Noreen Latif (W'17)
Email: Feel free to contact Noreen Latif at noreen.latif@kellogg.northwestern.edu
What did you study at Penn and when did you graduate?
I graduated Wharton in 2017, with concentrations in Finance, Management, Marketing and Legal Studies (they used to be very liberal about the concentrations). After graduation, I worked at Deloitte for four years (specifically in healthcare consulting). Now I am pursuing my JD/MBA at Northwestern University in Chicago.
What were you involved with as an undergraduate?
Wharton Women GBM, Wharton Business and Law Association, Wharton Management Club, Wharton Undergraduate Giving Society, Greek Life (Zeta), and I also was a Spanish tutor for West Philly kids.
What do you do now and where are you based? What past positions have you held?
I am based in Chicago, because I go to Kellogg and Northwestern Law. I was a consultant at Deloitte before.
What was your favorite part of Penn/Wharton?
To give a boring academic answer, I loved learning about different areas of business, and trying them out. In general, my favorite was definitely the experience.
What advice do you wish you had known when you were an undergraduate?
Be open to trying new things! When you look back things are not as big as they once seemed to be. Consulting jobs are harder to get as a junior, easier to get as a senior because there are less summer internships than full-time jobs. Also, it’s okay to change your mind about your career trajectory, major etc.
How has being a woman affected your career trajectory, if it has?
Not consciously, but subconsciously, I tended to be more quiet and reserved in larger settings. I chose the healthcare industry mainly because of the abundance of strong women managers/senior managers (also you are helping people). I think that industries with strong women mentors are the best.
What are the best and worst career advice you have ever received?
Best: Think less about the job, more about the people. At the end of the day, you can’t live all of the days you are at the job, if you like the people, it’s much more enjoyable. I would rather pick a team with great people working on a boring topic over a team working on an exciting topic with no connection.
Worse: Networking and branding too much. If you know your brand too specifically, it can be very hard to be open minded about career opportunities. You should have some criteria but you shouldn’t be too rigid.
What’s your favorite thing to do for fun?
My hobbies are watching TV, painting, baking (I am better at baking than painting but I enjoy both) Also hanging out with friends, socializing etc.
What’s your favorite place you’ve ever been to?
Istanbul, Turkey. It is a beautiful place with a mix of many cultures, and great food.
What’s your favorite book you’ve ever read?
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, I highly recommend it if you are into true crime, documentaries etc. There is also a TV series on the same topic, called The Dropout.