Shows
Before the Come UpImpana SrikantappaThe music in this episode is by my sister Sofie. Here is a link to the music video: Sofie - We Dey ft. Sister Deborah (Official Music Video)
2023-05-0535 minBefore the Come UpAnika IslamIn episode 28 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Anika Islam. She's highly driven with a unique background. Born in Bangladesh, Anika moved to New York City when she was six. Throughout our discussion, Anika shares her journey as an immigrant in the United States, the importance of mental health, how she found her path in finance, and how she managed to thrive in a highly competitive industry. Anika's story is a testament to the power of resilience, adaptability, and dreaming big. Tune in to hear Anika's remarkable story and discover how she is making an impact...
2023-04-281h 00Before the Come UpSophia GöppingerIn episode 27 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Sophia Göppinger. From Munich, Germany, she is the first exchange student on the podcast. Sophia reflects on her journey to CBS and whats next for her after she graduates.
The music in this episode is by my sister Sofie. Here is a link to the music video: Sofie - We Dey ft. Sister Deborah (Official Music Video)
2023-04-0740 minBefore the Come UpDaniella LevitanIn episode 25 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Daniella Levitan. In this episode, we dive into her passion for family, baking, and much more!
The music in this episode is by my sister Sofie. Here is a link to the music video: Sofie - We Dey ft. Sister Deborah (Official Music Video)
2023-03-2435 minBefore the Come UpIsabella LunaIn episode 24 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Isabella Luna. Originally from Bogota, Colombia, Isabella reflects on her journey to CBS and discusses her passions for reading, learning, and retail which led her to work for industry giants Walmart and Amazon.
The music in this episode is by my sister Sofie. Here is a link to the music video: Sofie - We Dey ft. Sister Deborah (Official Music Video)
2023-03-0339 minBefore the Come UpLevi PalmerIn episode 23 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Levi Palmer. Over the course of our chat, he tries to sell us all on Ohio, argues there is no free will, and discusses his passion for playing live music.
The music in this episode is by my sister Sofie. Here is a link to the music video: Sofie - We Dey ft. Sister Deborah (Official Music Video)
This episode was recorded on October 12th, 2022.
2023-02-1036 minBefore the Come UpYen-Chu (Jack) TuWe are back for our final season in our final semester! You don't want to miss this episode with the amazing Yen-Chu (Jack) Tu. So sit back, relax, and get ready to take some notes as we dive into the story of one of the most interesting individuals in our class. Don't miss this one, folks!
2023-01-2736 minBefore the Come UpMartavius LeonardIn episode 21 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Martavius Leonard. Before CBS, Martavius worked in finance at Goldman Sachs for 7 years. Over this time, he championed diversity, serving as a lead ambassador for the firm’s HBCU alliance initiative, which aims to recruit and retain top-tier candidates from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He is also the co-President of the CBS Black Business Students Association. In this episode, we learn about his passion for music and how that weaves into his career pivot and future goals.
2022-10-1456 min2022-09-3038 minBefore the Come UpColin RodgersIn episode 19 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Colin Rodgers. Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Colin reflects on his family's formative impact on him and discusses his experience pushing himself to his physical and mental limits through his incredible career in the US Army. He also talks about his wide-ranging passions, from sports to travel, and what led him to Columbia.
2022-09-2351 minBefore the Come UpSamantha ShapsesIn episode 18 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Samantha Shapses. She is a student affairs professional committed to engaging students, faculty, and administrators in the practice of exploring diversity, equity, and inclusion within all aspects of higher education. Currently, Dr. Shapses serves as Associate Dean and Dean of Student Affairs, Full-Time MBA Programs at Columbia Business School, where she draws upon 20 years of professional experience working in the field of higher education as a student affairs professional. Dr. Shapses has also served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at SIPA, New York University, and Teacher’s College, Co...
2022-09-1649 minBefore the Come UpOwen OdigieIn episode 17 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Owen O. Odigie. Owen is a 3rd year grad student at Columbia co-currently pursuing his MBA and Masters of International Affairs. At CBS, he served as the Student Body President for the 2021-2022 academic year. At the Public Policy school, he is Co-Chair of the Columbia Africa Conference for the 2022-2023 academic year.
Owen has worked at Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Nike, the startup space, and recently got into Venture Capital. His dynamic work experience is matched by his dynamic upbringing growing up in Nigeria, the UK and the...
2022-09-0942 min
Before the Come UpYvoire WhittakerIn episode 16 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Yvoire Whittaker. Prior to attending CBS, Yvoire worked at Deloitte Consulting, LLP as a Human Capital Senior Consultant. At Deloitte, Yvoire gained experience in start-up accelerators, branding, marketing, data and analytics, change management, training, project management, human-centered design, customer engagement strategies, and workforce development.
As a first-generation Ghanaian-American, Yvoire is passionate about stimulating the Ghanaian economy, influencing job creation, and increasing wealth in Ghana. She is passionate about enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and promoting anti-racism in her communities, using innovation, design, and dialogue to...
2022-02-1947 minBefore the Come UpWilburt CarpenterIn episode 15 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Wilburt Carpenter. Originally from Virginia, Wilburt reflects on his family's formative impact on him and discusses his experience in media, retail, technology, and diversity and how he seeks new ways to use marketing and technology for positive change. He also discusses his wide-ranging passions from fashion to food and what led him to Columbia.
2022-02-1142 minBefore the Come UpIjeoma ChimezieIn episode 14 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Ijeoma Chimezie. She was born in Nigeria but moved to New Jersey in her youth with her family. Before CBS, she got her Doctor of Pharmacy from Rutgers University and worked as a registered pharmacist before pivoting into brand communication strategy at varying capacities within healthcare. In this episode, we learn how she has fused her passions for beauty, marketing, and medicine as she seeks to leverage industry knowledge and her entrepreneurial drive to advance access to healthcare and science globally.
