What did you do prior to joining Parthenon?

Before landing at Parthenon as a consultant, I held various internships and short-term positions. I got a taste of what it’s like to be a product manager while working at Circle of Moms, a parenting social media start-up, a researcher and economist at The World Bank’s South Asia Division and Stanford University’s International Relations Department, a coordinating officer at the Tsunami Emergency Taskforce of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, and a journalist at The Economist and Newsweek Korea.

Why did you select Parthenon?

When I first encountered Parthenon while looking for a summer internship, opportunities to work for impactful non-profit and government clients in a business consulting environment stood out to me the most. As I am passionate about the social sector, I wanted to learn how to bring market-based solutions to solve social problems. Once I started my internship, I quickly learned that Parthenon has much more to offer. The variety of business and social problems I faced, the analytical and people skills I developed, and the amount of responsibility I was given over just two months was impressive. But most importantly, I loved working with a tight group of curious, driven and fun-loving individuals in a collegial team environment. I had a great time bonding with fellow Parthenonians over whitewater rafting, cheering for the San Francisco Giants, and dancing the night away at our Hollywood-themed company meeting party. By the end of the summer, I knew Parthenon was the right first step for me. 

Describe Parthenon's impact on a particular industry.

The expertise of Parthenon's Education Practice in the education sector and relationships built on this knowledge base are truly exceptional. Parthenon spearheads forging public-private partnerships and is the leading strategic advisor in education. I am proud to have had the chance to bring analytical rigor and data-driven insights to solving the toughest problems facing the education industry, both for-profit and non-profit, in the U.S. and abroad.

What leadership opportunities have you had at Parthenon?

Over the last two years, I’ve been involved with recruiting, training, mentoring and the charitable contributions committee. Internal roles are a great opportunity to take leadership and make a significant contribution to the firm as a junior member. In smaller offices like San Francisco, these are even more important, as the office relies even more on associates to make sure we recruit the best people and train them to be even better, maintain our culture and promote our mission and values. It’s also fun to work on something other than your normal casework. Coffee chats with interview candidates eager to learn more about the job, introducing a more streamlined evaluation process to select charities to give to and coordinating the Habitat Build Day, to name a few, have been some of the most rewarding experiences at Parthenon.

What was your favorite case?

My favorite case was assessing the Vietnamese international and bilingual schools market and growth opportunities of specific schools for a large UK-based private equity firm. It was my first assignment during my rotation in the Mumbai office. It was also one of the most challenging, as, to my dismay, the government tracked little data and the little that was available was unreliable. The fun part was dealing with that challenge in creative ways. I got to work in Saigon for several weeks interviewing private industry experts and government officials to understand the trends and regulatory risks, visiting campuses to understand the competitive landscape and factors that differentiated each school, surveying teachers and parents to understand what matters most to them, and driving around neighborhoods to evaluate the attractiveness of different catchment areas. I got to explore Saigon and its surroundings with my teammates and work with a talented and well-connected local education entrepreneur who became a good friend over the course of the project.

How does Parthenon fit into your life outside of work?

Parthenon is a very special place where people love each other’s company so much that we go on bike rides and ski trips together on weekends despite seeing each other at work all the time. When I was in Mumbai for a rotation, I traveled extensively all over India and Sri Lanka with fellow associates, managers and their significant others. We’re a very active bunch when we step outside the office. Case team and office-wide events range from adrenaline-filled activities like go-carting and wall climbing to more relaxed ones like grabbing a beer on the patio of Pier 23 at the Embarcadero for Friday Happy Hour.

What do you like about your home office’s location?

While San Francisco is only seven by seven miles in area, you always find something exciting and new. The energy from the hottest start-ups and Silicon Valley tech giants, proximity to outdoor adventures and natural beauty from world-class ski resorts at Tahoe, to the stunning drive along California’s west coast in Big Sur, craze for a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, year-round music, food and cultural festivals and street fairs, charming hills, neighborhoods full of character, mild climate, openness to different ideas, people, and cultures… and the list goes on... make San Francisco unique.

What is your favorite thing about Parthenon?

People. There is no way to do full justice to the exceptional quality of the people that Parthenon attracts. When you’re working hard and traveling often, you have got to love the people you’re with. I am lucky to be working with peers who make me laugh when work gets tough and teach me Excel tricks that save me hours, mentors who I can confide in and ask for advice whenever I’m having trouble, and senior members of the firm who know me well and care genuinely about my personal and professional development.