An MBA was never part of Livi Logan-Wood’s career plans. Raised by social justice-minded grandparents, she dreamed of making a difference. After graduating from Saint Louis University with a degree in social work, Logan-Wood completed a Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs and then moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked for the Partnership for Public Service supporting a number of federal government initiatives, including the 2020 Biden-Harris presidential transition.
“Working in D.C., I started seeing the value of having a multidisciplinary background and how different types of professional experiences can really inform excellent leadership and government down the road,” Logan-Wood said.
This May, Logan-Wood plans to graduate with dual master’s degrees in business administration from Olin Business School and social work from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. Below, she talks about her time at WashU, advice for incoming graduate students and why she has made St. Louis her home.
What advice do you have for incoming graduate students?
Come into any graduate program with a yes mentality. Whether it’s a formal opportunity like a club or internship, or an informal opportunity like grabbing a drink after class with your peers, you can’t lose by saying yes.
Logan-Wood on the St. Louis food scene: The food scene in St. Louis is really incredible. I live right next to Tower Grove Park in the Shaw neighborhood, so I frequent restaurants like Olio, Union Loafers and Indo.
What are some examples of opportunities you said yes to?
During my time at WashU, I’ve been involved with the Center for Experiential Learning (CEL) practicum program. As a first-year MBA student, I was a team lead for a project serving an international client. After that, I served as a CEL Scholar, which allowed me to mentor and support other teams. Both experiences pushed me to grow in different ways as a leader.
I also loved being a part of The Consortium, a network of business schools with the mission to increase representation and access for students who identify as Black, Latinx or Indigenous. Working closely with that group taught me about my peers’ experiences in the workplace and what my role is as a white person who believes there should be more representation and access for different racial minorities in business.
What’s next after graduation?
In the fall, I will join the consulting services team at World Wide Technology. I did an internship with the team last year and had a phenomenal experience.
Before graduate school, I only had short-term goals for my career. Now, I’m looking at the big picture and the experiences I want to gain to reach my goals. I loved the social work program because it supplemented the conversations we were having in the business school. It also showed me that gaining experience specifically in technology and the business sector could only enhance my capacity to effect change.
What do you love most about St. Louis?
St. Louis is an incredibly approachable city from a career and personal perspective. You can work in almost any field in this city, and the entertainment options are endless. It was important for me to live in a city where I could be involved in my community, understand the local politics and who the decision-makers are while also accessing Fortune 100 companies. St. Louis has all that and more.
