Meet The Berkeley Haas MBA Class of 2018

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Camille Forde

Haas School of Business, University of California-Berkeley

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Conscious consumer determined to explore the world, improve communities, connect authentically, and live fully.

Hometown: Brockton, MA

Fun Fact About Yourself I’m a novice metalsmith. Currently, I’m working on my first set of silver stackable rings.

Undergraduate School and Major: Bentley University, Corporate Finance and Accounting

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation

Assurance Senior Associate, PwC

National Corporate Responsibility Fellow, PwC

Corporate Responsibility Manager, PwC

Describe the biggest accomplishment in your career so far: In my corporate responsibility role, I often met with nonprofits to identify opportunities for PwC to help them reach their goals. One of those nonprofits was BUILD Boston, an organization that uses entrepreneurship to help unlock the potential of students in under-resourced communities. Students receive seed funding from venture capitalists and mentorship from business professionals to start their own businesses. In 2015, I worked closely with the leaders at BUILD Boston and the PwC Charitable Foundation, and secured funding to launch business incubators in two Boston public schools, the first school-based incubators in the city.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? Start the process early. From taking exams to securing recommendations, the earlier you map out a plan, the better off (and hopefully less stressed) you’ll be. For the GMAT, determine whether or not you should take an exam prep class and, if you do, stick to the study schedule. The Manhattan GMAT in-class option was most effective for me.

Introspection and reflection were critical to my essays and interview preparation. Think critically about the decisions you’ve made to date, and why. While it can be tempting to say what you think admissions wants to hear, it’s most important to let your authentic voice shine through.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? Assessing “fit” was one of the primary criteria during my search for an MBA program. Though I certainly wanted a rigorous academic program, I was also seeking a transformational experience. For me, that meant being in a challenging yet supportive ecosystem that would stretch me personally and professionally. Through my discussions with current students and campus visits, I quickly discovered that Haas was best suited to provide the experience I was looking for.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life. My dream employer is a socially conscious retail company. I am fascinated by how and what people consume, and more importantly, the social and environmental impacts of those choices. I want to contribute to a retail company that is uniquely positioned to challenge how products are produced and to empower the communities in which they operate.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? I hope that my classmates will know me as a friend who helped foster an inclusive environment at Haas. I would like them to think of me as someone who shared my beliefs and life experiences with them while being open to learning from perspectives different from my own. I would want them to say I was willing to be uncomfortable and face my fears. Lastly, I hope they are able to say that I contributed to making their experience unforgettable.

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