When I applied to Cambridge Judge Business School, I included a sentence in my application
that I had been carrying with me for almost a decade: “My dream is to build a career at the
United Nations.”


When I was 16 years old, I served as a youth ambassador at the United Nations. My dream of
working for a global organisation was born when I stood in the General Assembly for the first
time, feeling a deep connection to my purpose.


That purpose was shaped entirely by my roots. My father is Georgian, and my mother is Russian.
Both immigrated to the United States after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 2008, my father
was considering moving back to Georgia when Russia invaded the country, sparking a series of
discussions between my parents about conflict.


“Russians are the enemy!” my dad would cry.
“I am Russian!” my mom would reply.


What followed were debates between my parents that gave me my first glimpse into how biases
can fuel conflict or foster understanding. What unified my parents in each conflict, however, was
recognising each other’s humanity. Their example formed my conviction to build a career that
would not deepen division but instead create the conditions for understanding.


After graduating from Columbia University and Sciences Po, I landed my first job in consulting.
I will never forget my phone call with my father when I received my first job offer. “It took
mama 12 years in this country to work a job like this,” he said, crying. I knew I had made him
proud, and I had taken on a job where I could develop the analytical discipline required to
communicate to government officials and business leaders.


Last year, on a hot New York City summer day on my walk from Grand Central to my office in
Midtown East on Lexington Avenue, all of the roads were closed for a conference at the United
Nations. I wanted to be at one of them. I thought to myself, maybe one day I will be.


My thinking changed when I arrived at Cambridge, specifically when I met Executive Coach
Helena Kim. Helena introduced me to the concept of “playing not to lose” versus “playing to
win.” Thinking “maybe some day I will be” and carrying on with my day was playing not to lose.
Thinking “I am taking the steps to be” would be playing to win. With one mindset, I was waiting
for my path. With the other, I would be actively building it.


This internal shift deepened in my Leadership Laboratory class with Uzair Qadeer. He
encouraged me to build my own leadership statement that would discern my values from external
noise. Uzair showed me how to develop a new relationship with uncertainty, to trust that my
values would carry me further than fear, and that I could create my own clarity in my leadership.
This newfound clarity was tested immediately when I was selecting my Global Consulting
Project with Katie Maybury from our careers office. “But this feels safe,” I told her when I
created my initial list of companies to apply to, “But what do you really want to do? Why did
you come here?” she asked.


As a result of the guidance and support of these wonderful mentors in the Cambridge Judge
Business School community, I was placed on my Global Consulting Project with the World
Economic Forum. When I received this news, I felt the same sense of alignment that I had when
I was a 16 year old standing in the General Assembly of the United Nations. That feeling
confirmed that I wanted to relentlessly pursue a career in an international environment, one
driven by curiosity about the world and by bringing together people and ideas from diverse
backgrounds.


With that motivation, this year I built one project with the World Economic Forum’s
Humanitarian and Resilience Investing (HRI) Initiative and began a second project with their
Climate and Nature Economy team. I had the opportunity to present my work in Geneva to
senior leadership within the Humanitarian and Resilience Investing Initiative, including the Head
of International Organisations and Humanitarian Agenda. Through Cambridge, I also attended
events during London Climate Action Week, including the Climate Governance Forum and the
UNEP FI Sustainable Finance Research and Practice Forum. There, I was a part of conversations
with business leaders, ministers, academics, and government officials from around the world
about how finance, policy, and institutions can mobilise capital to shape a more resilient,
sustainable future.


It felt full circle to last year, when I was walking to work in New York City and sensing that
something was missing, without yet understanding what it was. This year, through Cambridge, I
found myself in rooms and conversations that showed me the work and impact I want to pursue.
My favorite film is Sabrina, which my mom introduced me to when I was younger. My favorite
line comes just before Audrey Hepburn’s character returns home from Paris to New York: “I have
learned how to live, how to be in the world and of the world, and not just to stand aside and
watch.”


This sentence captures what Cambridge has given me. Not a new ambition, but a reconnection to
my purpose and what motivates me: to help people recognise that in all conflicts, the person on
the other side is a human being just like themselves. Regardless of background, everyone
deserves the opportunity to be heard. I intend to lead with compassion so that it is felt even after
I am gone.


So thank you to everyone at Cambridge for creating an environment where I remembered not
only how to stand in the world, but how to be of it.