Mary King was nominated by the D'Amore-McKim School of Business community for a place on the 2019 “Best & Brightest” business majors list by Poets&Quants for Undergrads. King was one of 96 students from 48 of the 2018 top 50 undergraduate business schools to receive the honor.
Students were nominated based on their “academic excellence, extracurricular leadership, personal character, innate potential, striking personal narrative, and overall impact on the program,” according to Poets&Quants.
King was involved in a wide range of activities, community work, and leadership roles during her time at Northeastern University including her participation in the University Scholars Program, the University Honors Program, two Scholars Independent Research Fellowships, the Management Information Systems Club, and the Women in Business club. King co-founded Women in Finance, an student-led initiative working to better educate, empower, support, and mentor students exploring careers in finance.
She held co-op positions at three companies, a leading investment bank, Hercules Capital, and PwC.
Read more from her Q&A below:
Q: What did you enjoy most about your business school?
“My passion at Northeastern has been taking a leadership role in the development of our Women in Finance program, and it has absolutely changed my outlook on undergraduate education. The support shown from the faculty and administration has been overwhelmingly positive, too. It added an element of social impact to my Northeastern experience that I wouldn't have had otherwise.
Q: What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business?
It's such a relationship-based field that you need to prioritize helping and supporting others as much as you can, and I think that is often overlooked in the finance field. It's not plausible to always be the smartest person in the room, but it is plausible to be the most reliable, trustworthy, and supportive—that's something you have control over.
Q: What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field?
A lot of your education will take place outside of the classroom—leadership roles, internships, research, community engagement—so take advantage of as many opportunities as you can fully commit yourself to. You will learn a ton and meet incredible people along the way.
Q: Which classmate do you most admire?
I am so inspired by Chantel Riendeau! She is the VP of Diversity and Inclusion of Northeastern's Women in Finance program and has done incredible work in expanding the organization's programming to be more inclusive and intersectional. This fall, before she held the position, she compiled a comprehensive list of diversity recruiting resources in her spare time to distribute to our undergraduate business school. No one asked her to do it, and she didn't expect to get any credit for it, but she knew it would have an impact on other students. Thoughtful and generous acts like these make me proud to be her friend and classmate.
Q: What made Mary such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2019?
“I can't think of anyone more deserving of this honor as Mary has not only exhibited a high degree of leadership but also has the courage to have a voice on important issues that have an impact on her future and that of so many others,” said Jamie Ladge.