Consultant Spotlight - January 2024

How long have you been with miLEAD? 

I went through the miLEAD orientation in early April of 2023 so about 9-10 months.

What is the focus of your research?

My research is focused on using AI to investigate how bacteria resist antibiotic treatment by forming biofilms. If we can improve our understanding of how the biofilms are established and maintained, we can improve our ability to treat the infections they cause.

What are your current career goals?

As I move closer to graduation, I’m particularly excited to continue networking in areas like consulting and research operations. I’m a very people-oriented person so my main goal is to find great teams of diverse people, who stay curious and value strong communication. I’m on the lookout for more opportunities to engage in leadership, building people, and problem solving.

What roles have you played on projects? 

I’ve noticed that I tend to prioritize integrating with my team right away. I always want to open the lines of communication early so that, when we hit a time crunch, it’s easier to ask the right person the right questions quickly. I’ve been a mentor to first-time consultants, a data analyst, an interviewer, a strategist, and sometimes I’m just the person who’s willing to ask questions. I think we all wind up playing a lot of different roles on a single project out of necessity, but that’s part of what makes it such a compelling experience.

What led you to seek out milead?

Counterintuitively, because I expected my application to be rejected. Perfectionism is something a lot of PhD students can probably relate to and, with that, often goes a fear of failure. I applied to miLEAD as part of a self-challenge, to take opportunities I expected to fail. Worst case scenario, I would receive a professionally-worded rejection letter and be proven right. As it turns out, less than a year later, I’m 2 projects in, a case competition prize-winner, and my entire outlook on my career options in life has changed. So far, no regrets.

Since joining miLEAD, what skills have you been able to develop?

I’ve learned a lot about building and managing professional relationships. miLEAD is an amazing opportunity to work with a highly diverse set of people. The clients span many different industries, and other miLEAD members have a wide range of academic backgrounds and motivations for being here. You get practice seeing how team hierarchies operate, how misalignments are resolved, and how different people operate under pressure. Projects are fast paced but the richness of that learning environment is worth it.

What has been one of your most rewarding experiences thus far working with miLEAD? 

I was thrilled to be a Trustee on the launch committee for the miLEAD Assets Management Group (AMG).After all the planning and work, it was so rewarding when we officially opened the account to actively manage miLEAD funds. I will also never forget my experience as the Project Manager for an incredibly talented team in the 2023 Midwest Healthcare Case Competition (MHCC). Given that only 1 member of our team had any prior case competition experience, and it definitely wasn’t me, I’m still blown away by the fact that we placed in the finals. It was an absolutely crazy week of daily meetings, constant slack messages, late night zoom calls with power points on screen share, and I would go through it with that team again in a heartbeat.