Intentionality and Community
Katrina Malone, graduate of the Financial Decision-Making certificate program at the University of Chicago Graham School, grew up in Milwaukee surrounded by her extended family, composed of siblings, cousins, neighbors, friends, neighbors’ friends… an eclectic and tight community. The youngest of four, she spent most of her time with them at the local Lutheran school. Most things were done as a group which came with a great sense of security. She was a good and very shy student whose 3rd grade teacher, aware of her potential and timidity, pushed to engage in social activities. From public speaking classes to theater and poetry clubs, basket-ball and volley-ball teams, Katrina enjoyed everything about learning. It came with equal success regardless of the setting and brought comforting feelings of belonging to a growing and diverse community.
As adolescence turned into adulthood, important decisions arose, one being a job transfer to the Windy city. Coming to Chicago by herself made her miss and appreciate that closeness to her community, and started to shape her professional vision. Helping others get involved in their neighborhood became a recurring thought, and building sustainable communities became a far-reached goal. Meanwhile, as a commercial banker, dealing with people faced with financial struggles, was a constant reminder of the combined value of community support and education.
When a colleague told her about the Financial Decision-Making Certificate program at the Graham School, Katrina thought it was a good opportunity to go back to school, keep learning and engage with, yet, a new group associated with a tradition of greatness, diversity and knowledge. She enjoyed the whole Graham experience and met an unexpected mentor in her Financial Economics instructor, Ira Goldberg. While Katrina was very appreciative of Ira’s instruction, it was the humanity, support and spirit of challenge he brought to the classroom that inspired her. As she describes it herself:
“Ira put his heart in his course. Every day, he had his students discuss current economic problems so that the theory quickly turned into practice scenarios, and critical thinking became a second nature. He challenged all of us and he pushed me to think about grad school.”
… And in typical Ira’s exigent fashion, if graduate school was an option, a prestigious program had to be considered. This had never been one of Katrina’s considerations but as it became a familiar theme of discussion, it also turned into a conceivable alternative.
Katrina and Ira stayed in touch after the completion of her certificate program in 2013. Back at the bank, she kept her commitment to helping her community and agreed to assist her church with the financing of new real-estate projects. Ira got involved, advising her on financial aspects of the plan. This new venture led Katrina to meet people in the construction sector. Eager to make her best contribution, she decided to take construction management courses.
This is how she met Goldie B. Wolfe Miller, a renowned Chicago-based real estate professional who has dedicated her life to supporting women interested in commercial real estate through the Women Leaders in Real Estate Initiatives. In 2014, Katrina was awarded Goldie’s scholarship to start a graduate program. After a few semesters in a Master of Science in Real-Estate at Roosevelt University, she knew that an MBA would be a better fit.
Meanwhile, Ira was still in the background, building his case on Ivy League possibilities. Stanford, Harvard, and local high-ranked universities became recurring names. Katrina sent her application to Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in June 2015 and received news that she was accepted last July. As for Ira’s case on always reaching higher? Katrina learned recently that she was awarded the 2016 AAUW fellowship. The American Association of University Women is a prestigious nonprofit organization that promotes equity and education for women. Since it was founded in 1881, its goal has been to empower women as individuals and as a community.
While Katrina’s daily life has become a bit more complicated to organize, her direction has been justified. From working full-time to going to class on the weekends and volunteering with block development at her church, she keeps going back to her roots: a strong sense of community combined with intentionality creates opportunities. Her ultimate goal has not changed but is now clear as she has become better equipped to act upon it: paying it forward by working on investment strategies to develop urban markets and promoting the development of sustainable communities in the Midwest.
Do not hesitate to contact me if you wish to have one of your students recognized or a particular classroom event featured in the PDP Newsletter. Karine Bravais: kbravais@uchicago.edu
Agenda
Karine’s Note
2016-2017 Career Services Update
New PDP Team Members
New PDP Programs
Student Profile: Katrina Malone
Faculty Interview: Meet Mary Elizabeth
Meet the Graham Staff: 10 Facts about Bonni Van Eck
