By Arial Starks
Rachel Alden
Vanderbilt Business is known across the globe for its high caliber of students, faculty, and staff. In this edition of People of Vanderbilt, we spotlight MBA student Rachel Alden, who shares a little about herself.
What’s your secret talent?
I can sing. When I was 13 years old, I sang in Carnegie Hall as part of a choir that debuted a Requiem in Latin. It’s not something I talk about often because it was a long time ago and not something I pursued as I got older. Also, after watching too many seasons of American Idol growing up, I never wanted to be one of those people who proclaimed to have a beautiful voice while simultaneously not being able to carry a tune (if you ever watched the early seasons, you know what I’m talking about). All in all, my sister has probably still never forgiven me for stopping my music lessons and performing duets with her in the living room.
Who or what empowers you at Vanderbilt?
My teammates empower me. When you have a great team dynamic, it’s one of the most gratifying experiences in business school because it makes not only the work and time together enjoyable but you’re also confident (regardless of the actual grade) that the team put out their best product because everyone brought their full range of experience to bear. Not every team will have this dynamic, which is true in both school and the workplace, but it’s something I strive for each Mod. I am someone who works best in a collaborative environment, and prefer to have product development be an iterative process because I think that’s how you get to the best solution; when various perspectives are incorporated and others can share their expertise openly. At the end of the day, regardless of what portion of the work someone is assigned, the product is a reflection of us all and should incorporate each perspective to tell the full story. That collaborative process and having my teammates as thought partners along the way empowers me to learn and think critically about the problem or solution at hand.
What are 1 or 2 experiences that have really shaped your time here at Vanderbilt?
At the end of Mod 1, a friend and I took a trip to Dallas, because we were considering internship opportunities in the city and also wanted to visit the hometown of some of our classmates, who did an awesome job of showing us around the city for the weekend. Because COVID restrictions were still in place, our class wasn’t able to take any career treks, and most of our recruiting events were virtual. However, during one of my virtual chats, an alumni living in Dallas offered to host me at the company she worked for so I could get a feel for the environment. This experience really showed me how alumni truly believe in the values and continuation of the Owen community, even after graduation, and want to see the new generations of graduates succeed in their careers. This was the point when I realized I’d joined a business community that made even big companies and cities feel personal by finding informal opportunities to connect with each other no matter the circumstances.
What’s your favorite way to connect with the Vanderbilt community?
The WBA Class of 2023 started a new tradition early on called Coffee Roulette, where 2 WBA students were randomly paired up to grab coffee that week. It was so well-received that it was rolled out during Mod 4 to our entire MBA class. I love the Coffee Roulette tradition, because it creates opportunities at least once per week for me to connect with someone new in my class or someone I don’t see around as often. It’s also a great reminder in general to get out of one’s bubble and reach out to someone who you haven’t connected with in a while. The one on one conversations are great for getting to know classmates on a more personal level and you learn so much about each person’s background this way.
What’s something you’ve learned about yourself during your time at Vanderbilt?
Not only was this trait identified as part of my Hogan Assessment, but it’s also come up in some of my project groups; I can be very diligent about my group responsibilities and can put an immense amount of pressure on myself to be perfect. One thing I’ve learned in my managerial classes is that focusing on perfection can overshadow the skill development process and hinder one’s ability to ask questions and for help. This is something I’ve actively tried to be aware of and scale back as I continued my classes at Owen during Year 1. What I’ve also realized from this is that my diligence comes from wanting to learn new skills and support the needs of the group, in which case the goal isn’t to be perfect but to utilize the available resources at Owen to come up with a viable product.
Looking back on your time here at Vanderbilt, what is one of your favorite memories, activities, or rituals?
One of my favorite activities at Owen has been attending the TuneHatch concerts. TuneHatch is an online platform developed and run by students in the MBA 2023 class that connects local musicians and venues to host live performances. The first show I attended was during Mod 3 and was conducted as part of the coursework for the Launching the Venture class at Owen. Since then, the team has continued to grow the company and host showcases at different locations around the city. I’ve loved getting to support my classmates through these shows and hearing awesome up-and-coming artists in the process. So many of my fellow classmates have amazing backgrounds and side projects that they’ve been able to incorporate into coursework or continue developing outside of Owen. Any time I can attend these events, I am inspired by their work and dedication to their ideas.
Looking forward, what are you most excited about this year?
Some of the things I’m most excited about are undertaking an independent study, being a peer coach for the CMC, and being a second year case partner for students looking to enter consulting. Additionally, I’ve also heard that during second year, students have more time to travel. My class already has a lot of trips planned, like an Oktoberfest trip and delayed course trip to Israel. Before I left for b-school, my manager’s advice was to take advantage of school breaks to travel, because you might not get that type of time once entering the workforce again. My goal is to not take these opportunities for granted.
Are you in a leadership role associated with Vanderbilt? If so, name the organization and title.
I am the VP of Alumni Relations for the Women’s Business Association (WBA).
