2020 Best & Brightest: Liza Hochberg, University of Michigan (Ross)

Liza Hochberg

Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

“I enjoy hiking in the summer, skiing in the winter, and running year-round.”

Fun fact about yourself: I am wildly afraid of heights, and I have been bungee jumping.

Hometown: Newton, Massachusetts

High School: Newton South High School

Major: Business

Minor: N/A

Favorite Business Course: Effective Business Presentations

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

  • BBA Council President
  • Faculty Advisory Committee on Financial Affairs Student Representative
  • Michigan Journal of Business Editor-in-Chief
  • Ross Global Ambassador
  • Net Impact Mental Health Committee Member
  • LSA Student Government Associate Representative
  • Oxford Hall Council Communications Chair
  • Lunch Bunch Tutor
  • James B. Scholar, University Honors

Where have you interned during your college career?

  • Bank of America, New York, New York, Global Markets Sales & Trading Summer Analyst
  • Barrell Investments, Quechee, Vermont, Finance Intern
  • ELEMENT Productions, Boston, Massachusetts, Marketing Intern

Where will you be working after graduation? Bank of America, Sales & Trading Analyst on the Prime Brokerage Team

Who is your favorite professor? Mary Hinesly is my favorite professor because she went above and beyond to ensure the success of her students. Taking her class, it was evident that she cared less about her students’ grades and more about whether they truly understood and internalized her classes. Because of this, students were incentivised to really process the information we learned. She is a caring person who is an excellent professor.

What did you enjoy most about your business school? Ross equipped me with the soft skills necessary for success in the business world and my own personal life. Collaboration is a top priority in the curriculum as team-based projects are prominent within the Ross classroom. Through these team-based projects, I learned how to effectively manage a group of people in order to enable success. Not only did I learn the importance of teamwork, but I learned how to execute it.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? Business has an impact on any career or field you want to pursue. Therefore, your options for how you choose to use your degree in business are unlimited. Make sure to explore all facets during your studies because you may end up finding a subject interesting that you had not previously considered.

What has surprised you most about majoring in business? Business can be very broad. Before starting the BBA program, I had a preconceived notion that studying business was all staring at balance sheets and making predictions on the stock market. I thought I was destined to go into accounting. I soon realized accounting was not for me, but there was so much more within business that I could study. I was surprised by the sheer breadth of subject matter that resides within the scope of business.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? Senior year, I was elected President of the BBA Council, the student government within Ross. I had previously served as the Vice President of Clubs and a Sophomore Representative on the Council. I was proud to be given the opportunity to effect change at a higher level. Student government is something that I love because it enables me to have an impact on the experience of my classmates and the broader Ross community. Being elected President has allowed me to carry out initiatives that have a tangible impact on the student body.

Which classmate do you most admire?

I admire Raelle Kassoff. She pours herself into her work and will not sleep until it is perfect. I admire her work ethic in tandem with her positive attitude. She is passionate about what she studies. When she studies, she does not just memorize the subject matter. Rather, she gets excited about what she is learning.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? I would like to thank my brother. He has high expectations for me and will encourage me until I fulfill them. He is two years older and has always set the bar for me. He is someone that I can turn to for advice and support.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? At some point in my career, I hope to have expertise robust enough to get interviewed by Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes and to get interviewed by Howard Stern.

What are your hobbies? I run every day and am training for a marathon.

What made Liza such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2020?

“Liza’s commitment to creating a positive and inclusive environment at Ross is second-to-none. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching her develop into a compassionate, strategic leader throughout her time on the BBA Council, the undergraduate student government. Liza started as a general representative for the sophomore class voicing student concerns and working to build community among her peers, but quickly progressed into an executive board leadership position. As the first VP of Clubs, Liza created guidelines for all Ross affiliated clubs to help make the environment more welcoming for our newly admitted first-year students. As President of BBA Council, the scope of her work increased from the club ecosystem to the entire undergraduate population.

Liza has been able to implement many immediate changes that impact the daily lives of BBAs, but the legacy she leaves behind will be shaped by the institutional changes she has championed due to her strategic, forward-looking mindset. During her presidency, BBA Council has increased its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion work by making a permanent DEI committee and VP of DEI on the executive board. Liza has also met with faculty members to give feedback on the BBA curriculum and is currently working on formalizing a student feedback mechanism that will serve as a platform for students’ voices to be heard by faculty directly for all future classes. Liza works tirelessly on behalf of both the current and future Ross student body and it has been a pleasure to collaborate with her.”

Stephanie Pawlik
Assistant Director of Undergraduate Student Life
Michigan Ross

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