Lauren Grace Perry

Texas Christian University, Neeley School of Business

“Swift runner. Boston sports zealot. Bright mind. Faithful spirit- joyful in every season and stride.”

Fun fact about yourself: I ran the New York Marathon – my first – in November and will be racing in my second world major marathon in Chicago this October.

Hometown: Little Rock, Arkansas

High School: Pulaski Academy

Major: Marketing

Minor: Accounting

Favorite Business Course: Sports and Entertainment Marketing

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

• TCU Chancellor’s Scholar
• Neeley Fellows Student Organization
• Dean’s List
• President’s List
• John V. Roach Honors College (Ambassador/Tour Guide)
• Consulting and Advisory Professionals Board (Member)
• KLIFE Student Ministries (Small Group Leader for 12th grade girls)
• The Paradox Church (College Team, Member)
• The Pad Project International Ambassador Program (Ambassador, Advisor)
• TCU Club Soccer (Vice President)
• Chi Omega, Rho Epsilon Chapter (Dad Weekend’s Chair)
• DUO (Founder)

Where have you interned during your college career?

• The Net FW | Fort Worth, Texas | Purchased Intern
• Bain & Company | Dallas, Texas | Associate Consultant Intern

Where will you be working after graduation? Bain & Company | Associate Consultant

Who is your favorite business professor? Without a doubt, Dr. Chad Proell, my Fundamentals of Accounting professor, has dramatically impacted both my academic and personal aspirations, and instilled in me a love for learning. Dr. Proell’s classroom was characterized by three things: classic rock blasting over the speakers as we entered class each day, the building blocks of what Dr. Proell called “a new language,” and an underlying sense of dread as we anticipated the inevitable cold call that Dr. Proell would famously bestow.

What set Dr. Proell apart, however, was his deep desire to see his students understand the why behind the accounting system, rather than to memorize debits and credits. I spent many hours sweating over his exams, and some nights were filled with tears as I struggled to balance my books. However, Dr. Proell took my hardest class of college and made it my favorite. His energy, passion, and creativity captivated our class, despite the historically dull and challenging subject matter. I have gotten to know Dr. Proell outside of the classroom as well, over many cups of coffee and our favorite slices of pie in Fort Worth. He is equally as invested in his students’ well-being as he is our academic success.

Every class, Dr. Proell encouraged us to “know what you know” and be willing to recognize the gaps in your own learning. He fostered an environment of collaboration and grit, pushing my class to study together, to learn from each other, and to use what we did know to help those around us. Because of his impact, I have learned to know what I know in every area of my life and express my vulnerabilities as opportunities to grow and learn from others. I am grateful for the impact Dr. Proell has left not only on myself, but my peers as well, throughout the course of our time at TCU.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? Where to begin? Practically, I would encourage students to master their communication and organizational skills. Not only will it be an expectation upon entering the working world, but I believe the two traits are markers of the ability to delegate and self-advocate. Outlook or Google Calendar are your friend! In terms of courses, I would encourage students to not be afraid to change their mind. Without changing my major a few times and experimenting in other academic disciplines, I never would have found the intersection of my passions – people and problem solving – that my career in consulting now provides. On a personal note, I would encourage students to remember their values and their morals and put those ahead of status and salary. It is easy to get sucked into the temptation of climbing the corporate ladder or landing the perfect position at the dream firm. Your values will ground you and orient your life outside of the 9-5, and therefore they matter infinitely more than any name recognition ever could.

What has surprised you most about majoring in business? Honestly, I would say how much I have enjoyed it and the subsequent flexibility of exploration that it provides. Growing up with a teacher and physician’s assistant for parents, careers in my mind always felt one dimensional and stagnant: you went to school, got a degree, and pretty much did the same thing, working for the same person or company for your entire career. I initially chose business for the same reason, thinking there would only be a few direct paths to choose from. I was not even sure that business would be my end goal, as I toyed with the idea of majoring in biology on the pre-PA track and even tried my hand at a pre-law curriculum.

However, I have found in business a reinvigorated desire to work across a variety of disciplines. Business, by nature, is flexible. The opportunities for career exploration within business are infinite, and all disciplines within the school can be used to develop innovations that change the world around us. I used to believe that only a career in medicine or public policy would allow me to enact real change in my community. However, I have been disproven time and time again throughout my time in Neeley. I now view a business degree as one of the most valuable catalysts to creating the world we want to see, and I am grateful for the many different paths within the discipline that will yield a positive impact for years to come.

Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? If I had the ability to redo my time in Neeley, I would have loved to have taken more classes outside of my major, particularly in entrepreneurship and finance. When I first selected business as a discipline, I intended to major in entrepreneurship, eventually abandoning it after falling in love with the creativity of marketing and the systematic nature of accounting. I have always had a desire to start a business of my own one day, and I operated my own social enterprise clothing store for the first half of college. I believe that the skills I would have developed in entrepreneurship courses would have given me more direction and inspiration in how to move my company, DUO, forward. Additionally, after interning at Bain, I realized how valuable skills like Excel, financial modeling, and understanding the investment market could be. Although the basics were covered in my core curriculum and through some of my accounting classes, I believe I could have benefited from classwork focused on those tangible skills.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? Although cliché, running the New York Marathon this past fall was an incredible accomplishment that I will never take for granted. After being diagnosed with a congenital hip defect called Perthes at the age of three, my parents were told that I would never run, or be an athlete, much less tackle a full marathon. Perthes is extremely rare in young girls and with no known cure; my parents prepared to walk with me through a painful childhood. Thanks to exemplary care and a few surgeries along the way, I found my way through my developmental years playing no less than two sports at a time. In college, after tearing my ACL freshman year, running became a lifeline and the means of considering myself fully healed.

