Temi Ojuade, Women Leadership Editor
Women proudly represent 55% of section leadership positions as compared to being 46% of the general population of the class. Temi Ojuade (MBA ’23) speaks to some of these amazing women to share why they decided to run for these positions.
Before I looked at the election data, I strongly held the hypothesis that women hold the majority percentage of section leadership positions. My hypothesis turned out to be true. Women make up 55% of section leadership across all positions and sections according to data from the HBS Student Leadership Directory. Representation differed across sections: Section I had the highest percentage of women leaders at 76% while section G had the lowest percentage at 20%. Across roles, not surprisingly, Women Representatives were 100% women while the lowest representation for women were in the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Representative and Senator roles, both roles having 25% women. The 55% representation in women leadership compared to the 46% women demographics shows the passion that the women of the class of 2023 have for leading to make a difference. I spoke to some of these women leaders about their motivations for running for the specific role they chose.Data by SectionMaleFemaleA67%33%B53%47%C25%75%D40%60%E36%64%F39%61%G80%20%H44%56%I24%76%J44%56%K60%40%Total45%55%Data by PositionMaleFemaleAdmissions Representative42%58%Alumni and Career Representative25%75%Athletic Representative70%30%Community Values Representative22%78%Diversity Equity and Inclusion Representative75%25%Education Representative55%45%Family Representative71%29%Health & Wellness Representative44%56%International Representative38%63%Section President45%55%Senator75%25%Service Representative30%70%Social Chair43%57%Tech Representative50%50%Treasurer71%29%Women’s Representative0%100%
Brianna Kim (MBA ’23) – President, Section I I chose to run for section President because I wanted to empower my sectionmates to feel personally responsible for shaping our section experience. Upon meeting them, I was immediately struck by everyone’s unbelievable backgrounds and knew that those stories only scratched the surface. Perhaps the most important facet of this HBS experience is to immerse yourself in this diverse community and learn from each other’s experiences and perspectives, so I decided to run by embracing this philosophy.
Carly Silver (MBA ’23) – Service Representative, Section F I chose to run for Service Representative as I feel strongly about giving back to the local community and wanted to help facilitate volunteer opportunities for my sectionmates, particularly for causes we feel passionate about. I served as Community Service Chair in my former role at JP Morgan and found the work extremely rewarding! I am working as a Co-service Representative with Kevin Miao. Additionally, I was eager to work with Service Chairs across the RC class and help shape the Section F experience through the leadership team!
Cici Xie (MBA ’23) – Admissions Representative, Section A [I chose to run] because I am passionate about helping prospective students understand the HBS MBA program better. I believe the admission process is a two-way process. I also want to provide more touch points and perspectives for international students.
Elisa Djuhar (MBA ’23) – International Representative, Section E Having lived my entire life as a foreign “other” in first Indonesia, Singapore and then the US, I knew what it was like to be different. Yet as I reflect, too many times we try to adjust and assimilate to the local culture as a foreigner. I wanted to run for International Representative to celebrate the differences that shape our community and foster an experience that encourages us to embrace who we are. As Dr. Maya Angelou once said, “Diversity makes for a rich tapestry.”
Emma Miertschin (MBA ’23) – Women’s Representative, Section K Coming from the male dominated field of engineering, I feel passionate about creating spaces for women to be themselves. I have seen the negative consequences at work for disempowering women, both financially and ethically. I want to help empower the women in my section to be their most authentic selves and experience success in whatever form they envision it.
Laetitia Tiani Vessah (MBA ’23) – Alumni and Career Representative, Section D I want all of us to secure a bag: whether it’s a job offer or an entrepreneurial pursuit. HBS has so many resources for all things career: from the aspirational to the tactical aspects. I wanted to serve as a conduit for Section D to utilize what we paid for and deserve.
Temi Olonilua (MBA ’23) – Community Values Representative, Section B One of the reasons I chose HBS was the section experience. Coming here, I knew I wanted to serve and have an impact on my section in a meaningful way, and I felt that the CV rep position would best allow me to do this. As someone who grew up in a close-knit community, I’ve been proud to bring my full self and strong community values to school and work to actively contribute to and learn from those around me. Working on very diverse teams in my pre-HBS career, I saw how connecting with people on a human level broke down invisible walls and led to a culture of collaboration and respect on an organizational level, created mutually-beneficial relationships rooted in trust, and propelled my teams to realize their full potential. By serving as the CV rep, I’m able to work with other leaders in Section B to shape our section experience.
Temi Ojuade (MBA ’23) is from Nigeria. Prior to HBS, she worked in special situations and distressed investing in London and at an education company in Nigeria. She loves amplifying stories of women. She enjoys baking and rewatching episodes of the medical series, Grey’s Anatomy.
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