Majoring in human and organizational development at Vanderbilt, Lainey Garside was interested in pursuing a career in consulting. But she wasn’t sure whether it was right for her—or whether she had the abilities she would need. Accelerator led her to the answers.

“I wanted to prove to myself that I can be a consultant,” says the Nashville native. “And I wanted to gain more experience and confidence in a business environment to prepare for interviews, job recruitment, and my future career.”

Now that the immersion program is over, Lainey’s doubts have been erased. “I truly think this program will be why I will get the job I take after college,” she says. “I learned more in three weeks than in any business class [in school].”

She credits the professors and mentors in the program with much of that. “They are absolutely incredible and such amazing role models to look up to,” Lainey says. “They see our potential and invest themselves because they truly care.”

Beyond her work with these mentors as part of the program, Lainey was able to have individual lunches with two of them. Investing in these relationships led to the internship she’ll be taking on this fall— “an opportunity,” she says, “I would not have been given without Accelerator.

“I don’t mean to sound dramatic, but I believe Accelerator has altered the trajectory of my career because I have learned so much. The connections I have made will last a lifetime, and the lessons I learned from the guest speakers and professors will stick with me for the rest of my career.”

Fun Fact: Lainey loves to sing.

“I wanted to gain more experience and confidence in a business environment to prepare for interviews, job recruitment, and my future career.”