If you were not able to attend the Beyond the Numbers: Charting Paths in Finance, Tech, and Entrepreneurship panel at She Sails 2025, do not fret. Here is an overview of this insightful panel. The panel discussed tips about getting into the business field, and the speakers shared their personal stories. The largest piece of advice is to build our own board of investors, or surround yourself with individuals who will help you succeed.
Throughout the panel discussion each alumni spoke about their unique journey after Dana Hall. The alumni-speakers were Liz Wald ‘85, Lisa Iagatta ‘85, and Caitlin Vorlicek ‘10. They were all interested in business after their time at Dana Hall, and each of their interests brought them to different careers.
Liz went to Harvard following her time at Dana Hall, and after she graduated from college she travelled around Asia. During her travels she noticed that there were many women who had goods to sell, and she believed that she could help them. Liz then started her own company in which she shipped goods, like baskets or jewelry, from Africa to the US to be sold. When the moderator asked about her profession after college Liz explained how when she graduated there wasn’t a large technical field, so she started in business. After her initial self-startup, she was one of the first people to work on the business side of Etsy. Liz helped expand it from a small New York startup to a well known business. Her main piece of advice is to act like you belong in whatever field you pursue.
The second alumni was Lisa, and she shared the most insights about the business field. She explained that there weren’t many open jobs when she graduated from college, so she took a job as a receptionist. By luck, the organization next door to her current job was a business company, and she asked if she could help with filing papers. She learned lots from this experience and decided to go into the business field. Lisa put a large emphasis on using your connections, whether those are personal or geographical. The biggest take-away from Lisa is that you should never be scared to use your resources, and it is up to you to branch out of your comfort zone and see how far an interest can take you.
The most recent Dana Hall graduate is Caitlin Vorlicek from the class of 2010. She went to Colby College, and after she graduated she found her interest in business. With a bachelor’s degree in economics, Caitlin interned at a business and technology company. When her internship was over, Caitlin was not offered a job at this company. Instead of moving on Caitlin told her supervisor how interested she was and how she would love to continue working with them. She then got the job, and learned about even more parts of the business field. Caitlin believes that you should always bet on yourself, even if you are unsure about something because if you appear confident, you will succeed better.
Overall, the main point of the Beyond the Numbers: Charting Paths in Finance, Tech, and Entrepreneurship panel was that if you are interested in business, you should try to experience it hands-on. All of the alumni agreed that you learn while working, and there will always be co workers willing to help you with something you do not understand.