2017 Best & Brightest: Ellie Landsman, Boston University (Questrom)

Elisabeth (Ellie) Landsman

Boston University, Questrom School of Business

“A student-athlete who embodies “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

Fun fact about yourself: I met Arnold Palmer after playing his course, Bay Hill

Hometown: Sudbury, MA

High School: Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School

Major: Business Administration- Concentration: Finance

Favorite Business Courses:

• Leadership and Management of Social Enterprises
• Strategy, Innovation, and Global Competition
• Analytics

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

Boston University Varsity Field Hockey

• 2016 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year
• 2016 All-Patriot League First Team
• 2016 NFHCA All-Region First Team
• 2016 NFHCA Senior All-Star Game Participant
• Beta Gamma Sigma National Honorary Society
• Dean’s List
• Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and National Field Hockey Academic Squad (2013-present)

Community Work

• Athletes for Autism- Volunteer: Formed a relationship with designated athlete and used sports and fun games as a medium to connect.

Leadership Roles

• Boston University Varsity Field Hockey- Captain (2016 season)

Where have you interned during your college career? The TJX Companies, Framingham, MA, Merchandising Intern

Describe your dream Job: My dream job is to work for a consulting firm in the social impact space that will allows me to leverage my business skills in a rewarding and meaningful environment.

Who is your favorite professor? My favorite professor is Prof. David Stolow who teaches Leadership and Management of Social Enterprises and is the Faculty Director for the Public and Nonprofit MBA Program at BU. He is incredibly knowledgeable about nonprofits and genuinely cares about the success of his students beyond the classroom. He has been an incredible mentor for me throughout the career exploration process.

Which executive or entrepreneur do you most admire? As a woman entering the business world, I admire Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook. She is an extremely successful female leader and advocate for gender equality in the workplace.

What did you enjoy most about majoring in a business-related field? I enjoy the real world application and collaborative environment.

Where would you like to work after graduation? Top consulting firm, Consultant

What are your long-term professional goals? In the short-term, my goal is to work for a company that has a rigorous environment in which I will be learning every day and able to make an immediate impact. My long-term professional goals are to become an expert in my field and to wake up every day excited about the work and impact I am making in the world.

“I knew I wanted to major in business when…I was exposed to group projects in my first business course. The emphasis on teamwork and collaboration aligned with my background as an athlete.”

“If I didn’t major in business, I would be…an Economics major.”

“Before I entered business school, I wish I had known…to develop relationships with professors before my junior and senior years.”

What was the happiest moment of your life? It was in the fall of 2014 when our field hockey won the Patriot League Championship. We faced a great deal of adversity leading up to the championship and had lost the year prior. Winning the championship was a culmination of our hard work, and ultimately meant that our team would advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time in five years.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of winning Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year because it is a symbol of all of the hard work and sacrifice I made over the past four years.

What animal would you choose to represent your professional brand? A duck represents my professional brand because they are “calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath” (Michael Caine). Both on the field hockey field and in the classroom, I pride myself on being a composed leader with a strong work ethic.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? I would like to thank my parents and three older brothers, Sam, Charlie, and Teddy, for my success. My parents are incredibly supportive in everything I do and did not miss one of my field hockey games in my career. I also owe a great deal of my success to my brothers who have been role models and great resources for advice as I navigated my college career.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? I would like my peers to say that I have a “first-in, last-out” mentality on and off the field hockey field.

Favorite book: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Favorite movie: The Shawshank Redemption

Favorite musical performer: Red Hot Chili Peppers

Favorite vacation spot: Cape Cod

What are your hobbies? Golf, running, and traveling

What made Elisabeth such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2017?

“Elisabeth Landsman was a superb student in my seminar, Leadership and Management of Social Enterprises, which she took in the fall of her junior year (most students in the class were seniors). Ellie was diligent in her preparation and insightful in her comments. She pursued her major project with creativity and an uncommon zest for learning.

What has impressed me most about Ellie, however, is not what she did in the course but what she has done since. As an accomplished finance concentrator, Ellie could have confined her job search to entry-level positions with prestigious firms in the financial services sector. But she has not been content to travel only the best-known path. Working in partnership with me, Ellie has explored opportunities for additional learning and career development. She has sat in on several sessions of MBA courses in order to learn about innovative organizations that deploy sophisticated financial tools for community development. She has met with diverse professionals to learn about their career paths and the application of rigorous skills to drive social impact. Even as she was concluding her senior season as a varsity athlete and team captain, Ellie sought opportunities to advance her learning, expand her network, and look for a first job that aligns with her skill set and her idealism. Ellie has demonstrated extraordinary maturity, professionalism, and clarity of values – all of which she carries off with modesty and good humor.”

David Stolow

Faculty Director, Public and Nonprofit Management Program

Boston University, Questrom School of Business

 

“Ellie Landsman is the “total” package when you speak about the definition of a student athlete. She strives for success in every aspect of her life and does not back down from challenges. Academically, she has excelled in Questrom with a 3.73 cumulative GPA. Ellie was a 4-year starter on our nationally ranked Field Hockey team and had an exceptional senior year. She was selected to be a tri-captain, was selected Defensive Player of the Year for the Patriot League, and 1st Team Regional All-American. All of these accomplishments are a direct result of her excellent work ethic in the classroom, the hockey field and her dedication over the summer to have outstanding fitness.

Her sophomore year she had badly sprained her ankle the week before the Patriot League Conference Championship and we were not sure she would be able to play. She got heavily taped and bravely competed for us and we won two games that weekend to secure the championship. We had a very small bench that year and really needed her on the field for us…..she played a key role in our success.”

Sally Starr
Head Field Hockey Coach
Boston University Athletics

DON’T MISS: THE FULL HONOR ROLL: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS MAJORS OF 2017