Kristin Watson, Boston Carroll MBA Class of 2025
Age: 43
Hometown: Lewiston, NY
Undergraduate Institution and Major: West Virginia University, Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Arts with a minor in Art History and Niagara University, Master of Science degree in Education in Early Childhood Literacy
Pre-MBA Work Experience (role, company, years): 10+ years as a Founder and Entrepreneur; Founder and former CEO of pūrvelo, Co-Founder of LUX /// LAB Studios, Founder of What Label Co.
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
In May of 2022 I sold my first company. It was a bittersweet moment in my career. I feel very blessed to have been presented with such an amazing offer to sell, but also, the terms of the contract left me with little to do in the day-to-day operations in the months ahead. I am not one to sit around and I am my best self when I am learning and growing. I had always thought about going back for my MBA but could never find the “right” time. My family and I began throwing around the idea at the start of 2023. By April, I had narrowed it down, and in May, I submitted my application to Boston College Carroll School of Management, so yes, you can say I was late to the party! One advantage of being an older student is that my life experiences have taught me to put time and effort into what you want and move on from things that do not serve you. I knew what I wanted out of a program, and I did not want to go back to any school just to get my MBA. My biggest goal for this journey was to learn new skills, or as I like to reference them, gathering new “tools” to add to my toolbox. I wasn’t ready to “retire”, knew I wanted more tools for my box, and suddenly had the time in my schedule, so back to school I went.
Why did you choose Boston Carroll? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I am passionate about helping others. Most of my career choices up until this point in life have largely centered around serving and empowering those around me. My first career was as an elementary school teacher, and my latest venture was employing 100+ young women to run the daily operations of pūrvelo’s studios. Nothing gives me greater joy than to watch someone have that lightbulb moment where everything begins to click for them, or the simple smile that appears from a small act of kindness. With that being said, one of the biggest draws for me to attend BC was their Jesuit commitment to live in service to others. Part of our MBA requirements is to fulfill a community service initiative, pair that with their intimate cohort size, and I knew that this was going to be an amazing fit for me.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the BC Carroll School of Management Class of 2025?
I am coming back to school after 20 years away from the classroom. This was a decision that I did not take lightly. One of my biggest contributions is my life experiences up until this point. I bring with me a diverse working background, from school teacher, to the early days of working for Lululemon, to starting and scaling multiple companies. Although I have so much to learn, I feel I am able to help some of our younger students put things in perspective, offering them real-world experience delivered with a “momma bear” approach. I love my classmates as if they were part of my own family.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I don’t take myself too seriously, and with that comes a quirky personality. It is a lifelong dream of mine to do dog voiceovers for Disney Characters. I am a dog lover and have certainly had my fair share of neurotic dogs in my lifetime, my most recent a 1-year-old Vizsla named Choge. He is the definition of a Velcro dog and that means I have been known to spend time explaining my Data Analytics homework to him in a “relatable” dog voice.
Post-MBA career interests:
I am a creative person and love working with others; currently, I am leaning toward Management (People or Operations) OR Marketing.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Sit Down and really take time to write a compelling story for your essay. You want to stand out, but you also need to be fully authentic, speak from the heart, not your head. Ask your friends and family questions about who they think you are and how they experience you; ask them what makes you unique? This will help open a narrative that shows you areas that you are wonderful at as well as things you may have opportunities for growth in. Take those and use them for essay inspiration.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I would not change a thing. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Oftentimes in life we may not understand the reason, or even like it, but we can always learn from it. Each day I am learning new things, taking more risks and finding new ways to grow. With that being said, check back in with me in a few years after I have had time to process the magnitude of this adventure, there may be something to change then☺
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
The stress over the entire application process. As humans most of us tend to create stress over things that are outside of our control. Why? At my age, I feel like I should know not to stress about outside factors, but I wanted this so bad so the stress continued to build as I waited for a response. Spending quality time with friends, family and Choge helped to put things in perspective.
What is your initial impression of the Boston Carroll students/culture/community?
We have such an amazing community here. Everyone is incredibly supportive and truly wants to see you succeed. This year’s MBA program has a diverse group of candidates covering a wide range of backgrounds and experiences helping to shape a dynamic cohort. I know we are just getting started on this journey, but the programming and events on campus are top-tier!
What is one thing you have learned about Boston Carroll that has surprised you?
They are constantly working to help you! I have professors that will email me back late at night, I have advisors who help me with the most mundane tasks, even the dining services team makes sure we have fuel to keep us going. You don’t often see a community this dedicated to making sure you achieve your goals. I am blown away at their level of support to aid in my success.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
Managing my time. I am used to juggling a lot of teams, projects, tasks and meetings from time with my company, but I also had a plethora of talented humans helping me to stay on track. Entering BC, I knew that I would need to be extremely organized from day one. Even with the support of my classmates who are all in the same boat, I am ultimately the one who needs to put in the time to complete the homework, the readings and the case studies.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
Yikes, that is a hard one. I would have to say my coursework on Managing People and Organizations. This is an area that I want to gather as many “tools” for my toolbox as possible.
