Grant Huddleston
Emory University, Goizueta Business School
“I’m a quick eater—so there’s always a lot on my plate.”
Fun fact about yourself: I have never eaten a meal at McDonald’s.
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
High School: Quaker Valley High School
Major: Finance and Economics
Minor: n/a
Favorite Business Course: It’s a tie between Business Law and Venture Capital & Private Equity.
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:
Extracurriculars:
- Goizueta on Wall Street (GWS), Co-Founder
- Goizueta Foundational Finance Program (GFFP), Founder
- Emory AI Coach, Founder
- Goizueta Finance Group (GFG), Co-President
- Scholars of Finance, President
- Goizueta Investment Management Group (GIMG), Vice President – Equities
- Alpha Kappa Psi (AKPsi), VP Service / Recruitment
- BBA Career Management Center, Career Coach
- ACT 410: Business Law, Teaching Assistant
- Goizueta Investment Banking Club (GIBC), Mentor
- Wonderful Wednesday, Moderator / Bonding Co-Chair
- Alpha Tau Omega, Member
Awards/Honors:
- Goizueta Scholar
- Dean’s List
- Omicron Delta Epsilon Economics Honor Society
Where have you interned during your college career?
Lazard, Healthcare Investment Banking Summer Analyst | San Francisco, CA
Blue Owl Capital, Strategic Equity Summer Analyst | New York, NY
McCalla Raymer Liebert Pierce, Accounting Intern | Atlanta, GA
Hudson Bend, Private Equity Spring Intern | Remote
Where will you be working after graduation? I am thrilled to be joining Lazard as a Healthcare Investment Banking Analyst post-graduation!
Who is your favorite business professor? Without a doubt, it is Professor Allison Burdette. I had the fortune of meeting her at the very start of my college career, as a freshman in a seminar for Goizueta Scholars. Since then, I have made certain to include her in my schedule every year in college as either a student or teaching assistant. Her enthusiasm, intellect, and passion for scholarship are not only profound, but contagious. It was my junior year when I finally saw her in her element: teaching business law. Observing a Burdette business law lecture is not only a privilege but a cornerstone of the Goizueta experience. Through frequent sips of Diet Coke, the occasional song and dance, and a slew of personal stories and current events, Burdette unravels the complex fabric of the legal system in a class that feels like a stand-up comedy. Now, as a TA, I’m grateful to continue learning from her and to see firsthand how deeply she cares about her students, the substance of her class, and her constant drive to refine and improve it.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? “It’s not what you know, but who you know” is a classic refrain in the business world. While often true, it misses a critical dimension: how they know you. Reputation has one of the strongest grips on reality. A truth I take comfort in, as reputation is malleable, durable, and built through repeated choices.
What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? Business is a marathon, not a sprint. In my junior year while studying abroad, I found a love for running, so it is only natural that I give some Strava-inspired advice. When I first started, I wanted to run fast every time I laced up my New Balances. A habit that left my legs hurting and my shoes worn out. Now as a senior, I have found comfort in the discipline of running slow. Improvement doesn’t happen overnight but through consistency and time. The same is true in business. Don’t chase money or success, but chase growth in yourself and sometimes that means slowing down to enjoy the view!
Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? Never stop connecting with graduates. I wish I had spoken to more alumni even after signing my internship offer. It is a privilege to be a student, particularly when networking, and you never know what doors a conversation may open.
What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What is one insight you gained from using AI? Goizueta has welcomed AI with open arms. From unveiling an AI area depth to offering students AI Tech Toolboxes, these core programmatic changes are only the tip of the iceberg. In my experience, the true integration of AI comes from the attitude with which Goizueta approaches this emerging technology. For example, at the end of my junior year, I met with Sarah Liest, our amazing Executive Director of the BBA Career Management Center, and pitched the idea of creating a finance interview training app for students. Today, Emory AI Coach is an exclusive Emory platform that provides real interview feedback powered by AI and has been used by over 100 students. It is clear throughout the school that Goizueta is actively empowering its students, teachers, and faculty to use and explore AI, not as a crutch but as a lever for knowledge, impact, and change.
Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? On a Wednesday night at 7:30 PM last semester, Goizueta’s largest classroom was packed beyond capacity, every seat filled with students standing in the back. I stood at the front of the room ready to walk through lecture three, “Basic Corporate Finance Questions.” In this moment behind the lectern, I realized the magnitude of what this program has become, and I felt something unmistakable: pride. Founding Goizueta on Wall Street has been one of the defining experiences of my time at Emory. The program aims to democratize finance technical education so that every Emory student has the technical know-how to land a job on Wall Street. It has been an effort I’ve helped lead since my sophomore year and one made possible by the investment of many of my peers’ time. The program is the first-of-its-kind at Emory and boasts a content library of over 50 informational videos and slide decks that pair with a 10-week in-person lecture series.
Which classmate do you most admire? Will Farren. A graduate in Goizueta’s Class of 2024, Will has been an incredible friend and mentor. Will and I first met through AKPsi and he later tapped me to help come up with the concept of Goizueta on Wall Street. He saw me as a sophomore with potential to lead and develop this program. From that point on, I made sure to live up to the standards he had set putting the Goizueta community first and letting ambition translate to implementation. I can’t wait to catch up in San Francisco soon, Will!
Who would you most want to thank for your success? “No man is a failure who has friends.” One of my favorite lines from my favorite movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. The film is quite literally a cornerstone of the Huddleston household with a large poster hanging in our basement. The movie shares so many values that have become core to my identity: faith, love, and family to name a few. However, one that speaks to me every time I watch it is brotherhood. I want to thank my brother Drew for my success. As the oldest, he always set the bar high in everything he did, and as his little brother, I always had something to strive toward. So, in the words of Harry Bailey, “A toast to my big brother, Drew: The richest man in town!”
What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?
Entrepreneurship. Not sure in what capacity, but I love the harmony between creativity and execution that is required of being a founder. I have many ideas of future ventures but figured I would share one of my favorites: a stone-oven pizzeria called, “HuddleSTONE.”
Serving on the board of a charity or nonprofit. I see philanthropy as not only an obligation but an opportunity to elevate the communities and causes most dear to your heart.
What made Grant such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026?
“Grant is one of the most humble and authentic servant leaders to come through the Goizueta BBA program. He brings a level of intellectual curiosity and goodwill to every single endeavor and is motivated not by recognition or resume-building, but by a belief in serving something larger than himself and investing in others.
As a Goizueta Scholar, Grant has been a driving force around the concept of creating a Scholars Symposium to bring alumni back to engage with students. In the program, he helped build Goizueta on Wall Street, a rigorous 11-week technical academy preparing BBA students for finance recruiting and created the Goizueta Foundational Finance Program lecture series for first-year students. More recently, he taught himself how to build an AI-based coaching platform that allows students to practice both technical and behavioral interview questions. Beyond the many things he does, Grant’s impact is defined by how he leads. He is always the first one to put his hand in the air, whether it be to serve as a student voice for our accreditation process, or as a panel host for a parent program. He approaches each initiative with care and a consistent commitment to excellence that sets a standard for purposeful, people-centered leadership at Goizueta. He is everything we hope to find in a BBA student!”
Libby Egnor
Associate Dean, BBA Program
and
Sarah Leist
Assistant Dean & Executive Director, BBA Career Management Center
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