During the summer of 2023, KJ Brown (MBA '24) interned as an NYU Stern MBA Human Rights Fellow at New Balance. Read on to learn more about her time there:

 

Name: KJ Brown

Year: 2024

Specialization: Strategy; Business Analytics; Entertainment, Media, and Technology

 

I had the incredible opportunity to be an MBA Strategy intern at New Balance this summer through the fellowship program on their Responsible Leadership and Global Compliance team. As a self-professed sneakerhead and as a fan following the brand's supersonic growth over the past few years, I was thrilled to be selected for this opportunity. My main project this summer focused on conducting robust data analysis, which was my goal. The aim of my workstream was to examine New Balance's suppliers, discern potential impact on workers and productivity levels in the post-COVID landscape, and then present my key findings and recommendations to high-level stakeholders.  

 

I was able to complete three additional projects aligned with my areas of interest: developing a company-specific Human Rights policy for their website, completing a competitive benchmarking analysis, and conducting a gap analysis for forthcoming EUDDD regulations. Without a doubt, this was an invaluable learning opportunity and a cornerstone of my MBA experience. I feel confident this experience will prepare me as I go forward in my career. I will be able to leverage my critical thinking, analytics-driven, strategic decision-making skills, along with Excel and PowerPoint expertise I continued to hone during this internship. Knowing that I focused on key organization initiatives within my team was an amazing feeling and solidified my goal of being in a role where I can see the tangible impact I am making.