Michelle White W'17
Email: mchll.white@gmail.com
What did you study at Penn and when did you graduate?
I’m from the Philadelphia suburbs and I was originally undecided in the College. After exploring some courses at Penn, I found that I love marketing. I’m a creative person and love art, but I’m also analytical and love math. Marketing combined those two so I transferred to Wharton and graduated in 2017 with a concentration in marketing.
What were you involved with as an undergraduate?
I was primarily involved with Alternate Spring Break and Kite and Key where I gave tours.
What do you do now and where are you based?
I’m currently based in Philadelphia and own an art studio where I make glass art, wire mobiles, and handmade cards. It’s interesting to be an entrepreneur running a business that sells art since I have to think about how that affects my relationship with art and how I can produce but still get to explore art. I also work part-time for a tea house where I do graphic design (ex. creating their menu, website, and packaging), and as the marketing director for a glass studio called Remark. Remark takes glass bottles from local restaurants and community members and reblows them into new products.
What past positions have you held?
In the past, I held a corporate consulting position in New York. I worked as a Digital Strategy Consultant for Adobe, and I was responsible for advising companies like Best Buy and H&M on how they can improve their digital marketing. I learned a lot through the role, especially about the digital space and how tech informs the decisions that businesses are making. I also gained a lot of soft skills, like presentation and analytical thinking skills. I’m really grateful for the opportunity, but I knew that I wanted to work more on the issue rather than just telling people to fix it. I wasn’t getting any meaning out of the work and was burnt out, so I left during COVID-19 and started my own art studio.
How has being a woman affected your career trajectory, if it has?
I’m a pretty human-centric person, and I think empathetically. I think of people as people instead of labels like employees, in a way that women tend to do more naturally. My career growth has also been primarily through relationships with people. For example, the reason I did well at Adobe wasn’t because I could put together nice slides- it was because I was good at talking to people, listening to them, and treating them as humans. Working in women-led teams such as Remark is important to me since I’ve noticed that women are generally more understanding and prioritize well-being as opposed to just your work. Overall, being a woman has influenced my strengths, the people that I want to work with, and the style of work I enjoy.
What is one problem, issue, or idea that you think more people should know about?
I’ve recently been learning about the benefits of building a circular economy, and it’s incredibly exciting. Instead of having a typical supply chain where you extract raw materials from the earth and put them back in landfills, a circular economy repurposes it for future use. I started at Remark a month ago, and we focus a lot on bringing things back into the flow. It’s so important on a local scale too. Since most of Philly’s recycling goes into a landfill, we’re much better off reusing a glass jar instead of recycling it. Overall, I’ve been inspired by how we can work with local businesses and governments to close the loop, and I’m excited about what the future of a circular economy can look like.
What advice do you wish you had known when you were an undergraduate?
There’s often a push to have everything figured out, to have a 5-year plan, a resume ready to go, clubs and involvements that line up to a future vision, but it’s important to remember that you’re in college and you still have time to figure it out and explore. My biggest advice is to allow for the process to unfold and have some fun!
What is the best thing you have read lately?
I’m a big reader! A quote that inspired me to leave my job and start my business is “You don’t have a career. You have a life. Start living your life.” This quote from Cheryl Strayed’s advice column really resonated with me since I had been so career-oriented. It was a new perspective that I really appreciated.
What’s your favorite place you’ve ever been?
Costa Rica! I got to spend a week or two there, and I love nature and the jungle. It was magical- the people were so friendly, eco-conscious, and nature-minded.