Not many resumés of MBA students will include this area of expertise from Bernie Goldenberg’s background: professional Latin ballroom dancer.

Though it might seem surprising to some, Latin ballroom dancing is very popular in the Russian émigré community in Brooklyn, where Bernie grew up. He started when he was nine and danced professionally until he was 23. You might even have seen him: He once competed on the reality show “So You Think You Can Dance” (“I got pretty far,” he says, with a certain pride) and was one of the background dancers on “Dancing with the Stars.”

Given his background, Bernie wanted to “stay in the creative space” in college, where he majored in Film & Media Studies and then earned an MFA. That led to opportunities at the intersection of entertainment media, tech and telecom. But he wanted to add more business knowledge and skills to complement his experience.

He hadn’t seriously considered Vanderbilt until a consultant he knew spoke highly of the MBA program. When he visited on Discover Weekend, Bernie says, “the whole experience was amazing. I was treated as if I was already a student before I even did my interview.

“I loved the collaborative, family nature of the school. I was looking for an environment where I wouldn’t feel like I was looking over my shoulder because my classmate was coming at me but more because my classmate was coming to help me.”

At Owen, Bernie has found his niche in brand management and strategy (his team won a case competition during Brand Week between Mods I and II), and he landed an internship with Comcast in Philadelphia that enables him to draw on his background in media and telecom.

Meanwhile, Bernie is enjoying his time in Nashville, where he likes the balance between a more relaxed pace with plenty of nightlife. His favorite discovery so far is Virago, a hip restaurant with Asian fusion fare and a rooftop deck. And if you need a partner for ballroom dancing, you know where to find him.

Fun Fact: Though he grew up in Brooklyn, Bernie was born in St. Petersburg, Russia (back when it was still known as Leningrad).

“I wouldn’t feel like I was looking over my shoulder because my classmate was coming at me but more because my classmate was coming to help me.”