2022 Best & Brightest Business Major: Isabelle Haberstock, Cornell University (Nolan School of Hotel Administration)

Isabelle Haberstock

Nolan School of Hotel Administration, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University

“A driven mentor and leader by example who loves serving others. A friend to all.”

Fun fact about yourself: I applied to every college except Cornell as a neuroscience major.

Hometown: Skaneateles, NY

High School: The Hotchkiss School

Major: Hotel Administration

Minor: Real Estate

Favorite Business Course: Advanced Business Modeling

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

Awards: Dean’s List

Activities:

Teaching Assistant – Advanced Business Modeling, Quantitative Analysis, Business Computing

Hotel Leadership Development Program Member

Cornell Women’s Club, Member

Lacrosse, Team Member

Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority Member, House Manager (2020-2021)

The Hotchkiss School, Class Officer and Fundraiser

Where have you interned during your college career?

Joe’s Seafood Prime Steak & Stone Crab, Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants FOH Management Intern, Washington, DC

Bank of America Sales and Trading Summer Analyst, Remote

Where will you be working after graduation? Bank of America – Sales and Trading Analyst

Who is your favorite professor? My favorite professor is Jacob Chestnut. Jacob made an impact on me because of the way he truly cares about each and every one of his students. He takes a very intimidating subject, quantitative analysis, and makes it approachable to all students, while also encouraging students to get out of their comfort zone. He taught me the technical skills that come along with a statistics course as well as how to be a motivational and empathetic teaching assistant. I will always cherish my time spent in his class as well as the time spent serving as a TA for his course.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? The biggest lesson I gained from business is the importance of working as a part of a team. Although it seems basic, true teamwork is hard to cultivate, yet it is essential in the business world. Learning how to truly listen to everyone’s opinion, consider my own, and then compromise and be a contributing team member is a lesson I will take to my career and life.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? Don’t be afraid to branch out from traditional business courses. Some of my most valuable learning experiences have come from taking classes that are outside the business realm. This interdisciplinary approach has allowed me to form unique perspectives that differentiated me from my peers and allowed me to approach problems in unconventional/creative ways. As business students, we can often fall into the mindset that all things are done a certain way, but I have found it is important to always think outside of the box.

What has surprised you most about majoring in business? Coming into my freshman year, I thought that majoring in business would entail learning hard skills that would help me perform certain tasks in the business world. However, I quickly realized that much of the curriculum was focused on teaching students how to build and maintain relationships. The Nolan School is such a small community, so whether it is in or out of classes, building relationships is one of the biggest parts of your overall education here.

Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? I would’ve loved to have had the chance to study abroad. My junior year, I was unable to go abroad as a result of the pandemic; however, I think that expanding your experiences and gaining a more global mindset is really important in business. This goes back to my advice of taking classes outside of the business school. The more you can do to gain perspective, the better off you will be.

What business executive do you admire most? I most admire Randy Garutti, the CEO of Shake Shack. Mr. Garutti’s passion for what he does is contagious and inspirational to anyone who has the chance to meet him. He stresses the importance of making an impact in every area of your life. Not only does he speak passionately about his business, but he is adamant about recognizing his family and everyone he cares about. I admire Mr. Garutti for his ability to balance all aspects of his life and give his best self to each part.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of my work as a teaching assistant during my time at Cornell. I have found my TA positions to be extremely rewarding, and I have been a TA for three courses and around 1,100 students. The teaching assistants I had during my freshman and sophomore years had a profound impact on me, so I wanted to try and have that same impact for anyone I could.

Which classmate do you most admire? Hannah MacDonald is the classmate I admire the most. Over the past four years as coworkers and classmates, I have observed all the qualities that make Hannah such an amazing person. She is a friend to anyone, and her smile and positive energy are infectious. She has a can-do attitude that can’t be stopped, and she makes even the most mundane tasks fun. I think that every business student can take a lesson from Hannah.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? I would like to thank Maggie Crain. As my advisor and coach in high school, she pushed me to be the best possible version of myself. She gave me the confidence to know that I could do whatever I wanted to do in this world. She also taught me to be humble and how to treat everyone I interact with respect and kindness. She applauded my strengths and helped me recognize and improve upon my weaknesses. Thank you, Mrs. Crain, not only for having such a positive impact on my life, but for being such an amazing influence on every person you interact with.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

1.Mentor other women in finance

2. Start my own business

What are your hobbies? Playing with and training dogs, photography, cooking, lacrosse, hockey

What made Isabelle such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2022?

“I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Isabelle for two years while she’s been a teaching assistant in both my Business Computing and Advanced Business Modeling classes. In both classes, students are working in Excel, which can be intimidating to some people. Izzy has always worked with students in a way that takes that intimidation and turns it around so students walk away with an understanding of, and genuine interest in learning more about the program. Regardless of whether she’s jumping from one breakout room to another during class, answering students’ questions, or hosting office hours, Izzy always takes the opportunity to ensure students know why the answer is correct, and how to use that understanding for future challenges. In addition to being a teaching assistant, Izzy is a part of the Hotel Leadership Development Program, has participated in multiple industry related internships, is in a leadership role at her sorority, and plays club sports, all while maintaining an impressive academic record. Overall, Izzy is one of the most well-rounded, dependable, and caring students I’ve ever known.”

Kasey Tarantino, Lecturer of Information Systems and Analytics
Nolan School of Hotel Administration
Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

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