Biography
After receiving a bachelor’s in psychology from Spelman College, Karleigh Smith soon discovered she wanted to help people. The California-native decided to combine her psychology skillset with business, which ultimately landed her in Goizueta’s Master in Management program. “Growing up, I've always been that person that everybody came to and always wanted advice from,” she says. “So I want to be able to do that in my career.”
Karleigh describes herself as a relatively shy individual, but classmates and professors have helped encourage her to come out of her comfort zone. “My classmates have been very supportive, and they really helped me to be more positive,” she adds. “I want to be able to do that for other people because I’m a very shy person, and I sometimes have a hard time believing in myself. I want to be able to provide that for other people as I'm working on it myself.”
Karleigh has been able to work on her leadership and presentation skills within the classroom. While presenting brings her anxiety, she has learned to work through her fears to better express herself and her ideas.
“I feel like I'm very hard on myself, and I freak out and start getting anxious every time,” she says. “I have a hard time expressing myself sometimes, but [Professor Steve Savage] really helped me over this semester by helping me to remain confident and just breathe. I think the main skill that I've learned is communicating effectively and clearly.”
Ultimately, Karleigh encourages students considering the program to take the risk to help achieve their aspirations and career goals.
“I want to help people, and I've always felt like that would make me happy,” she says. “It's very important to have a job that you love, and I wanted to make an impact in the world.”