Melissa
The internal fire
Update:
This was recorded in early 2019 and much has changed since our conversation here! Melissa just completed her MBA and started a new position at the Mayo Clinic.
Melissa and I lived on the same floor freshman year at Penn and quickly became close friends as we suffered studied for our calculus class. Mel as I call her has always struck me as super smart, friendly, and charming. She is the quintessential leader, with finesse and intelligence.
Currently, a portfolio manager at Cantel Medical, Melissa drives her company’s long-term strategy and has worked on a number of acquisitions to achieve her company’s goals. Ultimately, she wants to lead a company in the healthcare space, a dream she’s had since she started taking courses in engineering entrepreneurship in college.
College has had a big influence on Melissa’s definition of success. Completing the Penn Engineering program is her biggest accomplishment as it taught her the importance of perseverance, “gutting it out”, and being strategic about how she focused her time. Even today, Melissa looks for ways to develop her endurance -- she loves doing triathlons and trains often. It’s been helpful for her career as she’s been able to apply the tenacity and discipline from her triathlon races to her work. “It’s going to be hard, but I can do it.” Melissa admires others who have this discipline and internal fire as well--it’s what sets the good from the great.
Success to Melissa involves leaving a legacy: she wants to be the type of grandmother whom her grandchildren can say “my grandma did this and she’s so cool.” She knows her definition will continue to evolve, but she believes success to her will involve being knowledgeable and doing something great with social impact. She wants a balance of her career, relationship, and her family.
While in the long-term, Melissa is most concerned with her grandchildren’s perception of her, in the short-term, she believes she’s her own biggest critic. She knows she can do better, go further even if she has already met others’ expectations. This is why she believes she’s successful.