2022-02-041h 00Before the Come UpSpencer BorisonIn episode 13 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Spencer Borison. Originally from Denver, Colorado, Spencer paints a vivid picture of his upbringing and reflects on his family's formative impact on him. He also discusses his wide-ranging passions and what led him to Columbia.
2021-12-1057 minBefore the Come UpMélanie D'Mello GeninIn episode 12 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Mélanie D'Mello Genin from Reims, France. We've all heard there's a professional harpist in the class of '23 - now we finally get to listen to her story! In this candid exchange, she shares her musical career journey and discusses how she defied social and professional expectations throughout her life. We also hear about what made her decide to get an MBA and her post-CBS career goals.
Check out her website: http://melaniegenin.com
2021-11-1952 minBefore the Come UpTJ SubramanianIn episode 11 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with TJ Subramanian, originally from St. Louis, Missouri. In this episode, we learn about her Midwestern and Indian cultural upbringing, undying love for New York and the educators that have inspired her along the way.
2021-11-1249 minBefore the Come UpWatson LeffelIn episode 10 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Watson Leffel an East Coast native most recently based in Washington DC. We hear about the family that inspires her, her passion for workforce and education issues, and what she hopes to contribute to and gain from the CBS community.
2021-11-0533 minBefore the Come UpDalisu JwaraIn episode 9 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Dalisu Jwara from South Africa. In this deeply moving & inspiring episode, we learn about his upbringing in Johannesburg, love for South African music, and diverse global career experiences that have brought him to where he is today.
2021-10-2958 minBefore the Come UpNine ChantawasinkulIn episode 8 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Nine Chantawasinkul. Originally from Thailand, Nine tells us about his upbringing, how he got his name, and what eventually led him to Columbia. Along the way, we hear about his passions for fitness, traveling, and exploring new places off the beaten path. He also shares stories from working in consulting at McKinsey. This role allowed him to travel to many countries as well.
2021-10-1531 minBefore the Come UpNia JohnsonIn episode 7 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Nia Johnson. After leaving her hometown in Massachusetts, she discovered her passion for venture capital and affinity for big cities — which ultimately led her to Columbia. Listen to hear about Nia’s unique experience, career advice, and what’s it’s like to be low-key Twitter famous. (You can follow her at @_johnsonator.) You won’t want to miss it!
2021-10-0837 minBefore the Come UpJohn ScalamandreIn episode 6 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with John Scalamandre. Originally from Lond Island, John tells us about his upbringing and what eventually led him to Columbia. Along the way, we hear about his passions for EDM music, playing the piano, and investment banking - all of which he plans to do post-MBA.
2021-10-0152 minBefore the Come UpNehika MiglaniIn episode 5 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Nehika Miglani. We learn about her upbringing in the San Francisco Bay Area and her career journey in tech sales on the West Coast. We also dive into what led her to CBS to fuse her passions for entrepreneurship and the beauty industry. She is a licensed esthetician as well as a classicly trained pianist obtaining an Associates Degree in Piano Music Performance from The Royal Conservatory of Music.
2021-09-2439 minBefore the Come UpJavaun FrancisIn Episode 4 of Before the Come Up, we sit down with New York City native Javaun Francis. We learn about his exciting career journey from Wall St to Texas and his passion for traveling the world. We also find out what it was like growing up in NYC and how he navigated being both American and Jamaican.
2021-09-1757 minBefore the Come UpTaylor (Lijing) XieIn the third episode of Before the Come Up, we sit down with Taylor Xie. We discuss her experience growing up in a remote, mountainous part of China before moving to Hong Kong for college. Since graduating she has worked in finance with a focus on real estate, most recently at Goldman Sachs in Shanghai.
2021-09-1042 minBefore the Come UpAdetola OlatunjiIn the second episode of "Before the Come Up," we talk to Adetola Olatunji. She was born to Nigerian parents and raised in Boston, MA. She previously worked at New Profit, a venture philanthropy fund headquartered in Boston, where she leveraged her talents and unique experience to invest in mission-driven entrepreneurs and positively impact communities that have been historically underrepresented in some of the nation's largest systems. She hopes to pursue a career in VC / impact investing post MBA.
Adetola is the daughter of two serial entrepreneurs and faith leaders who moved from Nigeria to North America to ensure a...
2021-09-031h 04Before the Come UpLeon GalhardoIn the first episode, we talk to Leon Galhardo, who was born and raised in Brazil. He previously worked in finance and real estate and is targeting a career in real estate investment banking after his MBA.
Leon has been practicing martial arts since the age of 4 and has had incredible experiences, from being a professional MMA fighter to representing his state and country in Karate. Listen to learn how he used martial arts as a vehicle to meet people, experience different cultures, and explore the world! Whatever you do, DO NOT MISS the l...
2021-08-261h 06
Inspiration Sessions with Justin Michael WilliamsBlack History Before America: SlaveryDid you know 2019 is the 400 year Anniversary since the first slaves arrived in America?! This episode will teach you the TRUTH behind the lies of American history books. We're diving deep into the trauma our enslaved ancestors went through, how that trauma is still playing out in the black community today, and how we can finally heal our ancestral wounds. Our special guest, Ambassador Johanna Odonkor Svanikier, President & CEO of the Heritage and Cultural Society of Africa (HACSA), says our healing starts with learning the TRUTH - only then can we have reconciliation. Get ready for the history lesson...
2019-02-1133 min