Michelle Huang (W'23)
What is your current position and where are you based?
Associate Consultant at Bain in San Francisco
What year did you graduate and what did you study at Penn?
Wharton Class of 2023; Business Analytics and Marketing
Could you share more about your journey from Penn to Bain?
Huang was involved with Penn Social Entrepreneurship Movement and Wharton Women Pro-Bono Consulting. Within PennSEM, she was the VP of Outreach for one year before becoming Co-President her senior year. As VP of Outreach, she planned and hosted fireside chats with the founders of Daily Harvest and Saxbys. In Wharton Women, she was a Project Lead and consulted for a jewelry company looking to expand into the wedding ring market. Huang’s initial introduction into consulting as a job was through an internship with Deloitte working with a software company. She joined Bain full-time and has really enjoyed the diversity of projects.
What are some of the trends in the consulting landscape and what are your future predictions?
Since Huang is based in San Francisco, there is a huge emphasis on technology. She believes that AI will continue to play an integral role in helping Bain become more productive, effective, and efficient in helping clients.
Favorite memory in Wharton Women?
Being a project leader in Pro-Bono Consulting and having the opportunity to work directly with founders and present your research analysis and findings to them to give recommendations.
What advice do you have for our members as they begin exploring internships, careers, and the business world at large?
Joining clubs at Penn is a great way to learn about a career (e.g., consulting, finance, investing, etc.). It provides hands-on experience in working with a team, conducting research, and solving problems. She also recommends attending all events Wharton Women hosts with guest speakers as it is the best way to gain insight into their daily lives. Reaching out to Penn alumni is a helpful resource to learn about different careers and explore various industries. Huang also recommends challenging oneself through coursework. Her favorite class was MKTG 278: Strategic Brand Management where the Chief Brand Officer of Estee Lauder and Chief Marketing Officer of EOS were invited as guest speakers. The class she considers most useful is OIDD 321: Introduction to Management Science where you get lots of exposure to Excel analysis–a skill she has been able to apply at Bain.
What advice would you give to your 19-year-old self?
Huang’s biggest advice is to always ask questions. As a student, you are not expected to know everything or what you want to do in the future. Therefore, it is important to ask questions to those who have a life you look up to. Another piece of advice is to approach everything with an open mind. For example, take fun classes but also ones that are challenging. Sometimes the hardest classes are the most valuable ones.