Chloe He

Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business

“Love to take side quests – you might be pleasantly surprised.”

Fun fact about yourself: I love to travel – this past year I visited eight different cities!

Hometown: Columbus, OH

High School: Thomas Worthington High School

Major: Business Administration, Additional Major in Decision Science

Minor: Human Computer Interactions

Favorite Business Course: Business Presentation

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

15-110 Principles of Computing – Teaching Assistant (2023-2025)

Design for America – Team Lead, Member (2022-2025)

– Projects/Partnerships: Footbridge for Families, Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, Angel’s Place

Impact CMU – Executive Board Member (2024-2025)

Carnegie Mellon Business Association (2021)

Dean’s List (2021-2025)

Where have you interned during your college career?

Summer 2023: SupplyHouse.com (Remote) – Pricing Intern

Summer 2024: T-Mobile (Bellevue, WA) – Integrated Governance, Risk, and Compliance Intern Where will you be working after graduation? I will be working at T-Mobile as a Product Owner.

Who is your favorite business professor? Professor Abbe Depretis, who taught my Business Communications and Business Presentation course. She is someone who genuinely cares about her students and takes the time to build meaningful connections with them. Her personable and approachable nature created an environment where I felt comfortable learning and growing – especially when it came to public speaking, which was something I once dreaded. Because of her encouragement and support, public speaking became a skill I now embrace whenever opportunity arises. Professor Depretis not only helped me curate a growth mindset, but also helped me build confidence that extends beyond the classroom.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? Don’t be afraid to branch out and explore! When I first started as a business major in my freshman year, it felt like everyone around me was pursuing investment banking or consulting. Even though I wasn’t particularly interested in those fields, I felt like I should be. But business is very broad – there are so many industries, roles, and opportunities that I hadn’t even heard of at the time. And really, how can you know what you like if you don’t even know it exists? Keep an open mind, seek out different experiences, and take the time to explore.

Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? If I could do one thing differently in business school, I would make a greater effort to connect with my professors. Our professors have such a wide variety of knowledge and experiences – not just professionally, but personally as well –that students can learn from. Looking back, I realize that since I wasn’t sure what I was interested in, getting to know their journeys could have provided a great starting point for my own career and educational explorations. I often wonder how my interests in business might have evolved differently if I had taken the time to learn about their perspectives and insights.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What is one insight you gained from using AI? “AI should complement and enhance human innovation” – This is the stance our school has taken, and it’s something I truly appreciate. Rather than shying away from evolving technology, the Tepper School recognizes that integrating AI into our programs and classrooms is a powerful way to supplement student learning and prepare us for the inevitable shifts in the workforce.

Through my experiences with AI, I’ve realized the importance of using it as a supplement rather than a crutch. While AI can streamline tasks and provide valuable insights, true learning happens when we engage critically with the material rather than offloading cognitive effort entirely. I believe this potential disengagement from critical thinking is why some people hesitate to embrace AI. However, instead of limiting its use, we should focus on developing methods that leverage AI as a tool to enhance, rather than replace, human decision-making.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of my involvement with Design for America (DFA), a social impact club that partners with local nonprofits to address their challenges using the human-centered design process. Over the past three years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with various Pittsburgh nonprofits, which has been a very fulfilling experience as it allowed me to support and gain a deeper understanding of our community.

One of my previous projects was with the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council (GPAC), where my team and I explored ways to encourage artists to better self-advocate and leverage existing resources. We immersed ourselves in the local artist community by attending networking events, which not only gave us valuable insights into their lives but also ways to organically incorporate self-advocacy into their everyday routines.

Currently, I’m co-leading a team assisting Angel’s Place, an organization that supports early childhood education for underserved families. We’re working to streamline their training process so staff members can dedicate more time to the children and families they serve. Seeing the tangible impact our work has made is definitely one of the most rewarding experiences of my college career.

Which classmate do you most admire? Avani Guduri. I first met Avani during our sophomore year when she was both the team lead for the club I had just joined and a TA for one of my courses. From the start, I was impressed not only by her ability to think critically, but also by how effortlessly she could synthesize and articulate information in a clear and understandable manner – something I’ve rarely seen in students our age. When I co-TAed with her, I often found myself having ‘aha’ moments just by listening to her explanations, even though I was already familiar with the content. I’ve learned a lot from her in our years of friendship.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? It feels wrong to thank just one person, as I believe all the close, wonderful friends I’ve met in college, along with my parents, have played a major role in my success. Everyone has something valuable to offer, even if they don’t realize it – there’s always something to be thankful for in every relationship. However, if I had to choose just one person, I would thank my mom.

No one has wanted my success more than she has. Growing up, I often struggled with stepping out of my comfort zone. But how can you grow if you’re never challenged? There is a Chinese idiom my mom would often say to me, “井底之蛙” (a frog in a well). It comes from a story about a frog stuck at the bottom of a well, only ever seeing a small sliver of the sky and was unaware of how vast and endless the sky truly is. She always told me not to limit myself to that well and to aim higher. My mom not only encouraged me, but also supported and cared for me from day one. I am truly grateful for everything she has done for me.

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

Work in at least two different countries – I love to travel, so why not combine work with something I love? You gain so many new perspectives by immersing yourself in new cultures and environments.

Open my own bakery cafe – there’s something about these establishments that really brings a sense of coziness. That’s why I hope to own a similar space of my own – a place where people can relax and enjoy the smell of coffee beans and bread.

What made Chloe such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2025?

“Chloe combines intelligence with kindness and a strong work ethic. Her curiosity, resilience, and genuine support for those around her make her not only a great student, but also a wonderful person to know and work with in our Tepper School community.”

Professor Abbe Depretis
Assistant Teaching Professor of Business Communication

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