MBA

Profiles

Kevin S. Rollag, MBA 2010

Kevin Rollag came with his family from Panama to the United States when he was fourteen. Although his Tacoma, Washington community respected education, the prevailing assumption, Kevin says, "is that smart people become doctors." But Kevin wanted to teach. As an undergraduate at Washington University, he served in two different volunteer agencies: Teach for America and Upward Bound, a government-sponsored TRIO summer enrichment program for underserved communities.

"While volunteering," Kevin says, "I realized that day-in, day-out teaching would not be where I would have the greatest impact. I began to wonder if I could make a greater contribution from the outside." Kevin's renewed sense of purpose took him into leadership roles, first at his fraternity, then as president of The Thurtene Carnival. "It was quite an honor," Kevin notes. "Thurtene is the largest student-run charity event in the country." Each year, Washington University picks thirteen of the most prominent student leaders to manage the event. "I discovered that I liked inspiring others; I liked leading a group of dedicated people."

Finding a more nuanced view

"Because I hadn't planned on a business career," Kevin says, "I didn't take any business classes in college." His stint at Deloitte Consulting in Chicago did give him intense exposure to digital and internet technologies. "But it was hard to wrap my mind around all the nuances — legal, ethical, and global — of all this unbounded technology," says Kevin. "I needed a comprehensive introduction to business fundamentals while getting a high-level vision of how organizations are put together."

At HBS, many of the biggest rewards have come from the case method of study. "I'm really engaged by this type of learning," Kevin says. "I love the energy of 90 people thinking on the fly. And I appreciate how it gives me a more nuanced view on business ethics and morality." As an example, Kevin refers to Yahoo's experience in China. "How do they balance respect for the nation's laws while maintaining a commitment to human rights? How do you run a business in a location where you might be required to impose on those rights? Before, I thought of these issues as black-and-white. Now I have a more nuanced perspective on what it means to be responsible — as a business person, a family man, a community member."

Continuing the journey

One way Kevin has demonstrated leadership at HBS is by returning home to Panama — this time, with eight other HBS colleagues. At the end of the year, he'll join other students on a trek to Israel. "It's part the world I have always wanted to visit," says Kevin. "Now's the perfect chance, when I can go with classmates from the area."

In the summer, Kevin will join JP Morgan's Technology/Media/Telecom investment banking group in San Francisco. "After graduation," he says, "I'm considering something in technology. I've already done the consulting side, so now I'm more interested in looking at the financial end of it."