Isaiah Cyprien

Boston College, Carroll School of Management

“Two roads diverge in a yellow wood, and I’ll make time to travel both.”

Fun fact about yourself: I have commitment issues when it comes to instruments. I can play 7 instruments but have stuck with almost all of them for less than a year each.

Hometown: Bronx, NY

High School: Saint Paul’s School (NH)

Major: Business Analytics and Accounting

Favorite Business Course: Financial Statement Analysis

My favorite business course throughout my BC career was Financial Statement Analysis taught by Professor Amy Hutton. I loved the class because it recalled skills that I built from all of the business courses I had taken before senior year. . . .

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

Tour Guide Coordinator, Panelist – Student Admissions Program

President – Consult Your Community

Co-Founder – Case Competition Cohort

Teaching Assistant – Business Stats, Portico

Student-Athlete Tutor – Business Statistics

Manager – Women’s Basketball

Where have you interned during your college career?

WorldTeach – Cambridge, MA – Communications Intern

KPMG – New York, NY – Forensic Advisory Intern

Deloitte Consulting – Boston, MA – Strategy and Operations Summer Scholar

Where will you be working after graduation? Deloitte Consulting – Boston, MA – Strategy and Operations Analyst

Who is your favorite professor? My favorite professor is Professor (and Dean) Amy LaCombe. I had the privilege of having Professor LaCombe for my freshman seminar class in the Fall of 2015 and since then she has been my go-to person for advice time and time again, regardless of what I needed. She’s offered me so much professional, academic, and life advice over the course of my four years and BC would be far worse off without her.

What did you enjoy most about your business school? What I enjoy most about Carroll is the high level of interaction between the instructors and students. The number of times I find myself (affectionately) forgetting the title of various faculty members because of how close I feel to them is pretty alarming.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? I would say to never forget that business is as social as it is technical. As important as it is to continue learning new skills and exposing yourself to new situations in academic or professional settings, it is just as important to continue picking up soft skills and learn how you connect with other people.

What has surprised you most about majoring in business? The thing that surprises me most about majoring in business is how often I find myself jarred into business lines of thought by the world around me. Initially, when I thought business, I would always think about numbers and money. After four years of study, I see the impact of businesses and their decisions everywhere (both positive and negative).

“If I didn’t major in business, I would be majoring in or studying… Economics and Psychology. Before applying to colleges I leisurely read Misbehaving by Richard Thaler and was 100% convinced I would become a specialist in behavioral economics.”

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? Of the many things that drive me, my biggest motivator has always been people telling me that I couldn’t do something or that it is over my head and business is no different. Ever since I started vocalizing that I was interested in consulting in high school, I noticed that some people would give me weird looks or make comments suggesting that I should have a backup plan. Given that, I was motivated to pursue and succeed in studying business in college due to my urge to prove the doubters wrong.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I think the proudest I have been in college was the first time someone said that they looked up to me. As someone that benefited from many strong role models throughout my life, knowing that I could provide that for someone else is extremely special.

Which classmate do you most admire? The peer I admire the most is Andy Kearney (BC ’18). There is a Jesuit saying “Men and women for others” and Andy is the human embodiment of that phrase. I watched him wake up every day and serve other people before doing a single thing for himself, sometimes leaving starting his schoolwork to the dead of night. He has such a large propensity towards helping others along with a ridiculously high motor and I think the world definitely needs more people like him.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? My mother on two different levels. Firstly, she gave birth to me, which is 100% necessary for me to be able to do anything on this earth. Secondly, she had the difficult task of raising me and instilling the discipline and values in me that allowed me to make it this far (and hopefully further).

What are the top two items on your bucket list?

1. To  become head coach of a sports team at any level.
2. To write a critically acclaimed book.

What are your hobbies? I spend my free time lifting weights, memorizing songs, and looking at outfit inspo.

What made Isaiah such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2019?

“Isaiah is genuinely one of the most curious students I have seen, inside and outside the classroom. It is about the process of learning for him and not the grade. He is like a sponge with the material and not afraid to raise his hand or speak up if something does not make sense, thus making the learning environment better. He carries this over into aspects outside of class, whether it is putting together a lengthy and detailed excel spreadsheet of the schedule of all of the tour guides for Boston College or breaking down NFL offenses at 6 AM just because he loves to do so. There is not a person more involved on campus too and I truly believe that stems from his love of learning. The more he learns, the more he feels called to action. He is the president of Consult Your Community and he founded Case Competition Cohort, both from a need to help small businesses that are resource-strapped and to help BC students better prepare for national case competitions. Isaiah is a remarkable learner who is feels a calling to put that knowledge into action.”

Amy Lacombe
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Curriculum

“Isaiah is committed and driven in all that he does – academics, extracurricular life, and personal relationships. With a task at hand, I am always confident Isaiah will get the job done and get it done well. He has made an incredible contribution to the Student Admission Program over the last 4 years, and his leadership skills have provided guidance and mentorship to many other BC students as well, a true living example of BC’s Jesuit mission.”

Kayte Hager
Senior Assistant Director, Office of Undergraduate Admissions

“I have been thinking about Isaiah a lot lately.  For two years, he has held a pretty important position for us (me).  I give Isaiah very little direction.    He holds himself to a high standard.  He takes great pride in his work and is always, always present.  He is a visible leader of about 140 volunteers for the past two years.  He has a great reputation among our staff.

Isaiah is the right combination of intellect and charm, substance and fun.  He identifies situations pretty quickly and applies the needed qualities in whatever combination necessary.  While he can be a tough critic of himself, he can shake it off and be ready for the next challenge.

For me, I need to trust these leaders.  Most days, I am actually not on campus.  I need to believe that my coordinators can do their job.  But, along the way, they have to model behavior for all of the volunteers.  They can’t get flustered.  They have to be firm about our policies.  They have to be charismatic enough to keep these students motivated on the very cold days, the very hot days, and the days when they just want to do something else.  If Isaiah liked his title more than he liked his job, he would not be effective.  He keeps morale high while at the same time he reminds the staff why we are doing this.  In my 14 years of advising SAP, he is one of our best.”

Christopher O’Brien
Associate Director, Office of Undergraduate Admissions