Business Analyst, McKinsey & Co.听
Anya Aidun is teaching herself to Rollerblade.听
As a classically trained ballet dancer, you鈥檇 think she鈥檇 have the balance, poise and agility to easily master inline skating, 鈥渂ut gravity and I do not have the sort of agreement you need to learn how to Rollerblade,鈥� Anya said, laughing. 鈥淚鈥檝e gotten really good at it in my room, though, because there鈥檚 a carpet, so I don鈥檛 fall down.鈥澨�
However, when it comes to her professional aspirations, Anya has had no trouble standing tall. She鈥檚 a highly active student鈥攁 member of and leadership roles with and the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity鈥攕ecured a great internship with McKinsey that led to a full-time offer and was recognized this spring as one of 兔子先生传媒文化作品鈥檚 2023 Student Leaders of the Year.
Anya鈥檚 view on what it takes to be an effective leader has, not surprisingly, changed since high school, where she already held executive-level positions at several student clubs.听
鈥淭he way I view leadership now is knowing yourself, showing up authentically and inspiring other people to do the same thing,鈥� she said. 鈥淎t Leeds, I learned more about myself, which lets me show up in a more intentional way for other people. And you have a more meaningful impact when you鈥檙e surrounded by other people who are encouraged to bring their genuine selves to the table.听
鈥淭he award means so much to me because I think it was not about the executive positions I was in, but rather, about making people feel part of the Leeds community.鈥�
Making a big school a little smaller
As a Boulder native, Anya has a head start on helping fellow Business Buffs get acclimated to Leeds, though most of the schools she applied to were far from home. The views of the Flatirons, and the resources of a major state university, helped tip the decision to stay local. Admission to the Leeds Scholars Program also was pivotal; 鈥渋t made CU a little bit smaller and helped me find my own community,鈥� she said.
Where she found community was in Leeds鈥� student consulting club鈥攁vailable by application only鈥攁nd government, which Anya said was instrumental in her development as a student. It also gave her leadership experience鈥攕he served as vice president of student organizations鈥攁nd something to look forward to when the pandemic made student life virtual.
鈥淎t Leeds, I learned more about myself, which lets me show up in a more intentional way for other people.鈥�
Anya Aidun (InfoMgmt鈥�23)
鈥淚t was something to look forward to鈥攇etting together with friends and figuring out how to make the school a better place,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his year, there鈥檚 been a real shift in the organization to find a way to build better community for everyone in Leeds鈥攏ot just the people already engaged in a bunch of clubs.鈥�
Anya completed multiple internships as a Leeds student, but most enjoyed working with McKinsey over the summer. She got to work on a project in higher education where the company consulted with a university considering whether to open a new campus as part of its overall growth strategy.听
鈥淚t was the best experience I could have had鈥攁 crash course in everything I needed to do to own and manage my own work stream,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ometimes as an intern, you just float around and help out where you can. That wasn鈥檛 my experience at McKinsey.鈥�
As she prepares to return to the company鈥檚 Denver offices after graduation, she鈥檚 looking forward to exploring different avenues and see what professional path in consulting most excites her. Her Leeds classes鈥攅specially the discipline-intensive mods and BASE experience鈥攇ave her the breadth needed in the fast-moving world of consulting.
鈥淟eeds taught me how to quickly take in information and be able to make rapid decisions,鈥� Anya said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the key to success in consulting, because you have to be constantly learning.鈥