The opportunity to run the full marathon came at a highly stressful point in my life: senior year of college, with a training plan running straight through my internship at Bain. Despite the conflicts, I devoted myself to a rigorous training schedule and learned what it means to be adaptable, confident, and strong. After dealing with joint inflammation caused by my perthes for the last month of my training, I began to doubt my ability to complete the race. However, on race day, a miracle occurred: I had no pain whatsoever. Although incredibly difficult and refining, the race was easily my greatest accomplishment, and a reminder that I can do hard things. I am proud to be a part of the 1%, and the 50,000+ finishers of this year’s race.

Which classmate do you most admire? This question is easily the hardest of the bunch for me. My time in the Neeley School of Business has been dramatically transformed by the people in my courses, particularly within Neeley Fellows. However, if I must narrow down my choices to just one person, it is Matthew Galloway, or Matt, as he is more affectionately known by our peers.

When I think of Matt, a few things come to mind: unwavering dedication, genuine curiosity, and a love of people. Matt and I have been in at least two classes together for the last three years, and I have been privileged to both watch and learn from his example. Additionally, we both spent a summer recruiting for consulting at the same time and spent many hours on the phone while states apart helping each other prepare. Even whilst interviewing for the same role, Matt met me with unwavering support and dedication to helping perfect my craft, and ultimately is a massive reason why I received an offer to work at Bain & Company. While we were interviewing, Matt was working for the Idaho Forestry Department cutting down trees every day, but that never stopped him from calling me at 6 AM from a laundromat if it meant helping me case; he is selfless all the way through.

Matt also has a love for learning, evidenced by his infinite list of podcast recommendations, news stories, and books that he often shares with me. He is constantly on a journey of self-improvement and invites people into his process in a way that makes them feel valued. This year, Matt and I have been lucky enough to serve as teaching assistants for a brand-new consulting prep course, and we spend many hours on the phone or in person working together to make the class a success. We frequently joke that we have the same mind and often follow the same line of thinking, but I will happily admit that Matt is often one step ahead of me; I am constantly learning from him. Matt, you are a wonderful teammate and I know that you truly will change the world!

Who would you most want to thank for your success? Undoubtedly, I would not be the young woman that I am today without the support of my dad. Better known as my best friend, my dad has spent my entire life cultivating an environment in which I have been able to thrive, whether driving hours to soccer tournaments, staying up late to read to me as a child, or instilling a love of running in my DNA.

My time at TCU has been characterized by ebbs and flows and unpredictability at times, but my one constant has been my dad. Beginning on the first day of freshman year, my dad started to send me a video to wake up to every morning, including a hello, encouragement, a necessary sports update, and a smile. He’s never once missed a day, even while I was studying abroad in Madrid, Spain. This speaks to his character above all else- he is consistent, empathetic, and an encourager.

He has pushed me to do hard things, even when they are frightening, and has always been in my corner. He has taught me how to be a friend, make others feel valued and loved, and is a picture of the gospel to all who know him. He has sacrificed and shown me what it means to love with no agenda, in how he loves my mom, my sister, and myself. Daddy – I am because you are; thank you for everything and I cannot wait to see what comes next!

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

• Found or work for a non-profit focused on ensuring a girl’s period never keeps her out of school, or hinders her ability to thrive
• Work in a capacity that moves the needle on women’s role in professional sports management/ownership

What made Lauren such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2024?

“Lauren Grace is an exceptional young person with an incredible intellect, exceptional work ethic and a passion for being a part of things that are bigger than just her. From running the New York marathon to starting her own small business with a goal to build awareness and donate proceeds to her passion project to pursuing a career in strategy consulting, Lauren Grace approaches life with tenacity, drive and intentionality. While she is a leader in the classroom in terms of her level of engagement and exceptional performance, she also demonstrates leadership and commitment to causes that she is passionate about. She does not shy away from issues that are uncomfortable with her strong moral compass, principled approach and drive to have impact. That has translated to her 3+ year involvement in The PAD Project International encompassing research, promotion and advocacy for period poverty increasing access to period products and feminine health education. On campus, Lauren Grace is leveraging her experiences to help revamp the Consulting Class at the Neeley School serving as a teacher’s assistant to help mentor, coach and educate younger students interested in pursuing a similar career path. Upon graduation, Lauren Grace will begin her career as an Associate Consultant at Bain & Company in Dallas.  I witnessed firsthand Lauren Grace’s incredible talent, passion and drive through her involvement in Neeley Fellows and cannot wait to see how she will continue to build upon her education, experiences and passions in the future to have lasting, significant impact.”

Meg Lehman
Neeley Fellows Program Director

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