Kelly Sortino

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“I believe that this is the right time in my life to pursue an M.B.A. because I am young enough to offer a fresh perspective but also experienced enough to make substantive contributions.”

  • Alumni of: 2006 Graduate Scholarship Program
  • Resides: San Francisco, CA
  • Hometown: Willow Springs, IL
  • Age: 31

Biography

Kelly Sortino knows she has the right stuff to become a leader in education, but she wants to add “the skills and professional exposure that a business school education provides.”  A summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate, she wants to learn more about “business, leadership and social innovation.”

Kelly’s goal is to “find harmony between the non-profit and for-profit sectors.”  She brings unusual experience in both to education.  She worked as a resident adviser at Rockefeller College, a leader of the Ghana Cultural Immersion Program, a Princeton admissions officer, and a middle-school language arts teacher.  At Princeton, she also ran a dance company, organized an independent film festival, and managed a multimillion-dollar radio station.
 
Kelly calls college a “life laboratory” in which she explored activities and leadership.  Her father, who died when she was 10, always told her to “be the difference that makes the difference.”  She learned to embrace her own differences and to relish making an impact in education.  “I constantly wonder how I would be different if my father had not died but in the end, I know the answer really does not matter.  What does matter is that I use all of the experiences of my life as opportunities for growth and challenge.”

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