S2E4 - Inclusion, Allyship, & Support w/ Kovi Shlomchick

Humans of Tepper

Welcome back to the Humans of Tepper Podcast. Joining hosts Ben(He/Him) and Kara(She/Her) this week is Kovi Shlomchik (They/Them), full-time MBA candidate at Tepper School of Business. Kovi is from Connecticut originally, studied in Chicago, and has a background in the medical field. They really wanted to pursue outside of pharmaceuticals, which ultimately led them to Tepper.

Kovi has a big interest in health tech. They already lived in Pittsburgh when they applied to Tepper and the idea of staying local in their "goldilocks city" was a huge draw for Them. They're on the leadership team for the graduate business associate and acts as the diversity, equity, and inclusion officer. GBA is an elected student body government and is the bridge between students and administration. Their role is to help the student body and connect them to as many resources as possible. Kovi's role as diversity inclusion officer means being a support system for students of all backgrounds and takes part in mixers and dinners.

They believe that it's important for ally clubs to come to the forefront because it's a huge deciding factor for many people. Knowing that genuine people are looking to connect is one of the biggest reasons Kovi decided on Tepper. They are very active in LGBTQ+ clubs where people can ask genuine questions and can get genuine responses. The support and sense of community found at Tepper are very special, and Kovi is looking forward to in-person events.

Kovi advises prospective students to follow their gut when choosing a business program. They love the support they can offer and the support they can get from their classmates. Doing your search and knowing what's important to you while looking at schools will help pick a school that's the best fit for you.

What You Will Learn:

1. What led Kovi to pursue an MBA at Tepper
2. A look at the LGBTQ+ social clubs at Tepper that allow students to connect with like-minded individuals.
3. How student-elected boards work to bridge the gap between students and administration