Full Name: Kaja Sorensen-Jarrett
Program: MSOMS
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Undergraduate school: NYU Gallatin
Undergraduate major: “The Implications of Fabric”
Previous work/internship experience (if applicable):
- Marketing Intern, Berkshire Hathaway
- Marketing Intern, Broadway Suites
- ODHR Intern, NYC Department of Environmental Protection
Full Time offers received:
- Market Research Intern, MayTech Global Investments
Favorite restaurant near NYU Stern:
- Dante, Tomo21 Sushi, Moustache Pita
Favorite restaurant near NYU Shanghai:
- Din Tai Fung, Belloco, Qingchun Pumen
What led you to apply for and enroll in this program?
After finishing my bachelor’s a semester early, I quickly realized that I wanted a bridge from my academic life to my professional career. While I was accepted into a number of master’s programs, Shanghai felt the most different from anything else I looked at. The perceived challenge prompted me to accept and I am glad that I did.
Which course(s) and/or professor(s) stand out from this past year?
We are so lucky that every single professor was incredibly open and engaging throughout the year, making it impossible to choose. However, an apparent theme appeared when considering the courses that stuck out the most: “The Strategic Landscape”, “The Strategist”, and “Advanced Strategy Analysis”.
What was your favorite part of the capstone project experience?
It was amazing to be one of the leaders chosen because you get to put the moving parts of management into play. When you’re learning about it, as somebody that won’t be head of a company anytime soon, it can feel a bit far from the present. Being able to practice those skills provided motivation that everything could be applicable even in the present.
What are some favorite memories from your time in NYC and Shanghai this past year?
It’s quite simple, but getting dinner with my classmates. The sense of community, weaving in and out of the collective throughout the year, always hit when we’d delay the commute home to just sit in each other’s company. That kind of thing creates a feeling that is hard to pin to any one particular evening.
If you could go back in time to Orientation at Stern, what would you tell yourself as you were just starting the program?
I’m somebody that enjoys the process of things, making me much too content to answer this without it being dishonest.
What are your plans after graduation?
My immediate plans are to spend the summer working in the city at MayTech Global Investments. I'm incredibly grateful to have the next few months with such a great team. I didn’t expect to be working in finance, but am excited to see where it leads.
In the long-term, I’m looking to move to Europe again and stay there for my PhD.
