Una Kim 

University of California Berkeley’s Haas School of Business

“Woman on a mission: Destroy the single story. Champion multidimensional narratives. Uplift the minority experience.”

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve sung songs and recorded voiceovers for children’s sing-along and audiobooks like Winnie the Pooh, Dora the Explorer, Scooby-Doo, and Barbie.  

Undergraduate School and Major: Harvard University, Economics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Deloitte Consulting, Strategy & Operations Consultant 

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: It’s a toss-up between A) using my economics degree to build the integrated financial model of a $90B conglomerate setting up a new Internet of Things / Analytics business, which then directly resulted in a sizable company acquisition; or B) managing two fighter jet assembly stations and gaining the trust and respect of the 70 blue-collar male mechanics I was overseeing who refused to work with me at first (totally reasonable since I knew nothing about fighter jets!) but slowly and surely became good friends of mine, even inviting me to their bowling league and requesting that I be extended on the project.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Humble. In a world that rewards supremacy, prestige, and individualism, I am inspired by my fellow Berkeley Haas classmates who demonstrate humility and selflessness in both big and small ways. From sharing interview questions with peers who are vying for the same exact internship position to offering to drive others to and from the furniture and grocery stores even though they live on the opposite end of campus, Haasies motivate me to cultivate strength through meekness.

Berkeley Haas is founded on four Defining Leadership Principles: Question the Status Quo, Confidence Without Attitude, Students Always, and Beyond Yourself. Which pillar resonates most with you and why? Question the Status Quo. Because Romans 12:2.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? Business school is a gift of two years for deep reflection and introspection. I quickly realized that Berkeley Haas is the best place for me to examine, question, solidify, and embrace my identity. Diversity, equity, and inclusion aren’t just one-time training topics during orientation here at Haas. They are part of a continued dialogue between students, faculty, and staff, who are all encouraged to extensively scrutinize their own identity. What makes you who you are? How do these factors impact the way you consciously and unconsciously view others? What can we do to enable each individual to proudly share his or her personal story? How will you be true to your authentic self? As a daughter of an immigrant mother who raised me by herself, and as a first-generation college student, there was always one or more facets of my life that I felt like I had to hide. Not anymore. Not at Berkeley Haas.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Digital Media & Entertainment Club (DMEC). I am convinced that many of our biases against both others and ourselves stem from what we consume through the media starting at an early age. Through DMEC, I hope to explore the ways in which we can use technology (in general) and digital media/entertainment (in particular) to create more multidimensional narratives and role models for young students of color with the overarching end-goal of reducing harmful self-generalizations, bridging socioeconomic rifts, and empowering women and minorities to seek out leadership roles in entertainment, corporations, government, and beyond.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? “Who are you?”

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I am incredibly grateful to have started my professional career in management consulting at Deloitte and wouldn’t change the past few years for any other job. Given the nature of client services, however, it can be difficult to take really big risks consistently throughout a project. I had ample opportunities to master the core consulting skills and was ready to go back to a safe classroom-learning environment where no idea is too crazy and we are both expected to take risks and encouraged to go off the beaten path. I knew that pursuing an MBA was the next step in developing my executive decision-making skills, becoming a true thought leader, and following my North Star.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? In addition to Berkeley Haas, I applied to Anderson, Booth, GSB, and Kellogg.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? It was important for me to factor in the dean’s top priority areas, geographic location, and historical data from employment reports. At the end of the day, after visiting each school and chatting with current students and alums, determining the best fit was all about my gut feeling. “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I’ve had two equally defining moments in my life so far. The first was coming to an intellectual, evidence-based conclusion about why I do or do not believe in God. This is the bedrock of my worldview. The second was realizing that my identity as a first-generation daughter of a single-parent immigrant mother who came to America with nothing but a foreign accent was not something to be ashamed of, but the source of all my strengths. This was my liberation.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? In 10 years, I hope to be a loving wife, a patient mother, a thoughtful daughter, a generous friend, and an innovative business leader championing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.