How We Succeed: Masha Taylor, BS’09
It’s important to push yourself outside of your comfort zone—in running, in your career, in life ...
There are no limits—it’s up to you to set your own bar. And if you dedicate the time, the energy, and the effort—you can accomplish whatever you want to accomplish.
Coming out of Kelley, I was ambitious and ready to go. I merged my business law and business economics majors into litigation consulting. It was very intense, very fast-paced. No case was ever the same—the companies were different, the situations were different. It was a “need it yesterday” environment.
One of my first cases—in a big boardroom with attorneys and executives—I had to step up and present, which I didn’t expect. It was way out of my comfort zone as a first year analyst. At that moment it was scary, it was intimidating, but I had done the research and felt prepared from having done so many presentations at Kelley. It gave me the confidence to step up and represent the team.
Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone ultimately pushes your career along. It’s like when you’re running, and you’ve reached the last couple of miles and your legs are numb—you just push a little harder to get to the finish line. You’ve done the training and you have a plan.
Three years ago, I’d never run a mile. Then I ran a 5K. Then I decided to push myself a little further, and I ran my first 15K last year. Every day, I push myself for maximum results—and, when you reach those last few miles, when you reach your goal, you realize that you can accomplish anything.
I am Masha Taylor, financial analyst at Razorfish in Chicago, and I achieved more than I ever imagined with the Kelley Undergraduate Program.