Bria Hardin-Boyer, MIT Sloan MBA Class of 2025
Bria Hardin-Boyer, MIT Sloan MBA Class of 2025Pronouns: She/Her
Hometown: Springfield, Missouri
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia as a Spanish and French Language Major
Pre-MBA Work Experience (role, company, years): Dow Jones (2 years), Nasdaq (1 year), Hinge (2 years) as a DEI Analyst and Specialist
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
That is such a great question! So I have always wanted to pursue a terminal degree, but I was not sure which one. Believe it or not– I have taken every standardized test except the MCAT. I am very big on vision boards, manifesting, and ideating, and I told myself, “You will apply to Business School!” So I did. I feel like the MBA, especially an MBA from MIT Sloan, provides me with the autonomy, business acumen, and tech-enabled solutioning that will serve as an asset for me for the rest of my professional journey. I am so happy I found what fits me.
Why did you choose MIT Sloan? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
Two words: Dawna Levenson. I am a fellow in MLT, Management Leadership for Tomorrow, which is an MBA applicant accelerator program for applicants of color and other historically minoritized groups who are not often represented in higher education. During one of our seminars, Dawna gave a compelling pitch on MIT Sloan. I came to that seminar not having an inclination toward MIT and I left completely sold. I was determined to be a Sloanie.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2025?
I love the personality, authenticity, and to be honest, female gaze I bring to MIT Sloan. I love that I show up dressed in what reflects my vibe that day, and I still come to class and “talk shop” with everyone else. I am a technologist too and I think MIT is a collage of how diverse technology can be.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I am a certified seamstress.
Post-MBA career interests:
I am trying to figure that out every day. I get closer and closer all the time. If I had to guess today it would be a mosaic of product management for my own interior design company, or maybe the CMO if someone else’s(?), being a Trustee Board at a women’s college, and owning a few speakeasies in New York City.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process? Hot take: apply Round 1 if you can. It just feels so much better to get it over with. No pressure though! Also, please have a Sloanie review your video essays– feel free to message me! 🙂
–What is one thing you would change or do differently? 
Hmm. Let’s unpack this one over some coffee. Same time next week? 🙂
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
I think I could have skipped my need to be a perfectionist about the whole process. I was a perfectionist when writing my entire application, and then a perfectionist about the admitted student process, and then (somewhat) of a perfectionist about grades. Then I decided, “this is lame.” Being a perpetual perfectionist is just fueling my self-doubt. That sucks! MIT Sloan is all about community and in my determination to be the perfect student (which no one is) I was missing out on the fun, silly parts of this entire process that make it so special.
What is your initial impression of the MIT Sloan students/culture/community?
I liked the nerdiness of it. Like wow, we really name our buildings after numbers. I think it’s so fun. I think the students are all very interesting and humble. I believe that our class is quite diverse.
What is one thing you have learned about MIT Sloan that has surprised you?
MIT stays in our own lane and we do our own thing. I think, especially in business school, there is a lot of comparison among institutions. But MIT has this thing that we do really, really well, and we just iterate on that thing. I love that. MIT is not trying to be any other institution and that’s the authenticity that I hope to continue to embody in my own life.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
I want to make sure I leave with the skills I sought to gain. I am an industry pivoter and I am making a hard pivot into product. It’s going well so far, which I am grateful for, but I really want to make sure I maximize the tactical, hard-skill building that made MIT Sloan the number one choice for me in the first place.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I feel super proud to be finished with the core. It was pretty tough and my classmates and I worked very hard. I am so proud of us for being ¼ done. I am excited about what it feels like at ½ of the way done. Check back in six months 🙂
