Tell us about yourself and what brought you to Stern?
I am a second year student in the full-time MBA program specializing in Strategy, Tech Management + Operations, and Leadership & Change Management. Prior to Stern, I worked in the communications industry for about 7 years, where I devised creative solutions for the marketing and branding needs of clients like Canon, Jameson, HBO, The Super Bowl, and The NY Yankees. I came to Stern with the goals of hitting the reset button on my career (I’ll be going into consulting after graduation), broadening my horizons, learning new skills, and meeting people from diverse backgrounds.
When and how did the sternmbamemes account come about? Did it exist before our class?
It had never existed before! I started it during LAUNCH 2019. I remember being stressed about beginning business school and quickly realizing that, while it is an experience that should be taken seriously, it is also one rife with absurdity. Learning that we had to bring in 2 items on the first day, for what was essentially a 30-year old’s version of “show and tell,” was the catalyst. I was already familiar with Stern Follies, but thought it would be fun to chronicle and add levity to the day-to-day or week-to-week events of b-school in an additional way. Subsequently, SternMBAMemes was born.
When did your passion for creating and/or distributing memes begin?
I had never made a meme before business school. Goal of learning new skills: check.
What has been your favorite meme on the account so far?
Too tough to pick just one. But I’ll give you some of my favorites — the last of which has a video component.
Have you had any backlash from any memes yet?
The administration, who admittedly has been the target of much of the content, has been incredibly supportive. There’s even a clip of a few of them sharing some kind words in the second and third panels of this post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CEU9gfzAA9J/
To be clear: none of the messaging is meant as a personal attack on anyone. The account has always sought to unify Sternies by adding levity to what’s happening at school through a shared platform. It’s fun when Beth or others from the admin team “like” one of the posts. Knowing that they are laughing with all of us and have a sense of humor about everything is a great feeling.
Since you’ll be graduating soon, who will you be passing the reins to?
Good question….consider this a call to auction for anyone interested. There’s no plan to hand it off at the moment. Slide into those DMs if you want to take the account over.
Do you plan on starting an alumni meme account?
While the meme game is highly lucrative, it’s probably best that I dedicate my attention to my full-time job post-graduation. Having said that, I’m always looking for a creative outlet…so never say never.
