After several years in the corporate healthcare world, Megan Britt was ready for two big changes. She wanted more opportunities for growth and career advancement, and her experience had led her to believe her future was in the management of hospitals.

“On the corporate side of healthcare, you see a lot of people who think the same, or who accept things as they are because that is how they have always been done,” Megan says. “I wanted to understand the forces driving a lot of these decisions and have the knowledge to use them while working to change the system for the better.”

For the Detroit native who attended college in Minnesota, Owen’s healthcare concentration and Nashville’s position as a healthcare hub led her to Vanderbilt. The school’s emphasis on “personal scale” was also a draw. “Here,” Megan says, “your education is yours to shape. You can choose your concentration, emphasis, or specialization, and there are clubs, speaker events, and community involvement opportunities where you can explore everything you have even the slightest interest in.”

During her first year, she became deeply involved in the Owen Black Students Association (she’s serving as president during her second year) and served as Vice President for Inclusion in the Women’s Business Association. For her, the latter role is both an interest and something of a mission. “A big part of what I did prior to coming to business school,” Megan explains, “was working to ensure that minority students knew the opportunities afforded to them and were prepared to pursue them. I wanted to ensure that our school sees people like us for all we have to offer.”

Megan credits her coach in the Leadership Development Program with helping her become more comfortable in presenting herself, and she credits the support from other women in the program with helping her get past “imposter syndrome.”

But really, she says, the entire community has been a supportive network. “My time at Vanderbilt has allowed me to feel more confidence as a woman in business,” she says. “You have organizations like Men as Allies that work with you to make sure you’re able to be seen and heard. I think Vanderbilt is unlike any other in that respect. They just allow you to grow and feel comfortable in yourself.”

Fun Fact: Before coming to business school, Megan had planned to open her own bakery.

Vanderbilt just allows you to grow and feel comfortable in yourself.