Anita Choi

Wharton allows you to combine all of your interests and learn to take the best facets of those and mold them into one foundation.

Why Wharton with Penn Law?

I decided to make a career switch and go to law school, entering Penn Law in 2006. In the beginning, I had a lot of interaction with Wharton students and was impressed by the students, as well as by the opportunities they had. I decided to go for it and get a dual degree.

I’m going to start off in law first, doing patent work and corporate work, primarily working with start-ups. In that sense, the MBA has added to my career goals. I’m not sure what the future holds but that’s a good thing. I am open to any opportunity that comes my way.

Best of the best

Aside from getting a solid business background and being more comfortable with numbers, part of me has taken this experience to learn more about myself, how I work in teams and how I am a leader among highly capable peers. Wharton allows you to combine all of your interests and learn to take the best facets of those and mold them into one foundation.

Out of your comfort zone

Getting out of your comfort zone is part of the culture here. Wharton and the leadership office do a really good job translating the leadership venture experience into everyday life. They teach you about mitigation of risk, working on a team with people you don’t know very well, working with people you don’t get along with or with people you do get along with and exploring those dynamics.

Adding to the diversity

Diversity is what defines the community—diversity in background, ethnicity, in your professional experience. Also, there’s diversity of interest, which is reflected in the number of clubs and activities that are available to student. To be a part of the Wharton community means that you are going to contribute something to that diversity, that you are not a one-dimensional being and you have a lot of interests and have a lot of insight to contribute. For me, it’s created a very broad professional and social network.

A Wharton moment

A professor during orientation told us to look around at our fellow classmates—this would be our network. We did an activity where we had to put on a piece of paper, the names of people we would want to work with. The activity’s goal was to highlight the fact that we have two years at Wharton to build connections so our names appear on everyone else’s paper. You want to be known as someone who is invaluable and a good team player.

Then, during our 360-feedback with our learning team, my teammates told me that I was a leader of the team and an invaluable member, and that they would always want me on their team. That was a full circle moment. I thought, “Wow, I did it. I’m on someone else’s paper and they want me on their team.” I reached my goal of being a leader and a team player.

For me, finding balance between work and school involved leaving AT&T, a company I had been with for 11 years, to work for the nonprofit DonorsChoose.org, a group that helps public school teachers across the country get the materials and resources they need for their students. My life basically had become AT&T during the day and Wharton class work and projects in the evening and weekends, and I had been forced to give up my volunteer work—tutoring, mentoring and working with students. So I decided to quit AT&T to do something I am very passionate about.

Interests: Yoga, cooking

At Wharton

Extracurricular Activities/Clubs: Co-Chair of 2009-2010 Wharton Business Plan Competition, Leadership Fellow Program, Wharton Admissions Committee, Wharton Leadership Lectures Committee, Wharton Leadership Venture – Sea Kayaking in Baja Mexico, Wharton Women In Business

Favorite Class(es): Legal Ethics

In Philadelphia

Current Residence: 2121 Market

Favorite Philadelphia Activities/Places: Reading Terminal

Favorite Philadelphia Restaurants: La Viola, Monk’s, Buddakan