishments to date has been co-leading a pilot program at Pathways to Independence that expanded access to services for young adults with disabilities by offering a transportation stipend for scholarship recipients.

Describe your biggest achievement in the MBA program so far: My most exciting achievement so far in the program is receiving the Olin Boardways Fellowship, where I will be a board fellow at Easterseals Midwest. Coming from the disability resource space, I’m excited about the opportunity to continue to enact meaningful change with an organization whose mission I’m passionate about.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far? The best memory of my MBA journey so far was getting elected to Olin’s Graduate Board Student Association as VP of Clubs and Engagement. I was involved in student organizations during undergrad and knew that I would want to experience this again during grad school. The debate was a lively way to hear my classmates’ perspectives and vision for our MBA cohorts. Being elected was rewarding as I got to see one of my personal goals for my MBA experience come to fruition.

© Copyright 2026 Poets & Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets & Quants, please submit your request HERE.