Sharon Kornstein W'80

What did you study at Penn and when did you graduate?

I was an accounting major at Wharton, and I graduated in 1980. 

What were you involved with as an undergraduate?

Honestly, I don’t remember. But, I went to Penn at a time where our basketball team was really good so I remember going to all their games. I was also a part of Wharton women and involved in the Wharton Club of New Jersey after college. Other than that, I mostly studied. 

What was your favorite part of Penn/Wharton?

I loved being in Philadelphia. I loved being in a city. Penn was also just a great location as everything was accessible. I also enjoyed all my classes. Many of the professors I had ended up becoming very famous. For example, I took a class with Martin Seligan who was a key contributor in the positive psychology space. All the faculty was fabulous. 

What do you do now and where are you based?

I work as a professional wardrobe consultant now guiding women as to how to best present themselves. I generally like to work with business people who are on their way up. I learned about this field through an article in the New York Times where they mentioned a program at FIT that taught about this field. I was fascinated by it. In 2001, I started my own business called ImageDesign where I help women present themselves in the best way everyday. 

How has being a woman affected your career trajectory, if it has?

Men and women were not treated overtly differently, but there was a patriarchal attitude that no one really challenged. Many of the people I worked with at early stages of my professional life were men, and I didn’t have any major issues. However when I had kids, I felt that as a woman I had a personal choice of choosing to work or have a family. I decided to have a family and not work for about 10 years. No one forced me to do this, it was just a personal decision I felt was important. 

What advice do you have for our members as they begin exploring careers and internships? 

Follow your gut. Change is ok-- there’s a good chance that you are not going to end up doing what you intended to. Listen to yourself and your true passions. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that everyone has a different measure of success. Some may see success as having money while others may think success is measured by community impact. Figure out what success looks like for you and aim for that.