“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Looking back, I feel the paths worth taking were those I followed with my heart: my trip to the US eleven years ago; the long journey later from a 300-people village in the Idaho wilderness to a small Midwestern town and to the nation's capital; and the decision to come to HBS without knowing any MBAs, where I ended up loving every minute of the experience.

I want to make sure my children grow up to be beautiful human beings. As a business leader and public servant, I want to help rebuild Yugoslavia so my children are the first in many generations not to have their lifetime marked by war.

Beyond that, I hope to remain humble about my place in this great wide world and mindful of my blessings and the responsibilities those blessings bring. Above all, I hope to always follow my heart, even when choices are not obvious. Even when they're hard and I'm scared of making them.

— Marijana Kolak