Grace Young
Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business
“Highly active; physically, socially, at work, in travel, online. I don’t sleep.”
Hometown: Colchester, Vermont
Fun Fact About Yourself: I have been a vegetarian for over 13 years.
Undergraduate School and Major: University of Maryland, Public Policy/Environmental Studies
Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Carlyle/CFGI, Consultant, Asia and Emerging Markets
What excites you most about studying in Washington, DC? Proximity to the world of government and politics. D.C. is a city of rational, competent, interesting people who I would want to connect with. Aside from its networking opportunities, DC offers a great array of bars, restaurants, museums, and study locations such as the Library of Congress and the National Portrait Gallery.
Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Georgetown McDonough’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? I believe that they have an effective career center and coaching program. It was an easy decision as their job placement and exit offer statistics mirror their more expensive competitors. They noted that nearly every person in the preceding class who pursued an investment banking summer internship was successful and many students go on to work at top banks post-grad. It was clear to me that this program and its associated organizations would provide the resources, information, and connections necessary to achieve my professional goals. My confidence in their career center is important to me as I am in business school to pivot from private equity to investment banking.
What course, club or activity excites you the most at Georgetown McDonough? I am most excited to join the Finance Club. I have already received some materials and information from the club and they seem to have a very extensive preparatory program for students interested in investment banking. I’ve also really liked everyone I’ve met so far in the organization. I’m excited to meet a group of peers with similar interests and goals.
Georgetown McDonough programming focuses heavily on instilling a global mindset. Why is exposure to global diversity so critical to business success? Businesses that prioritize global diversity will expand their customer reach while also closing potential information gaps within a market. By hiring a team with varied backgrounds and experiences, a company will understand how to accommodate a wide array of diverse consumers. People with shared backgrounds tend to also think similarly. Therefore, employing a mixed group of individuals to collaborate on a project can also breed more ideas and new innovations.
Looking at your recruitment, what was the moment when you realized Georgetown McDonough was the right program for you? Why? I attended Georgetown’s MBA Welcome Day before committing. I then received more information about the program and met some of the faculty. They also shared job placement related statistics at the career day. I appreciated how enthusiastic their dean was about the curriculum and career center. I also like that GU prioritizes global recruitment to create a diverse class of students. Georgetown provides a unique educational experience by successfully recruiting international students from over 40 countries. The Welcome Day helped me decide to commit to the program.
Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: During my time at DOJ, I served as the leading paralegal on a case against an adoption agency that was trafficking African children. Prosecuting this case was a strenuous process which required long hours over the course of several weeks. This was a relatively big case, which involved several defendants. We ultimately were successful in prosecuting this case. Successfully assisting in this prosecution is my biggest career accomplishment thus far because of the importance of the case.
Looking ahead two years, what would make your MBA experience successful? My goal is to prepare for a career in investment banking. My MBA experience will be successful if it results in me having the resources and knowledge necessary to attain an Investment Banking Associate position and be an asset in that role. In the interim, I’m looking forward to building a strong network of dedicated, diverse business professionals within the program.
DON’T MISS: MEET GEORGETOWN MCDONOUGH’S MBA CLASS OF 2026
The post Meet the MBA Class of 2026: Grace Young, Georgetown University (McDonough) appeared first on Poets&Quants.
