Human of Haas: Monique Savner
Why do you think the “global” part of the Global Management Program is important?
I think that everyone would get along a whole lot better if people were more aware and understanding of other people’s behaviors and cultural ideals. I think it’s important to be a well-rounded, globalized person to have any hope of solving greater international conflict. I also chose to do GMP because I really like languages. I wouldn’t want to spend this short time we have on Earth just knowing one language and one way of life. I hope to work internationally and hopefully be able to influence international events and relations one day.
Who is somebody you look up to?
Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She’s incredible, and managed to defy gender roles in some ways, but also conform to them in other ways. She proved that to be a strong feminist woman, you don’t have to be super conventional. You can still have a husband, a kid, and a house, but you can still change the world. That’s something I really look up to and hope to emulate one day.
In your TedTalk, you talked about how your medical condition impacted you during high school. Did it influence your decision to study in GMP?
Before I found out I had hypothyroidism, I was a tennis player — that was everything I was. When I got the news, it was the first time that anything in my life had gone off plan, and the first time I ever faced a roadblock. I had to do a complete 180. I realized after I recovered, I would have to figure out who I was without tennis, which I had been doing since I was 2 or 3 years old.
That matched with my interests in international studies, because traveling the world leads you to so many opportunities and spontaneous events. International business opens up so many opportunities, and I feel like this major doesn’t really close any doors. I feel like for me, there’s so many directions I could possibly go, and GMP gives me a plan right now, but also one with a lot of flexibility at the same time.
